Abstract: An apparatus, according to one embodiment, includes: a head carriage assembly having a beam for coupling to a magnetic head, and an actuator assembly coupled to the beam of the head carriage assembly. The actuator assembly includes: a fine motion motor for enabling positioning of the beam of the head carriage assembly along a fine motion direction oriented perpendicular to an intended direction of media movement, a skew motion motor for enabling rotatable positioning of the head carriage assembly about an axis of skew which extends perpendicular to a plane defined by the intended direction of media movement across the head carriage assembly and the fine motion direction, and a main coil configured to induce skew motion and lateral motion of the beam of the head carriage assembly relative to the fine motion motor and the skew motion motor upon energization of the main coil by applying current thereto.

Abstract: A magnetic recording apparatus includes a magnetic recording medium; a magnetic recording head including a first magnetic pole part, a second magnetic pole part, and a magnetic flux control part provided between the first magnetic pole part and the second magnetic pole part, wherein the magnetic flux control part includes a first layer provided between the first magnetic pole part and the second magnetic pole part, a second layer provided between the first magnetic pole part and the first layer, and a third layer provided between the second magnetic pole part and the first layer; an electrode for applying a current to the magnetic flux control part; and an electric circuit for energizing the current to the electrode, wherein an oscillation frequency of magnetization of the magnetic layer is greater than a ferromagnetic resonance frequency of the magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording writer is disclosed with an all wrap around (AWA) shield design in which a surface of the leading shield that contacts the lead gap is comprised of a notch that is recessed 20 to 120 nm from the air bearing surface (ABS) and has a first side with a down-track dimension of 20-200 nm that is aligned parallel to the ABS. In one embodiment, the notch is aligned below the main pole leading side and has a cross-track width substantially the same as the track width of the main pole trailing side. The notch has two sidewalls formed equidistant from a center plane that bisects the leading shield wherein each sidewall intersects the first side at an angle of 90 to 170 degrees. Accordingly, overwrite and bit error rate are improved while adjacent track interference and tracks per square inch capability are substantially maintained.

Abstract: In one general embodiment, an apparatus includes a magnetic head having at least one tunneling magnetoresistance sensor. The resistance of the tunnel barrier of each tunneling magnetoresistance sensor is about 25 ohms or less. In another general embodiment, an apparatus includes a magnetic head having at least one tunneling magnetoresistance sensor. The resistivity of the tunnel barrier of each tunneling magnetoresistance sensor is less than a product of a target resistance of the tunnel barrier and an area of the tunnel barrier. The target resistance is about 25 ohms or less.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic recording medium includes a first layer and a second layer. The first layer includes a first magnetic region, a second magnetic region, and a nonmagnetic region provided between the first and second magnetic regions. A direction from the second magnetic region toward the first magnetic region is along a first direction. The second layer includes third, fourth, and fifth magnetic regions. At least a portion of the fifth magnetic region is provided between the third and fourth magnetic regions. The third magnetic region overlaps the first magnetic region in a second direction crossing the first direction. The fourth magnetic region overlaps the second magnetic region in the second direction. The fifth magnetic region overlaps the nonmagnetic region in the second direction. An easy magnetization axis of each of the first to fifth magnetic regions is aligned with the second direction.

Abstract: A recording head includes a magnetic write transducer proximate a near-field transducer. The magnetic write transduce includes a yoke extending in a direction normal to a media-facing surface and a having an edge facing and recessed from the media-facing surface. A write pole extends beyond the first end of the yoke towards the media-facing surface and overlaps a first surface of the yoke that faces the near-field transducer. The write pole has a stepped edge facing away from the media-facing surface. Two or more coil turns are stacked relative to one another in a down-track direction. The two or more coils face a second surface of the yoke that is opposed to the first surface.

Abstract: A head slider for use in a disk drive is movably positionable relative to a magnetic recording disk and includes at least one write element for writing data to the magnetic recording disk. The write element includes a writer coil electrically connected between a first bond pad and a second bond pad, where the connection between the first bond pad and the second bond pad includes a center tap located proximate to a voltage null point. The head slider also includes at least one read element for reading data from the magnetic recording disk, the read element electrically connected between the center tap and a third bond pad, where the write element and the read element are configured to be selectively activated based on biased inputs to the first bond pad, the second bond pad, and the third bond pad.

Abstract: A computer program product according to one embodiment includes a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith. The program instructions area executable by a data processing system having at least one processor to cause the data processing system to apply, by the data processing system, a current to a lead of a tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) sensor for inducing joule heating of the lead or a heating layer, the level of joule heating being sufficient to anneal a magnetic layer of the sensor; and maintain, by the data processing system, the current at the level for an amount of time sufficient to anneal the sensor.

Abstract: The present description is directed to moving a cartridge including a storage medium within a shuttle complex that includes numerous shuttle connections, and a plurality of library strings connected by at least one shuttle connection. Each shuttle connection has a car able to move within the shuttle connection and each library string has at least one cartridge including a storage medium. The shuttle complex identifies a library string that contains the access-cartridge (LSAC), identifies whether there is a drive within the LSAC that has a second cartridge mounted therein which comprises only inactive data chunks, removes the second cartridge from the drive within the LSAC if an elapsed time since the drive within the LSAC most recently accessed the second cartridge exceeds a predetermined time period threshold, and mounts the access-cartridge to the drive within the LSAC.

Abstract: An electrical feed-through assembly includes electrically conductive pins having a top apex and a bottom apex, where the pins extend through at least a majority of an electrically non-conductive material. The top apexes, the bottom apexes, or both the top and bottom apexes of the pins have an electrically conductive connection pad material, such as a solder pad, coupled thereto. In variations, the top and/or bottom apexes may be slightly recessed from a corresponding surface of the non-conductive material, such that the connection pads fill the respective recesses; and/or the top and/or bottom apexes barely extend from a corresponding surface, such that the connection pads bulge out from the corresponding surface. Such a feed-through configuration may inhibit pin bending, in addition to enabling use of more types of connectors beyond pin-and-socket type connectors.

