Abstract: A magnetic element capable of reading data may generally be configured at least with a magnetic seed lamination disposed between a data reader stack and a magnetic shield. The magnetic seed lamination may be constructed at least with one magnetic layer coupled to the bottom shield and at least one non-magnetic layer decoupling the data reader stack from the at least one magnetic layer.

Abstract: A charge coupled displacement sensor includes a first number of electrodes disposed to form a first ring including a first diameter and further operable to form an electric field around an object. A second number of electrodes are alternately disposed with the first number of electrodes within the first ring and are further operable to measure variations in the electric field attributed to a position of the object. A third number of electrodes are disposed to form a second ring including a second diameter greater than the first diameter and further electrically coupled with an electrical ground.

Abstract: An apparatus and associated method may be used to provide a data sensing element capable of detecting changes in magnetic states. Various embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to a magnetically responsive lamination of layers and means for generating a high magnetic moment region proximal to an air bearing surface (ABS) and a low magnetic moment region proximal to a hard magnet.

Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus, including a spinstand configured to position a disk in a testing orientation and a motor coupled to the spinstand, configured to rotate the disk. The motor comprises a fluid dynamic bearing.

Abstract: A data storage system may be configured at least with a seed lamination that is disposed between a magnetic stack and a magnetic shield. The seed lamination may be constructed and operated with a coupling buffer layer and a seed layer with the coupling buffer layer fabricated of an alloy of cobalt and a transition metal.

Abstract: A data storage device may generally be constructed and operated with at least a controller configured to identify a variance from a predetermined threshold in at least one variable resistance memory cell and upgrade a first error correction code (ECC) level to a second ECC level for the at least one variable resistance memory cell.

Abstract: Devices that include a near field transducer (NFT); a gas barrier layer positioned on at least a portion of the NFT; and a wear resistance layer positioned on at least a portion of the gas barrier layer wherein the gas barrier layer includes tantalum oxide (TaO), titanium oxide (TiO), chromium oxide (CrO), silicon oxide (SiO), aluminum oxide (AlO), titanium oxide (TiO), zirconium oxide (ZrO), yttrium oxide (YO), magnesium oxide (MgO), beryllium oxide (BeO), niobium oxide (NbO), hafnium oxide (HfO), vanadium oxide (VO), strontium oxide (SrO), or combinations thereof; silicon nitride (SiN), aluminum nitride (Al), boron nitride (BN), titanium nitride (TiN), zirconium nitride (ZrN), niobioum nitride (NbN), hafnium nitride (HfN), chromium nitride (CrN), or combinations thereof silicon carbide (SiC), titanium carbide (TiC), zirconium carbide (ZrC), niobioum carbide (NbC), chromium carbide (CrC), vanadium carbide (VC), boron carbide (BC), or combinations thereof or combinations thereof.

Abstract: In operation, respective lifetime expectancy scores are calculated for each of a plurality of blocks of a memory based on a respective count percentage of free space of each of the blocks. The blocks are recycled based on at least some of the life expectancy scores. A total amount of the blocks that are re-written is minimized while equalizing lifetime expectancy score variation between the blocks.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for recovering data from a multi-channel input signal, such as but not limited to a readback signal from a bit patterned medium (BPM) having a plurality of subtracks. In accordance with some embodiments, a single input single output (SISO) equalizer is adapted to generate equalized outputs responsive to alternating subchannels of the multi-channel input signal. A detector is adapted to generate estimates of data symbols represented by the input signal responsive to the equalized outputs. A switching circuit is adapted to switch in different equalizer coefficients for use by the SISO equalizer for each of the alternating subchannels in the input signal.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for arranging a virtual storage space with a cyclical wrapping grid function. The virtual storage space is formed from a physical memory and comprises a plurality of larger grains of selected storage capacity, each divided into a power of two number of smaller grains. Each of the larger grains are distributed across a non-power of two number of storage elements so that each of the storage elements receives the same number of smaller grains.

