Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk and a head actuated over the disk, the head comprising a fly height actuator (FHA). The disk drive further comprises control circuitry including disk access circuitry, wherein during a calibration operation, the disk access circuitry is configured into a calibration mode that increases a heating of the head, and a fly height of the head is measured periodically to generate periodic fly height measurements that vary due to the heating of the head. A dynamic fly height (DFH) write profile is generated based on the periodic fly height measurements. During a write operation, the disk access circuitry is configured into a write mode and a DFH control signal is generated and applied to the FHA based on the DFH write profile.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk and a head actuated over the disk, the head comprising a fly height actuator (FHA). The disk drive further comprises control circuitry including disk access circuitry, wherein during a calibration operation, the disk access circuitry is configured into a calibration mode that increases a heating of the head, and a fly height of the head is measured periodically to generate periodic fly height measurements that vary due to the heating of the head. A dynamic fly height (DFH) write profile is generated based on the periodic fly height measurements. During a write operation, the disk access circuitry is configured into a write mode and a DFH control signal is generated and applied to the FHA based on the DFH write profile.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising a plurality of data tracks defined by servo sectors. The head comprises a laser operable to heat the disk while writing data to the disk and a fly height actuator operable to adjust a fly height of the head over the disk. When the head approaches a target data sector of a write command, the fly height of the actuator adjusts the fly height of the head to a target pre-heat fly height during a pre-heat interval. After the pre-heat interval and during a pre-laser interval, the fly height actuator increases the fly height of the head. After the pre-laser interval, a power applied to the laser is increased to heat the disk, wherein the pre-laser interval compensates for a protrusion transient of the head toward the disk due to increasing the power applied to the laser.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A tester system includes a tester and a radioactive isotope source. The tester includes a spindle assembly, a disk mounted to the spindle assembly, and a head actuatable over the disk. The radioactive isotope source is positioned in an ionizing location proximate the tester, such that a minimum distance between the radioactive isotope source and an axis of rotation of the disk is less than a radius of the disk.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a disk drive base and a latch attached to the disk drive base. The latch includes a latch impact surface having a latch impact surface perimeter. The latch impact surface perimeter defines a latch impact surface area. The disk drive includes a head stack assembly coupled to the disk drive base. The head stack assembly includes a tang. The head stack assembly is sized and configured to rotate to a parked position with the tang in mechanical communication with the latch. The tang has a tang impact surface. The disk drive includes a damping member disposed upon and disposed between the latch and the tang for damping impact between the tang and the latch and mitigating contact between the tang impact surface and the latch impact surface. The damping member has a damping member surface area less than the latch impact surface area.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head has a sharply defined zero throat location in the pole tip members utilizing a superior magnetic pole tip material having high resistivity and high magnetic induction. The zero throat location is defined by first depositing a first pole tip member on a first magnetic pole member which may be formed by plating and need not be composed of the same superior magnetic material as the first pole tip member. By etching the zero throat edge of the first pole tip member, a clearly defined edge location is produced. The second pole tip member of superior magnetic material is then deposited on an insulating gap layer which is formed on the lower pole tip member.

Abstract: A magnetic thin film head employing giant magnetoresistance (GMR) includes alternating layers of ferromagnetic material and nonmagnetic material coupled by magnetostatic and exchange interactions to produce an antiparallel orientation between the magnetic layers in the absence of an external field. Magnetic biasing is applied by a permanent magnet to the alternating layers to obtain a scissor-like configuration of the adjacent magnetic layers. The magnet is placed in contiguous junction with the multilayered GMR structure edge which is away from the air bearing surface, and is separated from the sensor by a nonmagnetic, nonconductive spacer.

Abstract: An air bearing magnetic head is formed with a trimmed head pole tip that includes first and second poles having first and second surfaces respectively, which are coplanar with the air bearing surface of the magnetic head. A pair of leading and trailing bevel surfaces are angularly formed with respect to the first and second surfaces respectively. The bevel surfaces retract portions of the head pole tip away from the surface of a storage medium, and render the head pole tip less sensitive to stray flux, resulting in readback data signals being practically free of undesirable signal undershoots and overshoots. In addition, a minute amount of pole material of the first and second surfaces are trimmed away, thereby defining stepped areas with narrow widths in the first and second poles. The stepped areas enable the magnetic head to record data with narrow and well defined track widths.

Abstract: A method and means for reducing readback non-repeatability in thin film heads due to non-repeatablele domain structure, comprising the steps of depositing a layer of antiferromagnetic material, such as MnFe, to create larger uniaxial anisotropy, and localizing such a layer in the upper magnetic pole to improve head performance without sacrificing efficiency. In a particular implementation, alternating layers of NiFe/MnFe/NiFe, each 500 Angstroms thick, are deposited, followed by a sputtered seed layer for subsequent plating. After lapping to correct throat height, the head is then heated above the Neel temperature of MnFe and cooled in the presence of an applied magnetic field.