US-12626720-B2 - Tape head module having a congruent extension and method for mass producing same

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to a tape drive comprising one or more tape head modules and a method of forming thereof. A first element array and a second element array are disposed on a first chip of a rowbar, and a third element array and a fourth element array are disposed on a second chip of the rowbar. The second element array is centered on the first chip, and the fourth element array is centered on the second chip. The rowbar is split to separate the first and second chips, and the first and second chips are re-arranged before being bonded to a u-beam. The u-beam is split to form a first tape head module and a second tape head module. The first tape head module comprises the second chip and a congruent segment of the first chip. The second tape head module comprises the first chip.

Inventors

• Robert G. Biskeborn
• Eduardo Torres Mireles

Assignees

• WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20240104

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A tape drive comprising one or more of a first tape head module and a second tape head module formed by a method of: forming a first element array, a second element array, a third element array, and a fourth element array on a rowbar, the first and second element arrays being centered on a first chip of the rowbar and the third and fourth element arrays being centered on a second chip of the rowbar, wherein the second element array is disposed adjacent to the third element array; shifting the rowbar a distance such that the second element array is centered on the first chip and the fourth element array is centered on the second chip, wherein, upon shifting the rowbar, the second chip is shorter than the first chip, the first element array is off-center on the first chip, and the third element array is off-center on the second chip; splitting the rowbar at a centerline of the rowbar to separate the first chip from the second chip; re-arranging the first chip and the second chip such that the first element array is disposed adjacent to the fourth element array; attaching the first chip and the second chip to a u-beam; and splitting the u-beam to form the first tape head module and the second tape head module.
2. 2 . A tape drive comprising one or more of a first tape head module and a second tape head module formed by a method of: forming a first element array and a second element array on a first chip of a rowbar, and a third element array and a fourth element array on a second chip of the rowbar, wherein: the first chip has a first end and a second end, and the second chip has a first end and a second end, the second end of the first chip being disposed adjacent to the first end of the second chip, the first and second element arrays are centered upon a central axis of the first chip, the third and fourth element arrays are centered upon a central axis of the second chip, and the first chip and the second chip are centered upon a central axis of the rowbar; shifting the rowbar a distance such that the second element array is centered upon the central axis of the first chip and the fourth element array is centered upon the central axis of the second chip, wherein, upon shifting the rowbar, the first chip has a greater length than the second chip based on the central axis of the rowbar, the first element array is off-center from the central axis of the first chip, and the third element array is off-center from the central axis of the second chip; splitting the rowbar at the central axis of the rowbar to separate the first chip from the second chip; re-arranging the first chip and the second chip such that the first end of the first chip is disposed adjacent to the second end of the second chip; attaching the first chip and the second chip to a u-beam; and splitting the u-beam at the central axis of the rowbar to form the first tape head module and the second tape head module.
3. 3 . A tape head module, comprising: a first chip segment; a second chip segment, the second chip segment being congruent with the first chip segment; a first element array disposed on the first chip segment; and a second element array disposed adjacent to the first element array, the second element array being centered upon a central axis of the first chip segment, wherein the second chip segment has a shorter length than the first chip segment, and wherein the second chip segment has a length substantially equal to a distance the first element array and the second element array are shifted from a centerline of the tape head module.
4. 4 . The tape head module of claim 3 , wherein the first chip segment and the second chip segment were formed from a same rowbar.
5. 5 . The tape head module of claim 3 , wherein the first and second element arrays each individually comprises one or more servo elements and at least 32 write heads or at least 32 read heads.
6. 6 . The tape head module of claim 3 , further comprising a u-beam, wherein the first and second chip segments and the first and second element arrays are disposed on the u-beam.
7. 7 . The tape head module of claim 3 , wherein the first chip segment and the second chip segment are joined together in a data element direction.
8. 8 . A tape drive comprising the tape head module of claim 3 .
9. 9 . The tape head module of claim 3 , wherein the first element array is off-center from the central axis of the first chip segment.
10. 10 . The tape head module of claim 3 , further comprising: a third element array disposed on the second chip segment; and a fourth element array disposed on the second chip segment.
11. 11 . The tape head module of claim 10 , wherein one of the third element array or the fourth element array is off-center from a central axis of the second chip segment.
12. 12 . A tape head module, comprising: a first chip segment; a second chip segment, the second chip segment being congruent with the first chip segment; a first element array disposed on the first chip segment, the first element array comprising a first plurality of data elements; and a second element array disposed adjacent to the first element array, the second element array comprising a second plurality of data elements, wherein one of the first element array or the second element array is off-center from a central axis of the first chip segment, wherein the first and second element arrays are aligned on a same longitudinal axis that is orthogonal to a direction of tape movement, wherein the second chip segment has a length substantially equal to a distance the first element array and the second element array are shifted from a centerline of the tape head module.
13. 13 . The tape head module of claim 12 , wherein one of the first element array or the second element array is centered upon the central axis of the first chip segment.
14. 14 . The tape head module of claim 12 , wherein the first chip segment has a greater length than the second chip segment, and wherein the first chip segment and the second chip segment were formed from a same rowbar.
15. 15 . The tape head module of claim 12 , wherein the first chip segment and the second chip segment are joined together in a data element direction.
16. 16 . The tape head module of claim 12 , further comprising a u-beam, wherein the first and second chip segments and the first and second element arrays are disposed on the u-beam, and wherein the first chip segment and the second chip segment are joined together in a data element direction.
17. 17 . The tape head module of claim 12 , further comprising: a third element array disposed on the second chip segment; and a fourth element array disposed on the second chip segment, wherein one of the third element array or the fourth element array is centered upon a central axis of the second chip segment.
18. 18 . The tape head module of claim 17 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth element arrays each individually comprises one or more servo elements and at least 32 write heads or at least 32 read heads.
19. 19 . The tape head module of claim 17 , wherein the third element array is centered upon the central axis of the second chip segment, and wherein the fourth element array is off-center from the central axis of the second chip segment.
20. 20 . A tape drive comprising the tape head module of claim 12 .

