Western Digital (fremont), Inc.

Seagate Technology Incorporated

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Maxtor Corporation

Wentao Yan

Lei Wang

Shing Lee

Hongxing Yuan

Zhongyan Wang

Matthew R Gibbons

Yufeng Hu

Zhong Shi

David E Fowler

Yu Lo

Mark Moravec

Erhard Theodor Schreck

Michael L Mallary

Lin Guo

Thao Anh Nguyen

Don Brunnett

Ge Yi

Michael V Morelli

Jinshan Li

Stephen Paul Williams

Dennis W Hogg

Yunfei Li

Richard Oswald

Timothy A Riener

Yanfeng Chen

Francis P Crimi

Pradeep K Thayamballi

Neil David Knutson

Chris Hawks

Jerome S Marcelino

Tony Hurtado

A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) disk drive read/write head has the write head located adjacent the trailing surface of the gas-bearing slider with the read head located adjacent the write head, which is the reversed location from conventional read/write heads. This results in reduced write head protrusion during writing which allows for a reduced minimum fly-height for the slider. For a HAMR read/write head that uses a heater to protrude the read head closer to the disk during reading, the reversed location allows for better heater efficiency and thus reduced heater power.

Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) read/write head with reversed read head and write head

A method for providing energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) heads are described. The method and system include providing a substrate, at least one EAMR transducer, an overcoat layer and at least one laser. The substrate has a leading edge and a substrate trailing edge. The EAMR transducer(s) reside in a device layer and on the substrate trailing edge. The overcoat layer includes a plurality of contacts. The device layer is between the overcoat layer and the substrate trailing edge. The laser(s) provide energy to the EAMR transducer. The overcoat layer is between the substrate trailing edge and the laser(s). The laser(s) are electrically coupled to at least a first portion of the contacts. The contacts provide thermal connection through the overcoat layer and through the device layer to the substrate. At least a second portion of the contacts is electrically insulated from the substrate.

Method for providing an energy assisted magnetic recording head having a laser integrally mounted to the slider

A method and system test a heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) transducer. The HAMR transducer is optically coupled to at least one laser and has an air-bearing surface. The HAMR transducer includes at least one waveguide, at least one near-field transducer (NFT) and a pole. A portion of the NFT(s) resides at the ABS. The laser(s) are optically coupled to the NFT(s). The method and system include energizing the laser(s) at power(s) while the HAMR transducer is not in proximity to a media. The method and system also include measuring an off-disk protrusion of the portion of the NFT(s) at the ABS while the laser(s) are energized and the HAMR transducer is not in proximity to the media.

Method and system for performing off-disk measurements of laser-induced NFT protrusion in a heat assisted magnetic recording transducer

A method fabricates a heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) and that is optically coupled with a laser. The HAMR transducer includes a write pole, a waveguide, and at least one protective pad. The write pole has a pole tip with an ABS facing surface. The waveguide is located in a down track direction from the pole tip and directs light from the laser toward the ABS. The protective pad(s) are adjacent to the write pole and have front surface(s) at the ABS.

Heat assisted magnetic recording transducer having protective pads

An energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) head having a stress buffer for reducing the stress on a near-field transducer during thermal expansion and methods for fabricating the EAMR head are provided. The EAMR head includes a waveguide, a near-field transducer (NFT) configured to receive optical energy from the waveguide, and a cladding of the waveguide has an opening. The NFT is positioned within the opening, and an air gap is formed between the NFT and a side wall of the opening.

Stress buffer for near-field transducer in energy assisted magnetic recording and methods for fabricating the same

Embodiments of the present invention relate to integral heating elements in solder pads for flip chip bonding. The integral heating elements are used to solder components together without exposing other locations and components in the assembly to potentially damaging temperatures. Embodiments of the invention may be used in manufacture of magnetic heads for EAMR hard disks to bond a laser sub-mount to an air-bearing slider without exposing magnetic head components to high temperatures.

Localized heating for flip chip bonding

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a recording head for energy assisted magnetic recording. The recording head includes a near-field transducer (NFT) having a preselected shape and a surface, a writing pole on the NFT, and a non-metal heat dissipator positioned between the NFT surface and the writing pole. The non-metal heat dissipator includes a first portion in contact with the NFT surface, the first portion extending beyond an edge of the NFT surface in a first direction substantially perpendicular to an air bearing surface (ABS) and parallel to the NFT surface.

