Abstract: A storage device includes a transducer head including a first write element configured to write data at a first write width and a second write element configured to write data at a second write width less than the first write width. According to one implementation, the first write element writes data at a first linear density and to alternating data tracks and the second write element writes data at a second linear density and to data tracks interlaced with the alternating data tracks.

Abstract: A method including depositing a plasmonic material at a temperature of at least 150° C.; and forming at least a peg of a near field transducer (NFT) from the deposited plasmonic material.

Abstract: Higher-level redundancy information computation enables a Solid-State Disk (SSD) controller to provide higher-level redundancy capabilities to maintain reliable operation in a context of failures of non-volatile (e.g. flash) memory elements during operation of an SSD implemented in part by the controller. For example, a first computation is an XOR, and a second computation is a weighted-sum. Various amounts of storage are dedicated to storing the higher-level redundancy information, such as amounts equivalent to an integer multiple of flash die (e.g. one, two, or three entire flash die), and such as amounts equivalent to a fraction of a single flash die (e.g. one-half or one-fourth of a single flash die).

Abstract: Apparatus and method for in situ authentication and diagnostic repair of a data storage device in a multi-device user environment. In accordance with some embodiments, the method includes detecting an error condition associated with a selected data storage device in the multi-device user environment. A first level of user authentication is established by providing a challenge value generated by the selected data storage device to a remote device over a network associated with the selected data storage device. A first diagnostic tool stored on the selected data storage device is executed responsive to receipt of the first level of user authentication. A second level of user authentication is established by providing a second challenge value generated by the selected data storage device to the remote device. An output from the first diagnostic tool is used to execute a second diagnostic tool stored on the selected data storage device.

Abstract: Systems and methods for compensating for hysteresis in a disc drive are described. In one embodiment, a method may use an inverse hysteresis model to linearize effects of hysteresis of a microactuator in the disc drive. The hysteresis model may be a Coleman-Hodgdon hysteresis model. The hysteresis of the microactuator may be characterized, and the inverse hysteresis model may be based at least in part on the characterization. The inverse hysteresis model may be used to implement a digital filter. The digital filter may be employed in series with the microactuator to linearize the effects of hysteresis.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for accelerated testing of a multi-device storage system. In some embodiments, the storage system includes a server adapted to communicate with a user device, and a plurality of data storage devices adapted to store and retrieve data objects from the user device. The server maintains a map structure that describes the data objects stored on the data storage devices. A fault injection module is adapted to induce simulated failures of selected data storage devices in relation to a time-varying failure rate distribution associated with the data storage devices that indicates an observed failure rate over a first time interval. The simulated failures are induced by the fault injection module over a second time interval shorter than the first time interval. The server operates to modify the map structure responsive to the simulated failures.

Abstract: Host data to be written to a recording medium is categorized as one of sequential data or random data. The sequential data is written to a first track width on the recording medium. The random data is written to a second track width on the recording medium, the second track width being larger than the first track width.

Abstract: First and second data representation are stored in first and second blocks of a non-volatile, solid-state memory. The first and second blocks share series-connected bit lines. The first and second blocks are selected and other blocks of the non-volatile, solid-state memory that share the bit lines are deselected. The bit lines are read to determine a combination of the first and second data representations. The combination may include a union or an intersection.

Abstract: A data storage system may have at least one data writer that incorporates a write pole that continuously extends from an air bearing surface. The write pole can be separated from the air bearing surface by a side shield that consists of a first magnetic layer positioned on the air bearing surface and a guard layer separated from the air bearing surface by the first magnetic layer. The guard layer may be configured with a different magnetic saturation flux density than the first magnetic layer.

Abstract: A testing environment may have at least one controller connected to at least first and second testing slots positioned in a housing. The first testing slot can be configured with a first thermal range capability and the second testing slot may be configured with a second thermal range capability that differs from the first thermal range capability.

