Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Western Digital (fremont), Inc.

Grandis, Inc.

Renesas Technology Corp.

Yunfei Ding

Alexander Goncharov

Zhigang Bai

Muhammad Asif Bashir

Petrus Antonius Van Der Heijden

Joey Martin Poss

Kuok San Ho

John Thomas Contreras

James Terrence Olson

Ian Robson McFadyen

Daniele Mauri

Ming Mao

Feng Q Liu

Shaoping Li

Zhanjie Li

Suping Song

Gerardo Bertero

Goran Mihajlovic

Laurence Lujun Chen

Gonçalo Marcos Baião De Albuquerque

Yuankai Zheng

Aron Pentek

Qunwen Leng

Masato Shiimoto

Ying Hong

Yaguang Wei

Terence T Lam

Michael Kuok San Ho

Jih-Shiuan Luo

Anup Roy

Shihai He

Xinjiang Shen

Yu Lo

Amritpal Singh Rana

Daniel K Lottis

Chengtao R Yu

Abhinandan Chougule

Edward Hin Pong Lee

Dmytro Apalkov

Howard Gordon Zolla

Zhitao Diao

Lien-Chang Wang

Steven C Rudy

Amanda Baer

Christopher L Beaudry

Yunfei Li

Dehua Han

Timothy A Riener

Yaw-Shing Tang

Goncalo Marcos Baião De Albuquerque

Goncalo Baiao De Albuquerque

Karl A Flechsig

Yan Liu

Shengjie Shi

The present disclosure generally relates to a magnetic recording head for magnetic media, such as a magnetic media drive. The head has a main pole, trailing shield, leading shield, first side shield, and second side shield. One side shield is electrically connected to the trailing shield and electrically disconnected from the leading shield. The other side shield is electrically connected to the leading shield and electrically disconnected from the trailing shield. The side shields are electrically connected through a hot seed layer and/or a nonmagnetic electrically conductive layer that is electrically disconnected from the main pole. Such an arrangement results in a current path from the trailing shield, through the side shields, around the main pole, and to the leading shield, which results in reduced resistance.

Magnetic recording head with current path between trailing shield and leading shield for improved resistance

The present disclosure generally relates to a magnetic recording system comprising a magnetic recording head that provides a low resistance cross-track current path at the trailing side of the main pole. A bias current may be driven through the path to enhance the magnetic write field to the magnetic recording media. The current is driven by an alternating current (AC) source external to the head. In some embodiments, the cross-track current going through the low resistance path enables high amounts of current to be utilized without break down of the magnetic recording head.

Magnetic recording head with a cross-track current flow in a low resistance path

Various illustrative aspects are directed to a data storage device comprising a storage medium and a head configured to access the storage medium. The head comprises a first write assist element and a second write assist element. Control circuitry for driving the head is configured to apply a first write assist current Im that is synchronized to a write data current Iw to the first write assist element; and to apply a second DC write assist current Imdc to the second write assist element.

DC and synchronized energy assisted perpendicular magnetic recording (EPMR) driver circuit for hard disk drive (HDD)

The present disclosure is generally related to a magnetic recording device comprising a magnetic recording head having a first current flow in a cross-track direction through a trailing shield. In one or more embodiments, a second current flows in a cross-track direction around the main pole. The magnetic recording device comprises a main pole disposed between a trailing shield, a leading shield, and side shields. A trailing gap is disposed between the side shields and the trailing shield. A high moment seed layer is disposed between the main pole and the trailing shield. A first insulation layer is disposed within the trailing shield and directs the first current through the trailing shield, guided to the proximity of the main pole. A second insulation layer, disposed below the trailing shield, directs the second current through the trailing shield, or alternatively through the side shields and around the main pole.

Magnetic recording head with assisting electric current in trailing shield

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to a magnetic recording head assembly that includes an external alternating current (AC) source. A magnetic recording head of the magnetic recording head assembly includes a conductive structure between a main pole and a trailing shield. The conductive structure includes a conductive layer, and the conductive layer is nonmagnetic. The magnetic recording head assembly also includes an external AC source to supply AC current that flows through the conductive structure. In one aspect, the conductive structure is between a coil structure and the trailing shield, and the external AC source is coupled to the coil structure. The conductive structure and the external AC source facilitate consistently providing an enhanced AC writing field to facilitate effective and reliable writing, high ADC, high SNR, and reduced jitter.