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Field of the Disclosure Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a magnetic recording tape and a tape drive including the tape. Description of the Related Art Tape heads of tape drive systems are used to record and read back information on tapes by magnetic processes. Magnetic transducers of the tape heads read data from and write data onto magnetic recording media. Data is written on the magnetic recording media by moving a magnetic write transducer to a location over the media where the data is to be stored. The magnetic write transducer then generates a magnetic field, which encodes the data into the magnetic media. Data is read from the media by the magnetic read transducer through sensing of the magnetic field of the magnetic media. Tape drives generally come in two sizes, a full-high drive and a half-high drive. Due to the smaller size of the half-high drive, the half-high drive is generally more popular than the full-high drive, as the overall footprint of the half-high-drive is smaller. The half-high drive is smaller height-wise than the full-high drive, which limits the amount of data elements and servo element pairs that can be utilized to write and read data, as there is no room for more than 32 data elements to be wired and functional. Thus, the half-high drive is only capable of writing 32 channels or data tracks of a tape at a time. The full-height drive is not subject to this limitation and thus, can support increasing the number of concurrent channels to 64 channels or higher. However, there is a need that full-height and half-height drives must both write and read the same identical 32 channel format, meaning that the tapes so written in either drive are fully interchangeable for both write append and reading operations in both drives. Due to head design and format constraints, there is a need for a tape drive that enables that aforementioned requirements. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure generally relates to a tape drive comprising one or more tape head modules and a method of forming thereof. A first element array and a second element array are disposed on a first chip of a rowbar, and a third element array and a fourth element array are disposed on a second chip of the rowbar. The second element array is centered on the first chip, and the fourth element array is centered on the second chip. The rowbar is split to separate the first and second chips, and the first and second chips are re-arranged before being bonded to a u-beam. The u-beam is split to form a first tape head module and a second tape head module. The first tape head module comprises the second chip and a congruent segment of the first chip. The second tape head module comprises the first chip. In one embodiment, a method of forming tape head modules comprises forming a first element array, a second element array, a third element array, and a fourth element array on a rowbar, the first and second element arrays being centered on a first chip of the rowbar and the third and fourth element arrays being centered on a second chip of the rowbar, wherein the second element array is disposed adjacent to the third element array, shifting the rowbar a distance such that the second element array is centered on the first chip and the fourth element array is centered on the second chip, wherein, upon shifting the rowbar, the second chip is shorter than the first chip, splitting the rowbar at a centerline of the rowbar to separate the first chip from the second chip, re-arranging the first chip and the second chip such that the first element array is disposed adjacent to the fourth element array, attaching the first chip and the second chip to a u-beam, and splitting the u-beam to form a first tape head module and a second tape head module. In another embodiment, a method of forming tape head modules comprises forming a first element array and a second element array on a first chip of a rowbar, and a third element array and a fourth element array on a second chip of the rowbar, wherein: the first chip has a first end and a second end, and the second chip has a first end and a second end, the second end of the first chip being disposed adjacent to the first end of the second chip, the first and second element arrays are centered upon a central axis of the first chip, the third and fourth element arrays are centered upon a central axis of the second chip, and the first chip and the second chip are centered upon a central axis of the rowbar, shifting the rowbar a distance such that the second element array is centered upon the central axis of the first chip and the fourth element array is centered upon the central axis of the second chip, wherein, upon shifting the rowbar, the first chip has a greater length than the second chip based on the central axis of the rowbar, splitting the rowbar at the central axis of the rowbar to separate the first chip from the second chip, re-arra