Single Pole Type Heads with Co-Zr-Nb/SiO2 Multilayered Films

Multilayer films, consisting of two Co-Zr-Nb layers separated by an intermediate SiO
2
layer were fabricated, and then compared with single-layer films for use in single-pole perpendicular magnetic recording heads. The dependences of film coercivities on the intermediate layer thickness were determined, and domain structures observed. Whereas narrower track widths lead to prominent closure domain effects in single-layer films, unless the anisotropy field H
k
is raised, multilayer films with low H
k
and an intermediate layer as thin as 30 Å may be used even in narrow-track heads without any drop or instability in playback output.