Abstract: A magnetic element can be constructed by forming a write pole with a tip portion that continuously extends from an air bearing surface (ABS) along a plane orthogonal to the ABS to a body portion that continuously extends from the tip portion distal the ABS. A first write gap layer can then be deposited in contact with the write pole before a processing layer is deposited in contact with the first write gap layer. A magnetic shield may then be formed atop the processing layer with the magnetic shield being separated from the write pole by a first gap distance on the ABS throughout the tip portion and by a second gap distance distal the ABS along the plane orthogonal to the ABS along the body portion. The first and second gap distances can be measured parallel to the ABS with the second gap distance being greater than the first gap distance.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for providing proactive cloud orchestration services for a cloud hardware infrastructure. A health management system may monitor component(s) of the cloud hardware infrastructure. The health management system may determine a failure probability metric for the component(s) based on the monitoring of the component and in consideration of historical information associated with the component, or similar components. The health management system may determine an optimization strategy for the component and, when an optimization decision has been reached, initiate a reconfiguration procedure to implement the optimization strategy. The optimization strategy may provide for mitigating or eliminating the consequences of the component failure associated with data loss, downtime, and the like.

Abstract: Implementations described and claimed herein provide a system comprising an external magnetic field generator, wherein the external field magnetic field generator is configured to rock an effective annealing magnetic field between a first positive angle and a second negative angle compared to a desired pinning field orientation in an AFM/PL structure.

Abstract: Devices having air bearing surfaces (ABS), the devices include a near field transducer (NFT) that includes a disc configured to convert photons incident thereon into plasmons; and a peg configured to couple plasmons coupled from the disc into an adjacent magnetic storage medium, wherein the disc includes a disc material and the peg includes a peg material, wherein the disc material is different from the peg material and wherein the disc material has a first real part of the permittivity and a peg material has a second real part of the permittivity and the second real part of the permittivity is not greater than the first real part of the permittivity.

Abstract: A tool may be configured at least with a fastener that can be accessed with a shaped bit. A controller portion of the tool can be arranged to predict bit deflection that enables a tool configuration to be adapted in response to actual bit deflection to conform to the predicted bit deflection.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises circuitry configured to apply an AC signal having a frequency to one of a slider of a recording head and a magnetic recording medium. The applied AC signal causes an oscillation in an electrostatic force and clearance between the slider and the medium at the frequency of the AC signal. A thermal sensor is configured to generate a sensor signal at the AC signal frequency in response to sensing changes in temperature resulting from the oscillating clearance. A detector is coupled to the circuitry and the thermal sensor. The detector is configured to detect one or both of head-medium spacing changes and head-medium contact using a phase of a first harmonic or an amplitude of a second harmonic of the thermal sensor signal.

Abstract: Implementations disclosed herein provide a method comprising emitting light at a plurality of locations across a surface of a recording head, detecting light output from a diffraction grating axis with a detector, and determining a target position for mounting a light source on the surface of the recording head by analyzing the detected light output corresponding to one or more of the plurality of locations.

Abstract: Methods of securely authenticating a host to a storage system are provided. A series of authentication sessions are illustratively performed. Each of the authentication sessions includes the host transmitting an authentication request to the storage system. The storage system authenticates the host based at least in part upon a content of the authentication request. After each successful authentication of the host to the storage system, an encryption key that was utilized in encrypting the authentication request that was transmitted to the storage system is deleted. After each encryption key deletion, a new encryption key that is different than the previous key is optionally stored and is utilized in the next authentication session.

Abstract: A data reader may have an resonant tunnel structure disposed between first and second magnetic structures. The resonant tunnel structure can be configured with a spacer layer disposed between first and second barrier layers. The first barrier layer can have a first thickness that is smaller than a second thickness of the second barrier layers with the thicknesses each measured along a common plane to provide resonant tunneling for the data reader.

Abstract: A data storage device testing system may be configured with at least a test slot, a loader assembly, and an exchange assembly. The loader assembly can be positioned to respectively engage and disengage a test deck with the test slot. The exchange assembly may be configured to open an access port portion of the test deck and subsequently replace a tested data storage component housed within the first test deck with an untested data storage component.