Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Barry Cushing Stripe

Erhard Theodor Schreck

Takuya Matsumoto

Muhammad Asif Bashir

Hamid Balamane

Shen Ren

Petrus Antonius Vanderheijden

A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head for recording data in data tracks of a HAMR disk has a gas-bearing slider that supports a near-field transducer (NFT) and a main magnetic pole formed of two layers. The first main pole layer has a cross-track width at the slider's gas-bearing surface (GBS) that tapers down in the direction towards the NFT where the optical spot is formed. The second main pole layer is located away from the NFT and has a substantially wider cross-track width than the first main pole layer so as to provide sufficient magnetic field for writing. Layers of heat sink material are located on the sloped cross-track sides of the tapered first main pole layer to reduce the temperature and thus the likelihood of oxidation of the main pole layers.

Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head with tapered main pole and heat sink material adjacent the pole

A method, apparatus, and system for implementing contact sensing are provided using a near field transducer (NFT) and in-drive NFT characterization diagnostics for heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) hard disk drives (HDDs). NFT resistance is monitored and used to determine head to disk contact and spacing. NFT resistance is used to detect NFT head wear.

Implementing contact sensing with near field transducer (NFT) and in-drive NFT characterization diagnostics in heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) HDD

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Barry Cushing Stripe