Abstract: A first heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) writer writes to a surface of a magnetic disk using during an initial time period. A second HAMR writer is configured to write to the surface but not during the initial time period. The initial time period extends from a first time when the disk drive is first used to a second time when a near-field transducer of the first HAMR writer reaches a first wear threshold. During a subsequent time period after the initial time period, to the surface of the disk is written to using the second HAMR writer and not the first HAMR writer.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure are directed to apparatuses and methods involving particulate sampling. As may be consistent with one or more embodiments, an apparatus includes a flow direction structure, a flow sampler and a particle collector having a collecting surface. The flow direction structure has interior sidewalls that direct the flow of particulate-laden gas along a flow path. The flow sampler is located in the flow path within the interior sidewalls, and operates with the flow direction structure to sample a portion of the particulate-laden gas at a reduced velocity, while allowing another portion of the particulate-laden gas to exhaust around the flow sampler. The flow sampler operates with the particle collector to direct the sampled portion of the particulate-laden gas to the collecting surface, and to adhere particulates from the particulate-laden gas to the collecting surface.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure are directed to apparatuses and methods involving a desiccant chamber and related componentry, as may be utilized for controlling humidity in electrical enclosures. As may be consistent with one or more embodiments, an environmental control module (ECM) includes a desiccant chamber with a desiccant material therein, first and second membranes in a pathway extending from the desiccant chamber and through respective openings in the ECM, and a gasket and enclosure on the ECM which seal the pathway. A seal in the pathway seals the opening in ECM leading to the first membrane and desiccant chamber during evacuation and fill of an electrical enclosure in which the ECM may be employed, and can be broken to couple the desiccant to the electrical enclosure.

Abstract: A write head includes an input coupler configured to receive light excited by a light source. A waveguide core is configured to receive light from the input coupler at a fundamental transverse electric (TE00) mode. The waveguide core has a first straight portion. The waveguide core has a mode converter portion comprising a branched portion extending from the first straight portion. The mode converter portion is configured to convert the light to a higher-order (TE10) mode, the mode converter portion spaced apart from the input coupler. The waveguide core has a second straight portion between the mode converter portion and a media-facing surface. The write head has a near-field transducer at the media-facing surface, the near-field transducer receiving the light at the TE10 mode from the waveguide and directing surface plasmons to a recording medium in response thereto.

Abstract: A method of forming a near field transducer (NFT), the method including the steps of depositing a primary material; and implanting a secondary element, wherein both the primary material and the secondary element are chosen such that the primary material is densified via implantation of the secondary element.

Abstract: A data backup system can be implemented in a data storage enclosure that houses a backup controller. The backup controller may be connected to a storage media and a backup media via a switch. The backup media can be resassigned from an unavailable condition to an available condition by the backup controller in response to predicted degradation in the storage media. The backup media may be connected to a root complex of the backup controller via a backup partition and selection feature.

Abstract: A method of controlling a shape and size of at least one solder joint of a magnetic recording head that includes a trailing surface and a plurality of bond pads, wherein each bond pad comprises a base layer comprising a top surface and a top edge, the method including the steps of forming at least one solder dam by covering a portion of the top surface of the base layer of at least one of the bond pads with a coating layer that comprises a nonwettable, electrically conductive material positioned adjacent to the top edge of at least one of the bond pads, thereby defining a coated portion and an uncoated portion of the base layer, and applying solder material to the uncoated portion of the base layer adjacent to the solder dam so that the coating layer constrains movement of the solder material beyond the uncoated portion.

Abstract: A recording head has a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head. The near-field transducer extends a first distance away from the media-facing surface. A waveguide overlaps and delivers light to the near-field transducer. Two subwavelength focusing mirrors are at an end of the waveguide proximate the media-facing surface and extend a second distance away from the media-facing surface that is less than the first distance. The subwavelength mirrors are on opposite crosstrack sides of the near-field transducer and separated from each other by a crosstrack gap. The subwavelength focusing mirrors each include a first material at the media-facing surface; and a second material facing away from the media facing surface and in contact with the first material. The second material includes a plasmonic material, and the first material is more mechanically robust than the second material.

Abstract: A digital sensor stream is received from a sensor. A domain transform is performed on the digital sensor stream to produce first and second substreams. The first substream is larger than the second substream. The first substream is stored in cold storage and the second substream is stored in a second storage that has faster access times than the cold storage. Deep machine learning is performed on the second substream, the results of which may be stored in the second storage.

Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording device is disposed in a hermetically sealed enclosure. The device includes a slider comprising a reader, a writer, and an optical waveguide configured to couple light from a light source to a near-field transducer situated at or near an air bearing surface of the slider. The near-field transducer comprises an enlarged portion and a peg extending from the enlarged portion in a direction of the air bearing surface. A fill gas is provided within the enclosure. The fill gas comprises a mixture of a low-density, inert gas and at least one gas that oxidizes carbon, where the total carbon oxidizing gas concentration of the fill gas is 3-50% by volume. In certain embodiments, the fill gas comprises a hydrogen concentration sufficient to retard oxidation of the peg when the peg is at an operating temperature associated with write operations.

