Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Thomas Dudley Boone, Jr

Bruce Alvin Gurney

Ernesto Esteban Marinero

Neil Smith

Jordan Asher Katine

Barry C Stipe

Timothy Carl Strand

Hamid Balamane

Liesl Folks

Neil Leslie Robertson

Petrus Antonius Van Der Heijden

Bruce David Terris

Juraj Topolancik

Quang Le

Robert Fontana

Jeffrey Scott Lille

Takuya Matsumoto

Stefan Maat

Jui-lung Li

Scott Arthur MacDonald

Huey-Ming Tzeng

James Terrence Olson

Sergio Nicoletti

David Arfon Williams

Glenn Paul Gee

Christian Rene Bonhote

Shen Ren

Byron Hassberg Lengsfield, Iii

Hicham Moulay Sougrati

Paul Arthur Goddu

Xhavin Sinha

Aleksey Andreev

John P Herber

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method for forming a HAMR device having a photonic integrated circuit that includes an optical detector, an optical emitter, and an optical element distinct from the optical detector and the optical emitter, where the elements of the photonic integrated circuit are aligned with a near field transducer. The method includes forming one or more layers on a substrate, bonding the layers to a partially fabricated recording head, removing the substrate using epitaxial lift-off, and forming the optical elements on the partially fabricated recording head.

Method using epitaxial transfer to integrate HAMR photonic integrated circuit (PIC) into recording head wafer

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a magnetic write head including a media facing surface and a surface opposite the media facing surface. The magnetic write head further includes a reflector extending from the surface opposite the media facing surface toward the media facing surface. A semiconductor laser diode gain region protrudes out of the surface opposite the media facing surface, and the reflector helps optimizing the optical energy generated in the semiconductor laser diode gain region to be a single mode over a large current and temperature range.

Integrated compound DBR laser for HAMR applications

In a heat-assisted magnetic recording hard disk drive, a laser module includes a submount-integrated photodetector configured to receive optical energy from a laser by way of a head slider. The submount may be formed of a semiconductor material such as a crystalline silicon material, and the photodetector may be a photodiode that is integrally formed with the submount. A HAMR head slider may comprise a feedback waveguide configured to guide optical energy from the laser through the slider to a feedback photodiode at an interface of the submount and the slider, to detect the optical energy transmitted through the slider to the slider air bearing surface (ABS). A back facet photodiode may also be integrally formed with the submount and configured to receive back facet optical energy to detect the optical energy generated by the laser.

Submount-integrated photodetector for monitoring a laser for a heat-assisted magnetic recording head

A spin accumulation sensor having a three terminal design that allows the free layer to be located at the air bearing surface. A non-magnetic conductive spin transport layer extends from a free layer structure (located at the ABS) to a reference layer structure removed from the ABS. The sensor includes a current or voltage source for applying a current across a reference layer structure. The current or voltage source has a lead that is connected with the non-magnetic spin transport layer and also to electric ground. Circuitry for measuring a signal voltage measures a voltage between a shield that is electrically connected with the free layer structure and the ground. The free layer structure can include a spin diffusion layer that ensures that all spin current is completely dissipated before reaching the lead to the voltage source, thereby preventing shunting of the spin current to the voltage source.

Three-terminal design for spin accumulation magnetic sensor

A magnetic write head for data recording having a magnetic write pole with a stepped magnetic shell structure that defines a secondary flare point. The secondary flare point defined by the magnetic shell portion can be more tightly controlled with respect to its distance from the air bearing surface (ABS) of the write head than can a traditional flare point that is photolithographically on the main pole structure. This allows the effective flare point of the write head to be moved much closer to the ABS than would otherwise be possible using currently available tooling and photolithography techniques. The write head may also include a magnetic trailing shield that wraps around the main pole portion. The trailing shield can have a hack edge defining a trailing shield throat height that is either between the secondary flare point or coincident or behind the secondary flare point, depending on design requirements.

Perpendicular write head having a stepped flare structure and method of manufacture thereof

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a near field transducer comprising a conductive metal film; and an optical waveguide for illumination of the near field transducer, a light guiding core layer of the optical waveguide being spaced from the near field transducer by less than about 100 nanometers and greater than 0 nanometers, wherein a longitudinal axis of the optical waveguide is substantially perpendicular to an air bearing surface.

Thermally assisted recording head having recessed waveguide with near field transducer and methods of making same

A device for sensing a magnetic field is described. The device comprises first, second and third leads and a junction between the leads. The junction and leads are arranged in a plane and the junction is configured to exhibit quantum confinement in a direction perpendicular to the plane. The first lead is arranged on one side of the junction and the second and third leads are arranged on an opposite side of the junction. The first lead is configured to limit angle of spread of charge carriers entering the junction so that, when charge carriers flow into the junction from the first lead, the charge carriers form a substantially nondivergent beam.

Magnetic field sensor

A method of fabricating a c-aperture or E-antenna plasmonic near field source for thermal assisted recording applications in hard disk drives is disclosed. A c-aperture or E-antenna is built for recording head applications. The technique employs e-beam lithography, partial reactive ion etching and metal refill to build the c-apertures. This process strategy has the advantage over other techniques in the self-alignment of the c-aperture notch to the c-aperture internal diameter, the small number of process steps required, and the precise and consistent shape of the c-aperture notch itself.

System, method and apparatus for fabricating a C-aperture or E-antenna plasmonic near field source for thermal assisted recording applications

A laser, such as a horizontal cavity surface emitting laser, with internal polarization rotation may be used in thermally assisted recording in hard disk drives. The desired polarization of the laser may be accomplished with two beam reflections off of facets within the laser. The facets may be formed in a single ion beam etching step. The laser may be used on a thermally assisted recording head to produce a polarized beam that is aligned with a track direction of the disk.

System, method and apparatus for internal polarization rotation for horizontal cavity, surface emitting laser beam for thermally assisted recording in disk drive

A horizontal cavity, surface emitting laser (HCSEL) with internal polarization rotation is used in thermally assisted recording in hard disk drives. The desired polarization of the laser is accomplished with two beam reflections off of facets within the diode. The facets are formed in a single ion beam etching step. This device can be used in a thermally assisted recording head to produce polarization incident on the disk aligned with the direction of the tracks on the disk.

A method for manufacturing an extraordinary magnetoresistive sensor (EMR sensor) having reduced size and increased resolution is described. The sensor includes a plurality of electrically conductive leads contacting a magnetically active layer and also includes an electrically conductive shunt structure. The electrically conductive leads of the sensor and the shunt structure can be formed in a common photolithographic masking and etching process so that they are self aligned with one another. This avoids the need to align multiple photolithographic processing steps, thereby allowing greatly increased resolution and reduced lead spacing. The EMR sensor can be formed with a magnetically active layer that can be close to or at the air bearing surface (ABS) for improved magnetic spacing with an adjacent magnetic medium of a data recording system.

Method for manufacturing an extraordinary magnetoresistive (EMR) device with novel lead structure

According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a near field transducer comprising a conductive metal film having a main body and a ridge extending from the main body and an optical waveguide for illumination of the near field transducer, a light guiding core layer of the optical waveguide being spaced from the near field transducer by less than about 100 nanometers and greater than 0 nanometers. In another embodiment, a method includes forming a near field transducer structure and removing a portion of the near field transducer structure. The method also includes forming a cladding layer adjacent a remaining portion of the near field transducer structure, wherein a portion of the cladding layer extends along the remaining portion of the near field transducer structure and forming a core layer above the cladding layer. Other apparatuses and methods are also included in the invention.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Thomas Dudley Boone, Jr