Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Hitachi Global Storage Netherlands, B.v.

Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Japan, Ltd.

Toshiya Shiramatsu

Masayuki Kurita

Hideaki Tanaka

Mikio Tokuyama

Hidekazu Kohira

Mike Suk

Remmelt Pit

Shozo Saegusa

Kenji Kuroki

Yuki Shimizu

Takayoshi Ohtsu

Junguo Xu

Irizo Naniwa

Atsushi Kato

Masaru Furukawa

Jianhua Li

Koji Miyake

Masahiko Soga

Toshihiko Shimizu

Masafumi Mochizuki

Yohji Maruyama

Takanori Yamazaki

Kimitoshi Etoh

Atsushi Kazama

Takehiro Sato

Shinji Sasaki

Kazuyuki Fukuda

Masaya Horino

Takenori Atsumi

Takehiko Eguchi

Takateru Seki

Kazushi Tsuwako

Sunao Yonekawa

Masanori Tanabe

Kenichi Kuramoto

Yuichi Aoki

Yasuhiro Itou

Masashi Murai

Kouji Miyake

Yuichiro Sano

Yuusuke Matsuda

According to one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a write element, a read element, and a heating element disposed between the write element and the read element. When power is applied to the heating element, either the read element or the write element projects beyond a plane of an air-bearing surface (ABS) of the magnetic head, and when power is not applied to the heating element, a portion of the ABS of the magnetic head facing a magnetic disk close to the heating element has a concave shape. In another embodiment, when power is applied to the heating element, at least one of a portion of the read element and a portion of the write element approaches a magnetic disk, and when power is not applied to the heating element, a portion of the ABS of the magnetic head facing a magnetic disk close to the heating element has a concave shape.

Magnetic head with a heating element between the read and write element and method of manufacturing thereof

A method for measuring the head-disk clearance between a slider and a disk includes measuring a first resistance with a first bias applied to an embedded contact sensor of the slider, measuring a second resistance with a second bias applied to the embedded contact sensor of the slider, and determining the head-disk clearance based at least in part on a difference between the first resistance and the second resistance. A system includes a disk drive, a slider comprising an embedded contact sensor, and circuitry to apply at least two bias voltages to the embedded contact sensor, measure at least two resistances of the embedded contact sensor based on the application of the at least two bias voltages, and to determine the head-disk clearance based at least in part on a difference between the at least two resistances.

Systems and methods for clearance monitoring in storage media

An embedded contact sensor (ECS) element for fly-height control and touchdown detection. An embedded contact sensor (ECS) element with a resistance that changes with a temperature change, which senses a clearance change between a head slider and a disk of a disk drive. A resistance measurement section, within said head IC, that determines a value of direct current resistance (DCR) of said ECS element, wherein said value of DCR changes with a temperature change, wherein said temperature change is caused by an air bearing cooling and frictional induced heating at a head disk interface. A resistance slope to fly-height conversion section that dynamically determines a target fly-height value for said head slider over said disk based on changes in said value of DCR.

Fly-height control and touchdown detection

A magnetic-recording head with a first thermal fly-height control (TFC) element and an embedded contact sensor element (ECSE) configurable as a second TFC element. The magnetic-recording head includes a write element, a read element, a first heater element, and an ECSE. The write element is configured for writing data to a magnetic-recording disk. The read element is configured for reading data from the magnetic-recording disk. The first heater element is configured as a first TFC element to coarsely adjust a fly-height of the magnetic-recording head with respect to the magnetic recording disk. The ECSE is configured to detect a contact with the magnetic-recording disk, and to function as a second heater element that is configured as a second TFC element to finely adjust the fly-height. The first heater element is configured with a first stroke-length larger than a second stroke-length of the second heater element for adjusting the fly-height.

Magnetic-recording head with first thermal fly-height control element and embedded contact sensor element configurable as second thermal fly-height control element

A magnetic head slider is disclosed. The magnetic head slider includes a slider substrate and a laminated magnetic head element on the slider substrate. Additionally, the laminated magnetic head element includes a magnetoresistance effect element and a recording magnetic pole formed in a layer higher than the magnetoresistance effect element. A first thin-film resistor heater element is formed in a position further from an air bearing surface than the magnetoresistance effect element and the magnetic recording pole and a second film resistor heater element is formed in a layer lower than the first thin-film resistor heater element, and closer to the air bearing surface and the magnetoresistance effect element than the first heater element. A thin-film resistor sensor element is formed in a layer higher than the second thin-film heater element and closer to the air bearing surface than the second heater element.

Magnetic head slider and magnetic disk drive

A HDD including a magnetic disk, a magnetic head, an embedded contact sensor embedded in the magnetic head and configured to detect a contact between the magnetic disk and the magnetic head, and TFC embedded in the magnetic head and configured to facilitate in detecting the contact between the magnetic disk and said magnetic head.

