Abstract: Methods that include depositing a first layer over the entire surface of a structure, the structure having a magnetic reader and a magnetic writer, wherein the magnetic reader and the magnetic writer are positioned adjacent to each other on a substrate and the magnetic writer includes a near field transducer (NFT); depositing a second layer over the entire surface of the first layer; depositing a photoresist material layer over the entire surface of the second layer, the photoresist material layer having a bottom surface in contact with the second layer and an opposing top surface; exposing the photoresist material layer to radiation through the bottom surface of the photoresist material layer via the NFT to form a first exposed region; and exposing the photoresist material layer to radiation through the top surface of the photoresist material layer to form a second exposed region.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for open block refresh management. In certain embodiments, an apparatus may comprise a circuit configured to monitor an amount of time a block of a solid-state memory remains in an open state where the block has not been fully filled with data, and in response to reaching an open block time limit, compare an amount of the block already written with data against a threshold amount. When less than a threshold amount of the block has been written with data, the circuit may refresh data from a last N pages from the block by writing the data to a new location, N being a number of pages less than all pages in the block. When more than the threshold amount of the block has been written with data, the circuit may fill a remaining unwritten amount of the block with dummy data.

Abstract: A printed circuit board assembly includes a printed circuit board having a plurality of signal lanes. The PCBA also includes at least one application-specific integrated circuit operatively mounted to the printed circuit board and connected with the plurality of signal lanes. The PCBA includes a first configuration element operatively mounted to the printed circuit board in a first orientation and at a first location and having a first bridging element for providing an electrical connection between at least a first pair of signal lanes selected from the plurality of signal lanes. The first configuration element also includes a second bridging element so that if the first configuration element were operatively mounted to the printed circuit board in a different, second orientation relative to the printed circuit board, the second bridging element would provide an electrical connection between at least a second pair of signal lanes.

Abstract: A method for method for resolving a cable mismatch by a target device is provided. The method includes determining that all PHYs in a receptacle are currently inactive, a PHY in the receptacle became active, and determining if there is a mismatch between a cable type and a stored cable configuration. If there is a mismatch between the cable type and the stored cable configuration, the method further includes disabling all other PHY groups in the receptacle that do not include the PHY that became active and notifying a user that a cable mismatch corresponding to the receptacle has occurred. If there is not a mismatch between the cable type and the stored cable configuration, then the method includes re-enabling PHYs in the receptacle, if any PHYs are disabled, and notifying a user that a cable mismatch corresponding to the receptacle has been corrected.

Abstract: In a disk drive apparatus, a first time period is determined, during which a first head driven by a first actuator will be performing a first disk access operation. A second time period is determined, during which a second head driven by a second actuator will be performing a second disk access operation. The first and second actuators are independently movable such that the first and second disk access operations are capable of being performed in parallel. If it is determined that the second disk access operation will impact servo control of the first disk access operation, at least one of the first and second disk access operations is changed to reduce the impact to the servo control of the first disk access operation.

Abstract: Power-backup capabilities are provided by implementing a variety of different methods, systems and devices. According to one such implementation, an energy storage device such as a capacitive storage circuit is powered relative to the powering of one or more additional circuits from a common power supply to limit the draw upon the power supply. Certain applications involve delaying or otherwise modifying the powering of the capacitive storage circuit, which may involve an initial startup of the capacitive storage circuit.

Abstract: In a device with first and second heads, the second head is held at a radial location over one or more disks via a second actuator that moves the second head. A position error of the second head is read while performing a seek with a first actuator, the first actuator moving the first head over the one or more disks. A mechanical transfer function is determined between the first actuator and the second actuator based on the position error of the second head. The mechanical transfer function is used to provide compensation for the second head via the second actuator in response to subsequent seek of the first actuator.

Abstract: A syndrome weight of failed decoding attempts is used to select parameters for future read retry operations. The following exemplary steps are performed until a decoding success or a predefined limited number of readings is reached: (i) reading a codeword using different read threshold voltages; (ii) mapping the readings to a corresponding likelihood value using a likelihood value assignment; and (iii) recording a syndrome weight for failed decoding attempts of the readings using the different read threshold voltages.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods of forming one or more transducer elements in a transducer region of a slider by electrodepositing one or more metal ions from an ionic liquid solvent, and related sliders.