Abstract: As may be implemented in accordance with one or more embodiments, an electrical connector such as a low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) connector is sealed to an opening in a base deck having bottom and/or side walls that define a cavity. A mechanical component is coupled to balance forces applied to opposing surfaces of the electrical connector, which can mitigate the application of high forces to connector pins and/or to the connector itself. Further, this balancing may be implemented to maintain a controlled bias force against the connector. The electrical connector may, for example, be hermetically sealed to the opening by a seal such as a gasket, epoxy or other material, which may be included in the electrical connector.

Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to data storage devices, and more specifically, to a magnetic media drive employing a magnetic recording head. The head includes a main pole, a heavy metal structure surrounding at least a portion of the main pole at a media facing surface (MFS), and two magnetic structures sandwiching the heavy metal structure. Spin-orbit torque (SOT) is generated from the heavy metal structure, inducing magnetization switching (or precession) in the magnetic structures. The SOT reduces the magnetic flux shunting from the main pole to the trailing shield, and the magnetization switching sharpens the write field profile in the cross-track direction. The SOT based head with the magnetic structures sandwiching the heavy metal structure increases both track density (tracks per inch) and linear density (bit per inch), which in turn increases the areal density capability (ADC), which is the product of tracks per inch and bit per inch.

Abstract: A hermetically-sealed container for one or more data storage devices may include a first container part or base including a planar main portion, a plurality of sidewalls extending from the main portion, and a plurality of diffusion length extender flanges extending inward or outward from a corresponding sidewall. A pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, including a layer of adhesive and a layer of low-permeability material, is positioned at the interface or edge of each flange to hermetically seal the container, whereby the diffusion length corresponding to the leakage of gas from the hermetically-sealed container corresponds generally to the width of the flange(s). The hermetically-sealed container may then be filled with a lighter-than-air gas such as helium.

Abstract: A write head including a bearing surface and a write pole having a front surface that forms a portion of the bearing surface. The front surface has a leading edge, a trailing edge and side edges connecting the leading and trailing edges. The write head also includes side shields proximate to the side edges of the write pole, and a trailing shield over the write pole and the side shields. A trailing shield-write pole gap is present between the trailing edge and the trailing shield, and a trailing shield-side shield gap is present between the trailing shield and the side shields. The trailing shield side shield gap is substantially less than the trailing shield-write pole gap.

Abstract: A method of making a magnetic head, according to one embodiment, includes supplying a magnetic recording head having a gap disposed between a rowbar substrate and a closure, said rowbar substrate and closure having a tape support surface, recessing the gap below the level of the tape support surface, sputter cleaning the head, and depositing an insulation layer on the tape support surface and the recessed gap. In addition, about an entire upper surface of the insulation layer above the gap is recessed from the tape support surface.

Abstract: A system according to one embodiment includes a magnetic head having a plurality of sensors arranged to simultaneously read at least three immediately adjacent data tracks on a magnetic medium, wherein none of the sensors share more than one lead with any other of the sensors. Such embodiment may be implemented in a magnetic data storage system such as a disk drive system, which may include a magnetic head, a drive mechanism for passing a magnetic medium (e.g., hard disk) over the magnetic head, and a controller electrically coupled to the magnetic head.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes a substrate, a first heat sink layer, a barrier layer, a second heat sink layer, and a magnetic layer that are successively stacked. The magnetic layer is made of a material including a first main component that is an alloy having a L10 crystal structure and a content of 50 at % or higher, or content of 50 mol % or higher. The barrier layer is made of a material including a second main component that is one of an oxide, a nitride, and a carbide having a content of 50 at % or higher, or content of 50 mol % or higher.

Abstract: A magnetic read apparatus includes a read sensor, a shield structure and a side magnetic bias structure. The read sensor includes a free layer having a side and a nonmagnetic spacer layer. The shield structure includes a shield pinning structure and a shield reference structure. The nonmagnetic spacer layer is between the shield reference structure and the free layer. The shield reference structure is between the shield pinning structure and the nonmagnetic spacer layer. The shield pinning structure includes a pinned magnetic moment in a first direction. The shield reference structure includes a shield reference structure magnetic moment weakly coupled with the pinned magnetic moment. The side magnetic bias structure is adjacent to the side of the free layer.

Abstract: A tape head having offset transducer spans between adjacent modules of the tape head that serves to maintain the balance between debris removal and reduced magnetic layer/recording device spacing on the one hand and reduced tape/tape head friction on the other hand. In one aspect, opposite edges of each module are relatively sharper adjacent the transducer span and relatively rounded (e.g., less sharp) away from the transducer span. The sharp edges reduce magnetic spacing loss and scrape debris off of the tape while the rounded edges reduce or eliminate contact between the tape and the head in regions where no transducer spans are present and thus where no tape writing or reading would be taking place.

Abstract: A magnetic write apparatus has a media-facing surface (MFS) and includes an auxiliary pole, coil(s) and a main pole having a pole tip and a yoke. The pole tip occupies part of the MFS. The yoke has a yoke length measured from the MFS in a yoke direction perpendicular to the MFS. The yoke length is less than four microns. The main pole has a total length in the yoke direction and a width in a cross-track direction. The main pole is continuous along the total length. The aspect ratio of the main pole is the total length divided by the width and exceeds one. The main pole includes surface(s) having a nonzero acute flare angle from the MFS. The auxiliary pole is adjacent to the main pole and recessed from the MFS by not more than 1.05 micron. The coil(s) energizes the main pole and have not more than two turns.