Abstract: A device including a near field transducer, the near field transducer including gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), or aluminum (Al), and at least two other secondary atoms, the at least two other secondary atoms selected from: boron (B), bismuth (Bi), indium (In), sulfur (S), silicon (Si), tin (Sn), manganese (Mn), tellurium (Te), holmium (Ho), lutetium (Lu), praseodymium (Pr), scandium (Sc), uranium (U), barium (Ba), chlorine (Cl), cesium (Cs), dysprosium (Dy), europium (Eu), fluorine (F), germanium (Ge), hydrogen (H), iodine (I), rubidium (Rb), selenium (Se), terbium (Tb), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), carbon (C), antimony (Sb), gadolinium (Gd), samarium (Sm), thallium (Tl), cadmium (Cd), neodymium (Nd), phosphorus (P), lead (Pb), hafnium (Hf), niobium (Nb), erbium (Er), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), palladium (Pd), vanadium (V), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), sodium (Na), strontium (Sr), calcium (Ca), yttrium (Y), thorium (Th), beryllium (Be), thulium (Tm), erbium

Abstract: Method and apparatus for managing data in a non-volatile memory (NVM) of a storage device, such as a solid-state drive (SSD). A circuit measures programming and reading temperatures for a set of memory cells in the NVM. Error rates are determined for each of the reading operations carried out upon the data stored in the memory cells. A code rate for the NVM is adjusted to maintain a selected error rate for the memory cells. The code rate is adjusted in relation to a cross-temperature differential (CTD) value exceeding a selected threshold. The code rate can include an inner code rate as a ratio of user data bits to the total number of user data bits and error correction code (ECC) bits in each code word written to the NVM, and/or an outer code rate as a strength or size of a parity value used to protect multiple code words.

Abstract: An electronic memory module can be cooled by a cooling assembly that consists of at least a printed circuit board connected to at least one data storage component. The memory module may be housed within, and in physical contact with, a cooling frame that surrounds a periphery of the printed circuit board. The cooling frame can have a seating tab that is separated from the memory module, spans the memory module, and supports a heatsink in contact with the at least one data storage component.

Abstract: A data storage device can have one or more timestamps to indicate chronological information associated with data stored in the data storage device. A controller may be connected to a timestamp module and a transducing head to allow a timestamp to be written to a magnetic data storage medium as directed by the timestamp module. The timestamp can consist of chronological information relating to user-generated data stored on the data storage medium.

Abstract: A disk drive, has a housing structure enclosing a disk and at least one recording head. The drive includes a plurality of capsules each comprising oxygen gas enclosed within a membrane. An oxygen diffusion rate of the membrane is selected to release oxygen into the housing structure at a rate that compensates for oxygen depletion within the housing structure.

Abstract: A head gimbal assembly for supporting a disk drive includes a slider, a load beam, a ring gimbal affixed to the load beam, a plurality of microactuators, and a flexure. The flexure includes a first end extending along the load beam through a center region of a longitudinal axis of the head gimbal assembly and second end that includes a plurality of bond pads electrically coupled to the slider. The flexure includes a plurality of support features. Each support feature of the plurality of support features spans a respective microactuator of the plurality of microactuators. Each support feature includes a support protrusion and a support base. Each support protrusion is coupled to the ring gimbal at a distal side of the respective microactuator and each support base is coupled to the flex circuit on a proximal side of the respective microactuator.

Abstract: An apparatus with a housing which stores a plurality of data storage magazines, where each data storage magazine includes a plurality of data storage devices. The housing includes a movable carriage, the movable carriage configured to selectively couple a set of data storage devices held by a particular data storage magazine to a host device.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for managing metadata in a data storage device, such as a solid-state drive (SSD). In some embodiments, a non-volatile memory (NVM) includes a population of semiconductor memory dies. The dies are connected a number of parallel channels such that less than all of the semiconductor dies are connected to each channel. A controller circuit apportions the semiconductor memory dies into a plurality of die sets, with each die set configured to store user data blocks associated with a different user. The controller circuit subsequently rearranges the dies into a different arrangement of die sets so that at least one die is migrated from a first dies set to a second die set. A map manager circuit is configured to establish an array of pointers in a memory to identify contiguous portions of map metadtata that describe user data stored in the at least one migrated die.

Abstract: A virtual solid state storage system is provided with solid state storage error emulation. An exemplary apparatus comprises a virtual solid state storage device configured to emulate a solid state storage device. The virtual solid state storage device comprises an interface that communicates with a solid state storage controller; an address translation module that translates memory addresses from a solid state storage-based memory space to a second memory space of a second memory device; and a non-solid state storage memory controller that communicates with the second memory device; and an error module to emulate solid state storage errors for testing error handling functions of the solid state storage controller for predefined error types of the solid state storage memory device by: (i) flipping bits sent to and/or read from the second memory device; and/or (ii) changing a status response sent to the solid state storage controller.

Abstract: In electronic equipment device 1, a limitation level on reading an access level to selectively control the ability to read data from a USB flash drive (storage device) 2 is set to a setting section by an access level setting unit 3 in advance. The USB flash drive 2 ascertains the setting at the setting section 3 access level when the USB flash drive is connected to the electronic equipment 1 and limits reading data based on the determined setting device. If the limitation access level does not match with the condition for permitting data read-out as determined in USB flash drive 2 permit the reading of data, the USB flash drive 2 prohibits the electronic equipment 1 device from reading out data from a memory 24 of the USB flash drive by removing an application of power from the external device to the memory. By executing the processing for limiting data read-out at the side of the USB flash drive 2, unauthorized leakage of data can easily be prevented.