Abstract: An apparatus includes a disk locked clock system and a feedforward microactuator compensator. The disk locked clock system is configured to estimate a timing error and generate a timing error signal. The feedforward microactuator compensator is configured to generate a microactuator compensation signal, without use of a vibration sensor signal, in response to the timing error signal.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for open block management. In certain embodiments, an apparatus may comprise a circuit configured to determine an error sensitivity of a last-written page of a block of a solid state memory that is in an open state where the block has not been fully filled with data. The error sensitivity may include a value that represents a susceptibility to developing data errors while in the open state. The circuit may perform a first error mitigation procedure when the error sensitivity is lower than a first threshold, include increasing an open block timeout period applied to the last-written page. The circuit may perform a second error mitigation procedure when the error sensitivity is higher than the first threshold, including copying data from the block to a new location when a first open block timeout is reached.

Abstract: An assembly includes a drive housing and a first printed circuit board (PCB) with at least one solid-state memory component, the first PCB having a first surface, where the first PCB is located within the drive housing. The assembly also includes a second PCB with at least one solid-state memory component, where the second PCB is operatively electronically coupled to the first PCB, the second PCB having a second surface, and where the second PCB is located within the drive housing. The assembly also includes a first thermal transfer element configured for partial thermal communication between the first PCB and the second PCB through the first and second surfaces, where the first thermal transfer element is shaped to include a partially thermally insulating air gap located between the first and the second PCB, and where the first thermal transfer element is in thermal communication with the drive housing.

Abstract: A method for reducing susceptibility to vibration for a storage device is provided. The method includes running a performance test to the storage device over a predetermined range of vibration frequencies and determining there is a frequency of concern for the storage device. The method also includes establishing resonant frequencies of the storage device and determining if a resonant frequency of the storage device corresponds to the frequency of concern. If a resonant frequency corresponds to the frequency of concern, then the method includes reducing stiffness of a plurality of mounting members coupled to the storage device and repeating running the performance test, determining there is a frequency of concern, determining a resonant frequency overlaps a frequency of concern, and reducing stiffness of the plurality of mounting members until one of there are no frequencies of concern and a resonant frequency does not correspond to a frequency of concern.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for establishing an electrical interconnection between an electrical lead and a printed circuit board (PCB), such as a PCB used in a data storage device. In some embodiments, the PCB includes a multi-layer substrate having at least one conductive layer and at least one electrically insulative layer. An electrically conductive pad is provided on a facing surface of the substrate in electrical communication with the at least one conductive layer. A flux reservoir is placed adjacent the pad which extends from the facing surface into the substrate. A solder mask layer is provided on the facing surface of the base structure which surrounds the pad and extends into the reservoir. The solder mask layer and reservoir collect liquid flux from a soldering operation used to form a solder joint between the pad and a conductive lead of an electronic component.

Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording head is moved relative to a magnetic recording medium. The medium comprises a plurality of sectors. The sectors define a plurality of sector groups distributed around a circumference of the medium. The sectors of each sector group are written using different operational currents supplied to a laser diode of the head such that at least one sector from each sector group is written using one of the different operational currents. For each of the different operational currents, an average write performance metric is calculated for all sectors written at each of the different operational currents. A particular operational current of the different operational currents is determined that results in a best average write performance metric.

Abstract: In certain embodiments, a method may include receiving one or more equalized samples of an input signal. The method may further include mitigating one or more excursions in the one or more equalized samples based on one or more current decisions of an iterative decoding process to generate compensated equalized samples. In addition, the method may include performing iterative decoding operations based on the compensated equalized samples, updating the current decisions of the iterative decoding process and outputting the current decisions as a converged result when the iterative decoding operations have converged for the compensated equalized samples.

Abstract: A data storage system and associated method are provided wherein a policy engine continuously collects qualitative information about a network load to the data storage system in order to dynamically characterize the load and continuously correlates the load characterization to the content of a command queue of transfer requests for writeback commands and host read commands, selectively limiting the content with respect to writeback commands to only those transfer requests for writeback data that are selected on a physical zone basis of a plurality of predefined physical zones of a storage media.

Abstract: A slider is configured to interact with a magnetic recording medium and comprises an air bearing surface (ABS). A writer is provided on the slider and comprises a write pole terminating at or near the ABS, a return pole proximate the write pole, and a write coil arrangement provide around the write pole. The write coil arrangement comprises lower and upper write coils each having a generally circularly-shaped periphery, and a plurality of spaced-apart cooling fins connected to and projecting outwardly from the periphery of each of the lower and upper write coils.