Abstract: A method includes moving a heat-assisted magnetic recording head relative to a magnetic recording medium comprising a plurality of tracks, the head comprising a reader and a writer including a near-field transducer (NFT) optically coupled to a laser diode, the writer comprising a center which is laterally offset relative to a center of the reader to define a writer-reader offset (WRO) therebetween. Patterns are written to a particular track at a plurality of laser diode current levels. The patterns are read and a WRO value is calculated at a peak amplitude position for each of the laser diode current levels. A slope of the WRO values is determined with the laser current diode levels. A health condition of the NFT is determined by determining if the slope is greater than a predetermined threshold indicative of non-uniform activation across the NFT.

Abstract: A data storage device includes first and second controllers that independently and simultaneously process data from a recording medium. The first and second controllers each have respective first and second buffer managers coupled to respective first and second buffer memories. The first and second buffer managers are coupled to each other via an inter-controller data bus. The first controller is configured to receive a contiguous memory request for a block data transfer client of the first controller. A first part of the request is fulfilled from the first buffer memory via the first buffer manager, and a second part of the request is fulfilled from the second buffer memory via the second buffer manager communicating with the first buffer manager via the inter-controller data bus.

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 data storage device includes one or more storage media that include multiple physical storage locations. The device also includes at least one cache memory having a logical space that includes a plurality of separately managed logical block address (LBA) ranges. Additionally, a controller is included in the device. The controller is configured to receive data extents addressed by a first LBA and a logical block count. The controller is also configured to identify at least one separately managed LBA range of the plurality of separately managed LBA ranges in the at least one cache memory based on LBAs associated with at least some of the received data extents. The controller stores the at least some of the received data extents in substantially monotonically increasing LBA order in at least one physical storage location, of the at least one cache memory, assigned to the identified at least one LBA range.

Abstract: One or more magnetic recording disks are coupled to a spindle motor, each of the disks having opposing recording surfaces. Two or more actuators are moveable independently over at least a first recording surface of the one or more disks. A first actuator of the two or more actuators comprises a first write head and a first read head. A second actuator of the two or more actuators comprises at least a second read head and may include a second write head. A controller is coupled to the two or more actuators and configured to write data to a track on the first recording surface using the first write head, and perform a read operation on the data written to the track using the second read head. The controller is also configured to verify that the data was successfully written to the track in response to the read operation. The read operation can be performed within less than one revolution of the first recording surface after the write operation.

Abstract: An enclosure has a sidewall with a step that results in an upper part of the sidewall extending over a slide mounting region. A backplane is located at a base of the enclosure and is configured to receive a plurality of data storage drives. A circuit carrier extends from the backplane to the step in the side of the enclosure. The circuit carrier has one or more connectors proximate an upper surface of the step and is configured to receive one or more expansion modules that expand a functionality of the backplane.

Abstract: Sliders that include a slider body having an outer side edge, an inner side edge, a trailing edge and a leading edge, and a base; a trailing edge set of features positioned towards the trailing edge of the slider body, the trailing edge set of features having air bearing surfaces, the air bearing surfaces being above the base of the slider body; a leading edge set of features positioned towards the leading edge of the slider body; a gap positioned between the trailing edge set of features and the leading edge set of features, the gap having a gap surface, the gap surface substantially coplanar with the base of the slider body; and a first gap feature and a second gap feature distributed evenly within the gap from the inner side edge to the outer side edge, the first and second gap features each having upper surfaces, the upper surfaces of the first and second gap features being above the base of the slider body but below the air bearing surface of the trailing edge features.

Abstract: A polarization rotator rotates a portion of light received from an input surface to an orthogonal polarization. A polarization splitter is coupled to the polarization rotator and includes a channel waveguide section that transmits the rotated portion of the light towards an output surface. The splitter also includes a splitter waveguide separated from the channel waveguide section by a dielectric gap. The splitter waveguide couples an unrotated portion of the light away from a target region of the output surface.