Contact detection between a disk and magnetic head

A hard-disk drive. The hard-disk drive includes a head-slider configured to fly in proximity with a recording surface of a magnetic-recording disk, and a fly-height variation compensator configured to generate a signal for compensating variation in fly height of a write element of the head-slider. The head-slider further includes the write element configured to write data to the magnetic-recording disk, a fly-height-adjustment heating element configured to displace the write element towards the magnetic-recording disk, and a position-adjustment heating element configured to displace the write element in at least a direction perpendicular to a flying direction. The fly-height variation compensator is further configured to add the signal for compensating variation in fly height to a control signal for output to the fly-height-adjustment heating element.

Hard-disk drive including fly-height-adjustment heating element and position-adjustment heating element and method of controlling fly height

A slider comprising a contact sensor element configured to respond to a change in resistance due to a change in temperature, and a shield structure. The shield structure comprises a lower thermal conductivity than the contact sensor element and a greater hardness than the contact sensor element.

Noise and particle shield for contact sensor in a slider

A head-slider. The head-slider includes a slider and a magnetic-recording head formed on the slider. The magnetic-recording head includes a main pole, a return pole to which a recording magnetic field from the main pole returns, a sensor element, a shield provided between the sensor element and the main pole, and a heater element for adjusting a shape of a flying surface of the magnetic-recording head. The magnetic-recording head further includes a first recess provided at a tip end face of at least one element selected from the group consisting of the return pole and the shield, and a second recess provided on an exposed flying surface and corresponding to the first recess.

Head-slider with protrusion control structure and manufacturing method of the head-slider with protrusion control structure

Embodiments of the present invention provide a technique for projecting both a write element portion in writing and a read element portion in reading, and controlling a projecting distance of each write element and read element. According to one embodiment, a light absorbing member and a thermally expanding member are formed near a read element, and light is irradiated to the light absorbing member, thereby a read element is projected. Alternatively, light absorbing members, which absorb light having different wavelengths from each other, and thermally expanding members are formed near a write element and near the read element respectively, and a wavelength or intensity of light to be irradiated is changed, thereby a projecting distance of each of the write element and the read element is individually optionally controlled.

Head slider and disk drive

A disk drive. The disk drive includes a disk configured to store data, a motor configured to rotate the disk, a head-slider and a controller. The head-slider includes a slider configured to fly in proximity to a recording surface of the disk, and an element on the slider. The controller is configured to measure a fly height between the head-slider and the disk at different common-mode voltages of the element to determine an operational common-mode voltage from a measurement result.

Disk drive and method for adjusting common-mode voltage of an element on a head-slider

A disk drive. The disk drive includes a disk, a head-slider, a moving mechanism, and a controller. The head-slider includes a read/write element, a first heater element, a contact pad, and a second heater element. The read/write element includes a read element configured to read user data from the disk, and a write element configured to write user data to the disk. The moving mechanism is configured to support and to move the head-slider. The controller is configured to control the second heater element to control contact between the contact pad and the disk, and is configured to control clearance between the read/write element and the disk by using the first heater element with the contact pad in contact with the disk.

Disk drive, head-slider and method for controlling clearance of a read element and a write element in the disk drive

Embodiments of the present invention provide a magnetic head slider capable of reducing thermal protrusion attributable to a heating mechanism for heat-assisted recording. According to one embodiment, a magnetic head slider for heat-assisted recording includes an insulating film formed on an end surface of a slider, and a read element, a write device and a heating mechanism for heating a recording medium embedded in the insulating film. The heating mechanism includes an optical waveguide and a near-field light emitting device. A heat radiating film of a material having a thermal conductivity higher than that of the insulating film is formed near the heating mechanism so that one end surface thereof is exposed in an air bearing surface.

Magnetic head slider

According to embodiments of the present invention, a magnetic head slider provided with a heater disposed near a read element to adjust flying height, is required to increase a thermal protrusion by heat generated by the heater without increasing a thermal protrusion attributable to heat generated by a recording current or environmental temperature. A magnetic head slider includes a thin-film head unit including a read element, a heater having a thin heating line extended above and below the read element, a write element, and an insulating layer of alumina (AlO) or the like insulating those components. The thin heating line of the heater is formed from a thin resistive film of NiCr or the like. The thin heating line of the heater is extended above and below the read element so as to meander in a zigzag shape in a direction perpendicular to the device forming surface. The thin heating line has a thickness between about 0.1 and 0.2 &#x3bc;m, a width between about 1 and 3 &#x3bc;m, a length of about 100 &#x3bc;m, and a resistance between about 50 and 500 &#x3a9;.

Magnetic head slider with resistive heating film meandering in stacking direction

In a magnetic disk unit, the flying height margin of a magnetic recording element part during recording is reduced, whereby improvement in recording density and increase in capacity or decrease in size of the unit is realized. In one embodiment, a magnetic disk unit has a magnetic disk arranged in a freely rotational manner and a magnetic head slider disposed to face a surface of the magnetic disk, and generates air flow between the magnetic disk and the magnetic head slider for flying, and records data using a magnetic recording element. The magnetic head slider has a slider substrate part and a thin-film head part formed on the slider substrate part using a thin-film process. The thin-film head part has an insulating member, a magnetic recording element provided in the insulating member, and a heat radiation member for radiating heat generated by the magnetic recording element from lateral regions of the magnetic recording element to the slider substrate part.

Magnetic disk unit and magnetic head slider

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Toshiya Shiramatsu