Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Karl A Flechsig

Erhard Theodor Schreck

Feng Q Liu

Yunfei Ding

Kenji Kuroki

Timothy A Riener

Yu Lo

Yaw-Shing Tang

Yan Liu

The present disclosure generally relates to improved lifetime of a data storage device utilizing an energy assist element. Rather than applying the same current to each energy assist element of a device, each energy assist element has a write current specific to the energy assist element. The unique applied current results in the corresponding energy assist elements having substantially the same temperature during operation. Obtaining substantially the same temperature during operation provides predictable and repeatable device performance and increases the lifetime of the entire data storage device as all energy assist elements should have substantially the same lifetime.

Device lifetime improvement through constant temperature

Example systems, data storage devices, and methods to provide long-term spacing compensation for heat assisted magnetic recording are described. The data storage device includes a storage medium with data tracks and a head that can be positioned for reading and writing those tracks. The head includes a laser for heat assisted magnetic recording and a fly height actuator. Based on the operation of the laser, both a short-term fly height compensation parameter and a long-term fly height compensation parameter are determined based on different temperature state models. The operating power of the fly height actuator is determined, at least in part, based on the short-term and long-term height compensation parameters.

Long-term spacing compensation for heat assisted magnetic recording

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Los Gatos, CA, United States of America

Karl A Flechsig