Magnetic recording devices having external alternating current sources

The present disclosure generally relates to a magnetic recording system comprising a magnetic recording head. The magnetic recording head comprises a main pole, a shield, and a spintronic device disposed between the main pole and the shield. The spintronic device comprises a field generation layer (FGL) spaced a distance of about 2 nm to about 3 nm from the main pole, a first spacer layer disposed on the FGL, a spin torque layer (STL) disposed on the first spacer layer, a second spacer layer disposed on the STL, and a negative polarization layer (NPL) disposed between the second spacer layer and the shield. The spintronic device has a length of about 17 nm to about 21. During operation, the STL has a magnetization precession of about 16 degrees to about 170 degrees, and the FGL has a magnetization precession of about 60 degrees to about 70 degrees.

Dynamic DC field compensator for MAMR recording head

The present disclosure is generally related to a magnetic recording device comprising a magnetic recording head. The magnetic recording head comprises a main pole, a shield, and a spintronic device disposed between the main pole and the shield. The spintronic device comprises two field generation layers (FGLs), two spin polarization layers (SPLs), and two spin kill layers. The spintronic device further comprises one or more optional thin negative beta material layers, such as layers comprising FeCr, disposed in contact with at least one of the spin kill layers. When electric current is applied, the spin kill layers and optional negative beta material layers eliminate or reduce any spin torque between the FGLs and the SPLs.

Dual FGL and dual SPL spintronic device to reduce perpendicular field at writing location

The present disclosure is generally related to a magnetic recording device comprising a magnetic recording head. The magnetic recording head comprises a main pole, a hot seed layer, and a spintronic device disposed between the main pole and the hot seed layer. The spintronic device comprises two field generation layers (FGLs), two spin polarization layers (SPLs), and two spin kill layers. The second SPL of the spintronic device drives the second FGL. The spintronic device further comprises one or more optional thin negative beta material layers, such as layers comprising FeCr, disposed in contact with at least one of the spin kill layers. When electric current is applied, the spin kill layers and optional negative beta material layers eliminate or reduce any spin torque between the FGLs and the SPLs.

Spintronic device comprising dual FGL and dual SPL to reduce perpendicular field at writing location

Various illustrative aspects are directed to a data storage device comprising a disk and a read/write head configured to read data from and write data to the disk. The read/write head comprises a write pole tip and a transducer configured near the write pole tip. One or more processing devices are mounted on or near the read/write head and generate an AC current that is applied to the transducer to cause the transducer to generate a high frequency auxiliary field that is applied to the disk. The one or more processing devices may be an RF source IC mounted on or near a slider on which the read/write head is integrated or mounted.

System controlled RF signal source architecture with transducer near pole-tip for microwave assisted magnetic recording

The present disclosure generally relates to a magnetic recording head comprising a spintronic device. By electrically coupling the side shielding of the head (acting as current leads) to the spin Hall layer of the spintronic device, the current path length is optimally provided across the spin Hall layer as well as fitting within the space constraints of the overall head. In addition, by using an antiferromagnetic insulator as a spacer between the spin Hall layer and the magnetic spin torque layer of the spintronic device, electrically shunting into the magnetic spin torque layer is reduced, maximizing the spin torque and reducing loss of efficiency due to shunting. Thus, the magnetic recording head may utilize the energy assistance from the spintronic device without reducing the quality and reliability of the write head by running an undesirable current through critical components of the write head.

Magnetic recording head with an SOT device coupled with side shield

Magnetic recording head having leads over the trailing shield for assisting electric currents

The present disclosure is generally related to a magnetic recording device comprising a magnetic recording head having a current flow in a cross-track direction around a main pole. The magnetic recording device comprises a main pole disposed between a trailing shield, a leading shield, and side shields. A trailing gap is disposed between the main pole and the trailing shield. A hot seed layer is disposed between the trailing gap and the trailing shield. A first insulation layer is disposed between the hot seed layer and the trailing shield, where the first insulation layer contacts the side shields. A second insulation layer is disposed between the main pole and leading shield, where the second insulation layer contacts the side shields. The first and second insulation layers direct the current through the side shields and across the main pole in a cross-track direction.

Cross track current design for energy assisted magnetic recording

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

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Yunfei Ding