Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus, including a photon emitting means configured to emit photons onto a surface of an article at a number of azimuthal angles; and a processing means configured to process photon-detector-array signals corresponding to photons scattered from surface features of the article and generate one or more surface features maps for the article from the photon-detector-array signals corresponding to the photons scattered from the surface features of the article.

Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus, including a photon emitting means for emitting photons onto surface edges of an article, a photon detecting means for detecting photons scattered from particles on the surface edges of the article, and a mapping means for mapping a particle or a defect of the surface of the article.

Abstract: Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward a disc driver apparatus including a base, a disc drive actuator assembly, and a vapor-trapping pathway. The base, in certain embodiments, has an upwardly-facing portion with a first step and an adjacent second step that is vertically lower than the first step. The disc drive actuator assembly in some embodiments includes a pivot shaft, an E-block, and a plurality of bearings. The pivot shaft is fixed relative to the base, and the E-block has a portion facing the upwardly-facing portion of the base. The plurality of bearings are designed to facilitate rotation of the E-block around the pivot shaft. The vapor-trapping pathway includes the first step and a trap region that is partly defined by the second step, the vapor-trapping pathway being designed to pass vapor flow outwardly, relative to the pivot shaft, from a level below the bearings to the trap region.

Abstract: An apparatus that includes a first read shield and a second read shield and a reader stack between the first and second read shields. The first and second read shields each include a thin high permeability layer closest to the reader stack and a low permeability layer and/or a geometric feature to control magnetic field flux lines in a free layer of the reader stack.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an apparatus that includes a near field transducer positioned adjacent to an air bearing surface of the apparatus; a first magnetic pole; and a heat sink positioned between the first magnetic pole and the near field transducer, wherein the heat sink includes a first and second portion, with the first portion being adjacent the near field transducer and the second portion being adjacent the first magnetic pole, the first portion including a plasmonic material, and the second portion including a diffusion blocking material.

Abstract: A multiple layered interconnect structure to provide an electrical interface between one or more electrical elements on a head to read/write circuitry is disclosed. The interconnect structure includes first and second interconnecting layers. The first interconnecting layer is formed on a slider body of the head and includes a first or lower bond pad connectable to one or more electrical elements on the slider body through the first interconnecting layer. The second interconnecting layer includes a second or upper bond pad connectable to the one or more transducer elements through the second interconnecting layer. The second interconnecting layer is on top of the first interconnecting layer and the structure includes an insulating layer between the first and second interconnecting layers.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a patterned perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprises steps of: (a) providing a layer stack including a magnetically soft underlayer (“SUL”) and an overlying non-magnetic interlayer; (b) forming a masking layer on the non-magnetic interlayer; (c) forming a resist layer on the masking layer; (d) forming a pattern of recesses extending through the resist layer and exposing spaced apart surface portions of the masking layer; (e) extending the pattern of recesses through the masking layer to expose spaced apart surface portions of the interlayer; and (f) at least partially filling the pattern of recesses with a magnetically hard material to form a perpendicular magnetic recording layer.

Abstract: A group of non-volatile, solid state memory cells are transferred from an active list that includes memory cells accessible to a host to a temporary list that includes memory cells temporarily inaccessible to the host. The memory cells included in the temporary list are maintained at a temperature that is substantially the same as or lower than that of memory cells included in the active list. The memory cells are transferred from the temporary list to the active list in response to satisfaction of a trigger condition.

Abstract: Various apparatus and associated method embodiments are generally directed to a magnetic stack positioned on an air bearing surface (ABS) and biased to a predetermined magnetization by a bias magnet. The bias magnet can be separated from the magnetic stack and at least one magnetic shield by a self-aligned magnetic insulating feature that is comprised of first and second insulating layers.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for positioning of a reader element in a data storage device employing shingled recording. In an embodiment, a system may comprise a data storage medium configured to store data in a shingled manner where at least one track is partially overlapped by an adjacent track, a read element to read data from the data storage medium, and a processor. The processor may be configured to receive a read command to retrieve data from the data storage medium, and when the data is stored to a shingled portion of the data storage medium, adjust a position of the read element according to a squeeze offset value based on an amount of overwrite of a shingled data track by an adjacent data track.