Systems and methods for dissipating heat from a near-field transducer in an energy assisted magnetic recording assembly

A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk comprising a plurality of data tracks, wherein each data track comprises a plurality of data sectors. A head is actuated over the disk, wherein the head comprises a laser operable to heat the disk while writing data to the disk. When a write command is received to write data to a target data sector of a target data track, the head is positioned over the target data track. When the head reaches the target data sector, a power applied to the laser is increased to above a steady state value to compensate for a high fly height of the head. The power applied to the laser is decreased toward the steady state value while writing at least part of the data to the target data sector.

Disk drive increasing laser power at beginning of write in heat assisted magnetic recording

A method and system for providing energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) heads are described. The method and system include providing a substrate, at least one EAMR transducer, an overcoat layer and at least one laser. The substrate has a leading edge and a substrate trailing edge. The EAMR transducer(s) reside in a device layer and on the substrate trailing edge. The overcoat layer includes a plurality of contacts. The device layer is between the overcoat layer and the substrate trailing edge. The laser(s) provide energy to the EAMR transducer. The overcoat layer is between the substrate trailing edge and the laser(s). The laser(s) are electrically coupled to at least a first portion of the contacts. The contacts provide thermal connection through the overcoat layer and the device layer. At least a second portion of the contacts is electrically insulated from the substrate.

Energy assisted magnetic recording head having laser integrated mounted to slider

An energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) transducer coupled with a laser is described. The EAMR transducer has an air-bearing surface (ABS) residing near a media during use. The laser provides energy. The transducer includes a waveguide, a near field transducer (NFT) proximate to the ABS, a write pole, a heat spreader, and at least one coil. The waveguide directs the energy from the laser toward the ABS. The NFT is optically coupled with the waveguide, focuses the energy onto the media, and includes a disk having an NFT width. The write pole writes to the media. The heat spreader is thermally coupled with the NFT. A first portion of the heat spreader is between the NFT and the pole, is between the ABS and a second portion of the heat spreader, and has a first width. The second portion has a second width greater than the first width.

Method and system for providing an energy assisted magnetic recording disk drive having a non-conformal heat spreader

An energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) transducer coupled with a laser is described. The EAMR transducer has an air-bearing surface (ABS) residing near a media during use. The laser provides energy. The transducer includes a waveguide, a near field transducer (NFT) proximate to the ABS, a write pole and at least one coil. The waveguide directs the energy from the laser toward the ABS. The NFT is optically coupled with the waveguide and focuses the energy onto a region of the media. The write pole writes to the region of the media. The write pole has a magnetic portion and a nonmagnetic liner. The magnetic portion has a plurality of sides and a pole thermal conductivity. The nonmagnetic liner is adjacent to at least the sides of the magnetic portion, and has a liner thermal conductivity greater than the pole thermal conductivity. The coil(s) are for energizing the write pole.

Method and system for providing an energy assisted magnetic recording disk drive having improved heat dissipation

An energy assisted magnetic recording head comprises a slider having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and an air bearing surface (ABS), and a near field transducer (NFT) disposed in the slider and having a distal end proximate the ABS. The distal end is recessed from the ABS when no optical power is applied to the NFT, and is co-planar with the ABS when a predetermined amount of optical power is applied to the NFT. A portion of the slider surrounding the distal end forms a concave surface having a continuously varying slope when no optical power is applied to the NFT, and a flat surface coplanar with the ABS and the distal end when the predetermined amount of optical power is applied to the NFT. Applying optical power comprises coupling light into a waveguide formed in the head and directing the coupled light to the NFT via the waveguide.

Energy assisted magnetic recording head having a near field transducer with reduced thermal protrusion

Methods of fabricating an energy-assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) head to compensate for a heat-induced protrusion of a near field transducer formed therein are disclosed. The methods can include applying optical power to the near field transducer to generate heat therein. The near field transducer protrudes beyond an air bearing surface of the EAMR head by the generated heat. The methods can further include removing a protruded portion of the near field transducer.

Reducing thermal protrusion of a near field transducer in an energy assisted magnetic recording head

A disk drive head-gimbal assembly includes a flexure that is modified to address the effects that the operating temperature of the disk drive may have on fly height. Generally, the flexure tongue is split into a leading edge flexure tongue section and a trailing edge flexure tongue section that are separated by a slider decoupling section. The slider decoupling section structurally interconnects the leading and trailing edge flexure tongue section, and further provides a reduced contact area with the slider. This reduced contact limits the ability of the flexure tongue to induce a positive crown on the air bearing surface of the slider.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Wentao Yan