Abstract: A magnetic recording apparatus includes a magnetic recording head having a magnetic pole and a spin torque oscillator, the spin torque oscillator being placed adjacent to the magnetic pole and includes at least two magnetic layers of a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer, and a magnetic recording medium includes two magnetic layers of a recording layer and an antenna layer, the recording layer including a hard magnetic material, such that the antenna layer is formed closer to the magnetic recording head than the recording layer, in which the antenna layer has a resonance frequency fa lower than a resonance frequency fr of the recording layer, greater than a resonance frequency of the second magnetic layer, and the recording layer and the antenna layer are ferromagnetically coupled to each other.

Abstract: The invention provides a magnetic recording medium, and a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus. The magnetic recording medium includes a substrate 11, an under layer 12 formed on the substrate 11, a magnetic recording layer 13 formed on the under layer 12, and a protective layer 14 formed on the magnetic recording layer 13. The magnetic recording layer 13 is composed of a primary recording layer 14 and a secondary recording layer 15 which are mutually exchange-coupled. The primary recording layer 14 has magnetic grains and a nonmagnetic material that surrounds the magnetic grains, and has a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The secondary recording layer 15 is made of a material having a negative crystal magnetic anisotropy and its easy plane of the magnetization is a plane of the medium.

Abstract: An FPC holding mechanism of an actuator assembly of a hard disk drive (HDD) includes an FPC holder protruding from an arm-mold of the actuator assembly, and an FPC clip mounted to the FPC holder so as to be rotatable. The FPC holder defines a guide groove into which the FPC is inserted and a first side support plate facing one side surface of the FPC. The FPC clip includes a second side support plate juxtaposed with the first side support plate and facing the other side surface of the FPC, and at least two clip arms extending in a horizontal direction over upper and lower edges of the FPC, respectively. At least one of the clip arms has a hook hooked onto the first side support plate. The FPC holding mechanism thus prevents a portion of the FPC from moving in vertical and horizontal directions.

Abstract: When first and second near-field light-generating portions are irradiated with laser light or other energy rays, near-field light is generated at the tips of both the near-field light-generating portions. By means of the near-field light thus generated, a magnetic recording medium opposing the medium-opposing surface is heated, and the coercivity of the magnetic recording medium is lowered. Since at least a portion of the main magnetic pole is positioned within the spot region including the region between the first and second near-field light-generating portions, the tips of both the near-field light-generating portions and the main magnetic pole can be brought extremely close together, and high-density recording can be performed.

Abstract: A magnetic write head for perpendicular magnetic data recording having a trailing shield with a two step throat height. The trailing shield is formed over a non-magnetic bump that forms a notch in the leading edge of the trailing shield. This notch defines a first, smaller throat height closest to the write pole and a larger throat height away from the write pole. The smaller throat height near the write pole prevents excess magnetic flux from leaking to the write pole, thereby ensuring efficient strong write field. The larger trailing shield throat height away from the write pole prevents magnetic saturation of the trailing shield and also greatly facilitates manufacturing avoiding problems related to variations and deviations in manufacturing processes used to define the trailing shield.

Abstract: A slider mounted CPP GMR or TMR read head sensor is protected from electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage and from noise and cross-talk from an adjacent write head by means of a balanced resistive/capacitative shunt. The shunt includes highly resistive interconnections between upper and lower shields of the read head and a grounded slider substrate and a low resistance interconnection between the lower pole piece of the write head and the substrate. The capacitances between the pole piece and the upper shield, the upper shield and the lower shield and the lower shield and the substrate are made equal by either forming the shields and pole piece with equal surface areas and separating them with dielectrics of equal thicknesses, or by keeping the ratio of area to insulator thicknesses equal.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive sensor having an antiparallel coupled pinned layer structure including an AP1 layer and an AP2 layer. The AP2 layer includes two ferromagnetic layers AP2(a) and AP2(b), and a separation layer sandwiched therebetween. The AP2(a) layer is significantly larger than the AP2(b) layer, which results in strong pinning, while the separation layer provides increased TMR and reduced RA.

Abstract: A magnetic field detecting element includes: first and second free layers; a spacer layer; a first exchange coupling transmitting layer; a first pinned layer; a second exchange coupling transmitting layer; and a second pinned layer. The first and second pinned layers are magnetized in directions which are perpendicular to an air bearing surface and which are anti-parallel with each other, respectively. The first exchange coupling transmitting layer or second exchange coupling transmitting layer has a positive exchange coupling strength, while the other has a negative exchange coupling strength. The first or second pinned layer that is located adjacent to the first or second exchange coupling transmitting layer having the negative exchange coupling strength has a larger magnetic film thickness than the first or second free layer that is located adjacent to the first or second exchange coupling transmitting layer having the negative exchange coupling strength.

Abstract: A system and method for monitoring the helium content of a disk cavity of a hard disk drive is disclosed. In one embodiment of the present invention, an oxygen sensor is placed in the disk cavity to monitor the level of oxygen in the cavity. With the measurement of oxygen in the disk cavity, the level of helium in the cavity is inferred. In one embodiment, if the amount of helium inferred from the oxygen level fell below 90%-95% of the gaseous content of the disk cavity, a user is automatically notified in order to maintain the hard disk drive in a timely manner.

