Seagate Technology Incorporated

Thomas McLendon Crawford

Mark William Covington

Gregory John Parker

Thomas William Clinton

Petrus Antonius Van Der Heijden

Sakhrat Khizroev

Robert Earl Rottmayer

Sharat Batra

Dmitri Litvinov

Billy Wayne Crue

A perpendicular magnetic recording head comprises a write pole having a pole tip adjacent to an air bearing surface, a return pole, a pedestal for magnetically coupling the write pole to the return pole, a coil for inducing magnetic flux in the write pole, and a shield for coupling magnetic flux from the coil to the return pole. Disc drives that include such recording heads are also provided.

Perpendicular magnetic recording head having a reduced field under the return pole and minimal eddy current losses

A magnetic recording process generally including the steps of determining an initial magnetization direction of a magnetic recording medium, and selectively applying a magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium along an axis substantially perpendicular to an axis of the initial magnetization direction of the recording medium. The magnetic field is selectively applied for a period of time sufficient to switch the magnetization of the magnetic recording medium from its initial magnetization direction to a final magnetization direction substantially anti-parallel to the initial magnetization direction. Typically, the initial and final magnetization directions will be along an easy axis of magnetization of the magnetic recording medium.

Method and apparatus for precessional switching of the magnetization of storage medium using a transverse write field

The present invention provides magnetic recording heads which utilize higher order excitations of dynamic magnetization to increase frequency without the necessity of biasing the write yoke. In accordance with the present invention, the size and placement of current-carrying microstrip waveguide(s) and write pole(s) are controlled in order to generate spin wave write modes. During writing operations, the magnetization is driven into higher order spatial spin wave modes.

Magnetic recording head including spatially-pumped spin wave mode writer

A write driver for use with a magnetic recording head includes a photoconductive switch that is positioned adjacent a magnetic recording head for switching current waveforms. Both light and a DC voltage are applied to the photoconductive switch to switch the applied current waveforms. The write driver further includes means for writing to a storage medium in response to current waveforms switched by the photoconductive switch. The write driver may also include a suspension that supports at least one photoconductive switch, DC conductors for supplying a DC voltage, means for supplying light, and recording head means for writing to a storage medium.

Photoconductive optical write driver for magnetic recording

A magnetization sensor for sensing write field characteristic of a perpendicular or longitudinal recording head such as may be used with a disc drive, and a method of manufacture therefor are disclosed. The sensor can be manufactured concurrently with the write head and incorporated therein. The magnetization sensor comprises a non-magnetic layer separating a hard magnetic layer and a soft magnetic layer, with electrical leads to provide a biasing and sensing current. The magnetization sensor can be either a giant magnetoresistive element or a tunneling magnetoresistive element, depending upon the non-magnetic layer used in the construction of the device.

Magnetization sensor for sensing the write field characteristics of a perpendicular or longitudinal recording head

A write head for writing information bits to magnetic storage media includes a first write pole for producing a first magnetic field in a first direction and a second write pole for producing a second magnetic field such that the combined field from the two poles lies either substantially along the first direction or in a second direction that is substantially orthogonal to the first direction. The second write pole includes a free layer having magnetization controlled by spin transfer torque, and a first spacer positioned between the free layer and the first write pole. The write head can further include a pinned layer and a second spacer positioned between the pinned layer and the free layer. A disc drive that includes the write head and a method of writing to magnetic storage media that utilizes the write head are also included.

White head for high anisotropy media

A recording head for use with magnetic storage medium applies a magnetic field at a 90-degree angle to the orientation of the magnetizations within the individual domain of the storage medium. This magnetic field results in rotation of the magnetization to approximately 90-degrees from its initial and its final orientation. From this position, a second magnetic field is capable of orienting the magnetization in the desired direction to record the desired bit. A simplified manufacturing process, wherein both of the opposing write poles and their connecting yoke are formed as a single layer during a single deposition or plating process, may be used to manufacture such a recording head.

Recording head for applying a magnetic field perpendicular to the magnetizations within magnetic storage media

A perpendicular recording head for use with magnetic storage media includes a flux focusing main pole. The main pole includes a layer of material having a high magnetic moment, and a second layer of material having a low magnetic moment. The low moment material is tapered towards the main pole's tip, so that all magnetic flux is channeled into the high moment material before writing to the magnetic storage medium.

Perpendicular magnetic recording head having a flux focusing main pole

A recording head for use with a magnetic storage medium includes a pair of write poles structured and arranged to apply a magnetic write field to the magnetic storage medium and a pair of oppositely directed conductors located adjacent the pair of write poles. The pair of conductors combine to induce the magnetic write field in the pair of write poles. One of the oppositely directed conductors has a positive voltage relative to ground and the other of the conductors has a negative voltage relative to ground, such that the pair of oppositely directed conductors combine to drive the magnetic write field in the same direction. Each of the conductors may be a microstrip waveguide.

Recording head with oppositely directed microstrip waveguide conductors to induce a magnetic write field for longitudinal or perpendicular magnetic recording

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Thomas McLendon Crawford