Abstract: In some examples, a system comprising a data storage member including a magnetic storage medium, the magnetic storage medium having a plurality of magnetic bit domains aligned on at least one data track, where a transition boundary between respective magnetic bit domains defines a transition curvature. The system may further comprise a magnetic read head including a first shield layer, a second shield layer, and a read sensor stack provided proximate to the first and second shield layers, where the magnetic read head senses a magnetic field of each of the plurality of magnetic bit domains according to a read playback sensitivity function. In some examples, the shield layers and read sensor stack may be configured to provide a reader playback sensitivity function that substantially corresponds to the shape of the respective magnetic bit domains.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to an apparatus with embedded (bottom side) control lines for vertically stacked semiconductor elements. In accordance with various embodiments, a first semiconductor wafer is provided with a first facing surface on which a first conductive layer is formed. The first semiconductor wafer is attached to a second semiconductor wafer to form a multi-wafer structure, the second semiconductor wafer having a second facing surface on which a second conductive wafer is formed. The first conductive layer is contactingly bonded to the second conductive layer to form an embedded combined conductive layer within said structure. Portions of the combined conductive layer are removed to form a plurality of spaced apart control lines that extend in a selected length or width dimension through said structure.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a solid immersion mirror with opposing, reflective, inner sidewalls having inner surfaces facing a focal region and outer surfaces opposite the inner surfaces. The solid immersion mirror also include opposing outer sidewalls spaced apart from and facing the outer surfaces of the inner sidewalls, and a fill material between the inner sidewalls and outer sidewalls. The apparatus also includes a near-field transducer located in the focal region proximate a media-facing surface.

Abstract: The embodiments disclose a method of creating two-sided template from a single recorded master, including fabricating a first template using a single recorded master, wherein the first template has a changed duty cycle and an unchanged servo arc orientation, creating a replicate of the first template, wherein the replicate has a mirrored servo arc orientation and a changed duty cycle and fabricating a second template using the replicate to produce a predetermined mirrored servo arc orientation and a predetermined duty cycle for imprinting on a second side of a patterned stack.

Abstract: A method for implementing adaptive error correction in a memory, comprising the steps of (A) decoding a page of data read from a memory, (B) selecting one of a plurality of histograms based on a measured code word error rate of the decoded page and (C) applying an error correction code rate based on the selected histogram. The error correction code rate allows the memory to use a minimum number of error correction bits to provide reliable operation of the memory.

Abstract: An enlarged substrate for a magnetic recording medium used in a data storage device such as a hard disc drive (HDD). In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a substrate for a magnetic recording disc for installation in a 3½ inch form factor hard disc drive, the substrate having an overall diameter of nominally from 96.9 mm to 100.4 mm. In other embodiments, an apparatus comprises a substrate for a magnetic recording disc for installation in a 2½ inch form factor hard disc drive, the substrate having an overall diameter of nominally from 66.9 mm to 71.8 mm. In other embodiments, a data storage device has a magnetic recording medium that uses an enlarged substrate as set forth above.

Abstract: Implementations disclosed herein allow a signal detected by a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor to be improved by providing for one or more regions of reduced anisotropy proximal to a sensor stack within a shielding structure.

Abstract: An enlarged substrate for a magnetic recording medium used in a data storage device such as a hard disc drive (HDD). In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a substrate for a magnetic recording disc for installation in a 3½ inch form factor hard disc drive, the substrate having an overall diameter of nominally from 96.9 mm to 100.4 mm. In other embodiments, an apparatus comprises a substrate for a magnetic recording disc for installation in a 2½ inch form factor hard disc drive, the substrate having an overall diameter of nominally from 66.9 mm to 71.8 mm. In other embodiments, a data storage device has a magnetic recording medium that uses an enlarged substrate as set forth above.

Abstract: A magnetic writer includes a write element having a first domain pattern when in a quiescent state and a second domain pattern when in an active state. A biasing structure is configured to induce the write element into the first domain pattern when the magnetic writer is in the quiescent state.

Abstract: An apparatus and associated method is presently disclosed for a control circuitry capable of managing a heat source used in data storage applications. Various embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to a heat source directed at a data storage medium with a synchronization signal and a serial interface that are each selectively activated via a demultiplexed write gate signal. The selective activation allows for pulsed operation of the heat source resulting in reduced duty cycle and temperature during a write operation.