Abstract: The invention provides a magnetoresistive device of the CCP (current perpendicular to plane) structure comprising a magnetoresistive unit sandwiched between soft magnetic shield layers with a current applied in the stacking direction. The magnetoresistive unit comprises a nonmagnetic intermediate layer sandwiched between ferromagnetic layers. A planar framework positions the soft magnetic shield layers and comprises a combination of a nonmagnetic gap layer with a bias magnetic field-applying layer constructed by repeating the stacking of a multilayer unit comprising a nonmagnetic underlay layer and a high coercive material layer. The nonmagnetic gap layer is designed and located such that a magnetic flux given out of the bias magnetic field-applying layer is efficiently directed along a closed magnetic path around the framework to form a single domain of magnetization.

Abstract: An information recording apparatus has a plurality of fine particles forming an array on a plane in close proximity of each other, each of the plural particles including a ferromagnetic metal, a light-emitting device for exciting a near-field light, and a photo-electric conversion element for detecting a near-field light traveled along the fine particles. Summary information may be recorded for plural information recording parts.

Abstract: A slider with an air-bearing surface includes an ID-side leading pad, an OD-side leading pad, an ID-side trailing pad, and an OD-side trailing pad. Each leading and trailing pad includes a respective pocket extending from the respective pad toward the air-bearing surface. The pockets each include a respective step surface surrounded by a trailing-side wall, an ID-side wall, and an OD-side wall. Each step surface has a respective depth, and each pocket is open to a leading side of the pocket. The slider further includes at least one cavity between the leading and trailing pads. The cavity includes a bottom surface of the slider having a cavity depth greater than all of the respective depths of the step surfaces of the pockets.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a magnetic transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) are described. The magnetic transducer includes a base layer, a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) pole on the base layer, an additional pole, a write shield, a write gap between the PMR pole and a portion of the write shield, and coil(s) that energize at least the additional pole. The base layer includes a first portion proximate to the ABS and a second portion recessed from the ABS. The first portion is nonmagnetic, while the second portion is magnetic. The PMR pole has a first front portion proximate to the ABS. The additional pole has a second front portion recessed from the ABS. At least a portion of the additional pole resides between the PMR pole and write shield. At least a portion of the write gap resides on the front portion of the PMR pole.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a vibration damper for an actuator assembly. One exemplary embodiment relates to an actuator assembly including a magnetic assembly configured to produce a magnetic field and an actuator movable relative to the magnetic assembly in response to the magnetic field, wherein the actuator includes a vibration damper which interacts with the magnetic field.

Abstract: A novel method and device to align a flexure tail of a head gimbal assembly (HGA) to a flex cable of a head stack assembly (HSA) is disclosed. An alignment pin is passed through a first alignment hole in the flex cable, and a second alignment hole in the flexure tail. The second alignment hole is disposed in a region of the flexure tail that lies in a flexure tail plane that is approximately parallel to the flex cable plane adjacent the first alignment hole. A novel head gimbal assembly (HGA) has a flexure tail that includes a first bend line. The flexure tail is bent out-of-plane about the first bend line to create a residual bend angle in the range 10° to 80°. The first alignment tab is abutted against a first guide surface of an alignment fixture.

Abstract: Described herein are various embodiments of an electronic information storage apparatus and an associated method and system. For example, according to one illustrative embodiment, a disk drive comprises a base and at least one disk that are rotatably attached to the base. The at least one disk can include a burnished and lubricant-free outer surface. The disk drive can also include an actuator coupled to the base. The actuator can comprise a read/write head that is positionable in a reading/writing relationship with the at least one disk to define a lubricant-free space intermediate the read/write head and the outer surface. The disk drive can further include a read/write head loading and unloading ramp that is attached to the base. The ramp can include a ramp surface that is positioned proximate a periphery of the at least one disk.

Abstract: Biasing schemes used for CIP GMR devices were previously thought to be impractical for CPP devices due to current shunting by the abutted hard magnets. In the present invention the CPP stripe is a narrow conductor directly above the free layer. The resistivity of the latter is made to be relatively high so the sensing current diverges very little as it passes through it. This makes it possible to use abutted hard magnets for longitudinal bias with virtually no loss of sensing current due to shunting by the magnets.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are presented for electrically coupling a slider to ground. In one embodiment, a bonding pad is provided on a side of the slider body separate from the bonding pad(s) used for read/write signals. This separate bonding pad is electrically coupled within the slider body to components that are to be coupled to ground. A separate conductor provided on the suspension (e.g., a trace, a flex circuit, etc.) may be electrically coupled to the separate bonding pad via gold ball bonding. The conductor is also coupled to ground in the hard-disk drive device (e.g., via the preamplifier). The use of the separated bonding pad and trace may negate the need to use a conductive adhesive to electrically ground the slider via its attachment to the tongue of a slider.

Abstract: A tape cartridge includes a housing and a tape reel that is rotatable about an axis of rotation. The tape reel is adapted to cooperably engage a reel drive member of a data transfer apparatus that, in use, applies a drive torque to the tape reel to rotate the tape reel about the axis of rotation. The cooperable engagement of the tape reel and reel drive member is such as to secure the tape reel to the reel drive member to at least substantially prevent tipping of the tape reel with respect to the reel drive member.

Abstract: An extraordinary magnetoresistive sensor (EMR sensor) having a lead structure that is self aligned with a magnetic shunt structure. To form an EMR sensor according to an embodiment of the invention, a plurality of layers are deposited to form quantum well structure such as a two dimensional electron gas structure (2DEG). A first mask structure is deposited having two openings, and a material removal process is performed to remove portions of the sensor material from areas exposed by the openings. The distance between the two openings in the first mask defines a distance between a set of leads and the shunt structure. A non-magnetic metal is then deposited. A second mask structure is then formed to define shape of the leads.