Abstract: A magnetic device including a magnetic writer; and an overcoat positioned over at least the magnetic writer, the overcoat including oxides of yttrium, oxides of scandium, oxides of lanthanoids, oxides of actionoids, oxides of zinc, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for applying multi-stage multiple input single output (MISO) circuits for fast adaptation. An apparatus may comprise a first reader and a second reader configured to simultaneously read from a single track of a data storage medium, a MISO circuit. The MISO circuit may include a first stage filter having a first number of taps and configured to filter signal samples received from the first reader and the second reader and produce first filtered samples. The MISO circuit may also include a second stage filter having a second number of taps greater than the first number, and be configured to receive the first filtered samples corresponding to the first reader and the second reader from the first filter stage, filter the first filtered samples to produce second filtered samples, and combine the second filtered samples to produce a combined sample output.

Abstract: First tracks of a disk are read via a first read transducer. The first read transducer has a first crosstrack width and a first shield-to-shield spacing that are optimized to read a first track width and a first linear bit density of the first tracks. Second tracks interlaced between the first tracks are read via a second read transducer. The second read transducer has a second crosstrack width different from the first crosstrack width and second shield-to-shield spacing different than the first shield-to-shield spacing. The second crosstrack width and the second shield-to-shield spacing are optimized to read a second track width different from the first track width and a second linear bit density different from the first linear bit density.

Abstract: A non-volatile memory may be resident in a data storage device. The non-volatile memory can consist of a rewritable in-place memory cell having a read-write asymmetry. The non-volatile memory may be divided into a first group of tiers with a selection module of the data storage device prior to adapting to an event by altering the non-volatile memory into a second group of tiers. The first and second groups of tiers being different.

Abstract: A device such as a photo sensor, an optical isolator, and an optical damper is formed via a first process. The device is transfer printed to a waveguide of a read/write head in a second process.

Abstract: A slider configured for heat-assisted magnetic recording has an upper surface, an opposing air bearing surface (ABS), and a body defined between the upper surface and the ABS. The slider comprises a write pole and a near-field transducer (NFT) at or near the ABS. An optical waveguide is configured to receive light from a laser source and comprises a first cladding layer, a second cladding layer, and a core between the first and second cladding layers. The core has a width, a length, and a longitudinal axis oriented along the length of the core. A bolometer is situated within the body of the slider at a location that receives at least some of the light communicated along the waveguide used during a writing operation. The bolometer is spaced apart from the core and comprises a longitudinal axis that is oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the core.

Abstract: Disclosed are devices that include a near field transducer (NFT), the NFT having a peg and a disc and the peg including peg material and at least one associated amorphous blocker layer, wherein the amorphous blocker layer includes an amorphous metal alloy and the amorphous blocker layer is within the peg material, on one or more surfaces of the peg material, or both.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes methods of forming air bearing surfaces having multi-tier structures using nanoimprint technology and/or 3D printing technology. In some embodiments, a single stage of milling can be used to transfer a multi-tier photoresist pattern into a substrate (e.g., an AlTiC substrate).

Abstract: A paired queue apparatus and method comprising request and response queues wherein queue head and tail pointer update values are communicated through an enhanced pointer word data format providing pointer indicator information and optional auxiliary information in a single transfer, wherein auxiliary information provides additional system communication without consuming additional bandwidth. Auxiliary information is optionally contained in a response data entry written to a response queue or in a request entry written to a request queue.

Abstract: Light is directed from a light source at a coupling surface of a slider into a delivery waveguide of the slider. The delivery waveguide couples a first portion of the light into a near-field transducer at a media-facing surface. A second portion of the light is coupled into a splitter waveguide. The second portion of light is detected to perform an active alignment of the light source on the slider.

Abstract: A first waveguide portion receives light from an energy source in a fundamental transverse electric (TE00) mode. A mode converter converts a portion of the light to higher-order transverse electric (TE10) mode. A second waveguide portion receives the light at the TE10 mode and delivers the light to a near-field transducer that heats a recording medium in response thereto. An optical spatial mode filter prevents remnant light in the TE00 mode from affecting the recording medium while passing the light at the TE10 mode.