Abstract: A slider for a head to read data from or write data to a magnetic media is disclosed. The slider includes an air bearing surface including raised bearing surface(s) elevated above recessed bearing surface(s) to pressurize air flow along the air bearing surface to provide a fly height for the slider above the media. The raised bearing surfaces are formed along one or more raised substrate structures etched from a substrate body. The slider includes one or more insets inset into the one or more raised substrate structures formed of an inset material having a different coefficient of expansion than a substrate material of the slider to compensate for temperature and/or humidity changes.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for managing data in a memory, such as a flash memory. In accordance with some embodiments, a non-volatile memory is arranged into a plurality of blocks, with each of the blocks constituting an integral plural number N of fixed-sized, multi-bit transfer units. A processing circuit retrieves at least a portion of the data stored in a selected block to a volatile memory buffer in response to a transfer unit (TU) bit map. The TU bit map is stored in a memory and provides a multi-bit sequence of bits corresponding to the N transfer units of the selected block. The values of the bits in the multi-bit sequence of bits indicate whether the corresponding transfer units are to be retrieved.

Abstract: Magnetic spin-torque memory cells, often referred to as magnetic tunnel junction cells, which have magnetic anisotropies (i.e., magnetization orientation at zero field and zero current) of the associated ferromagnetic layers aligned perpendicular to the wafer plane, or “out-of-plane”. A memory cell may have a ferromagnetic free layer, a first pinned reference layer and a second pinned reference layer, each having a magnetic anisotropy perpendicular to the substrate. The free layer has a magnetization orientation perpendicular to the substrate that is switchable by spin torque from a first orientation to an opposite second orientation.

Abstract: A plurality of data storage devices from a storage device provider are received, at a data center. A tester is received at the data center via the storage device provider. A unit test of the data storage devices is performed at the data center via the tester contemporaneously with using the data storage devices in the data center.

Abstract: Implementations disclosed herein provide a method comprising comparing high-latency data sectors of a storage band, the high-latency data sectors having latency above a predetermined threshold, with target sectors for storing new data to determine one or more of the high-latency data sectors that may be skipped during retrieval of at-rest data from the storage band.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a system for dynamically adaptive caching. The system includes a storage device having a physical capacity for storing data received from a host. The system may also include a control module for receiving data from the host and compressing the data to a compressed data size. Alternatively, the data may also be compressed by the storage device. The control module may be configured for determining an amount of available space on the storage device and also determining a reclaimed space, the reclaimed space being according to a difference between the size of the data received from the host and the compressed data size. The system may also include an interface module for presenting a logical capacity to the host. The logical capacity has a variable size and may include at least a portion of the reclaimed space.

Abstract: A magnetic device includes a write element having a write element tip that defines a medium confronting surface. The write element is operable to generate a first field at the medium confronting surface. A conductor is proximate the write element tip and first and second conductive leads are connected to the conductor and configured to deliver a current to the conductor to generate a second field that augments the first field. First and second side elements are disposed on opposite sides of the write element tip in a cross-track direction at the medium confronting surface. At least a portion of the first conductive lead is disposed adjacent the first side element on a side opposite the medium confronting surface, and at least a portion of the second conductive lead is disposed adjacent the second side element on a side opposite the medium confronting surface.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for integrated-interleaved Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) coding and decoding. Integrated-interleaved LDPC encoding is performed by obtaining at least a first data element and a second data element; systematically encoding the at least first data element using a submatrix H0 of a sparse parity check matrix H1 to obtain at least a first codeword; truncating the at least first data element to obtain at least a first truncated data element; systematically encoding the at least second data element and the at least first truncated data element using the sparse parity check matrix H1 to obtain a nested codeword; and generating a second codeword based at least in part on a combination of the first codeword and the nested codeword. Integrated-interleaved LDPC decoding is also provided.

Abstract: A method, computer-readable medium, and storage device for detecting and compensating for a change in MR-offset in a disk-based storage device. A pattern is written to a track on a disk of the storage device utilizing a read/write head. The read channel of the storage device is then configured as a harmonic sensor and the pattern is read from the track at a specific off-track position of the read/write head. The magnitude of the harmonic sensor is measured during the read, and the change in MR-offset is calculated for the read/write head based on the measured magnitude value and a predetermined transfer function between off-track amount and harmonic sensor magnitude. The change in MR-offset may then be utilized by a servo mechanism of the storage device to correct head positioning during a write operation for the read/write head.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for data integrity management in a data storage device. In accordance with some embodiments, a controller transfers user data blocks between a host device and a main memory. Each user data block has an associated logical address. A data integrity manager generates and stores a verification code for each user data block in a table structure in a local memory. The data integrity manager uses the verification code to independently verify a most current version of a selected user data block is being retrieved by the controller from the main memory during a host read request.