Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording head includes a near-field transducer (NFT). The NFT includes a near-field emitter configured to heat a surface of a magnetic disk, and a plasmonic disk. The plasmonic disk is coupled to the near-field emitter and includes rhodium or iridium.

Abstract: A tape drive includes a first tape head, a first actuator assembly, a second tape head, a second actuator assembly, and a controller. The first tape head includes two first servo elements that each read one of two servo tracks, and a first read/write element that one of reads data from and writes data to a first data track. The first tape head is positionable at a first base head rotation angle. The first actuator assembly selectively rotates the first tape head from the first base head rotation angle to a first adjusted head rotation angle. The second tape head includes two second servo elements that each read one of the two servo tracks, and a second read/write element that one of reads data from and writes data to the first data track. The second tape head is positionable at a second base head rotation angle. The second actuator assembly selectively rotates the second tape head from the second base head rotation angle to a second adjusted head rotation angle.

Abstract: A dual-pulse excitation method for ultra-fast, super-resolution all-optical magnetic recording includes the steps of: providing a first excitation pulse and a second modulation pulse; and focusing the first excitation pulse and the second modulation pulse, and then radiating the two pulses in sequence to a magneto-optical recording medium, so that an area of the magneto-optical recording medium irradiated undergoes opto-magnetic reversal. By controlling the time delay, spatial overlapping area, and energy density ratio between the dual femtosecond laser pulses, it can induce a second reversal of the magnetization field in the spatial overlapping area of the two pulses on the magneto-optical material that can achieve single-pulse opto-magnetic reversal to obtain all-optical magnetic recording beyond the diffraction limit. This process takes place within several hundred picoseconds, thus providing an effective technical means for ultra-high density and ultra-fast magnetic storage.

Abstract: Various illustrative aspects are directed to a data storage device, comprising one or more disks; an actuator arm assembly comprising one or more heads, and configured to position the one or more heads proximate to disk surfaces of the one or more disks; and one or more processing devices. The one or more processing devices are configured to detect one or more physical defects on a recording medium; designate, in a mapping of the recording medium, the one or more physical defects for exclusion from being assigned to data containers, the data containers configured for assignment of a plurality of logic blocks to the data containers, the logic blocks configured to store the data to be written that are being interleaved across a plurality of sectors based on a distributed sector encoding scheme; and designate one or more artificial defects adjacent to the one or more physical defects for exclusion from being assigned to the data containers in the mapping.

Abstract: Various illustrative aspects are directed to a data storage device, comprising one or more disks; a head, configured to be positioned proximate to a disk surface among the one or more disks; a temperature sensor; and one or more processing devices. The one or more processing devices are configured to: detect, via the temperature sensor, a non-nominal heat dissipation of a portion of the head; and, in response to detecting the non-nominal heat dissipation of the portion of the head, mitigate the non-nominal heat dissipation of the portion of the head.

Abstract: An information processing device selects, in a case where a plurality of pieces of data are collected and transmitted to a tape drive to be recorded on a magnetic tape, one mode of a first mode of transmitting a data group obtained by collecting the plurality of pieces of data without compression, to the tape drive, a second mode of transmitting a compressed data group in which the data group obtained by collecting the plurality of pieces of data is compressed, to the tape drive, or a third mode of transmitting a data group obtained by collecting a part of the plurality of pieces of data and remaining data, in which the part of the plurality of pieces of data is compressed and the remaining data is not compressed, to the tape drive, and transmits a data group generated in accordance with the selected mode, to the tape drive.

Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to improved lifetime of a data storage device utilizing an energy assist element. Rather than applying the same current to each energy assist element of a device, each energy assist element has a write current specific to the energy assist element. The unique applied current results in the corresponding energy assist elements having substantially the same temperature during operation. Obtaining substantially the same temperature during operation provides predictable and repeatable device performance and increases the lifetime of the entire data storage device as all energy assist elements should have substantially the same lifetime.

Abstract: A method for positioning a magnetic head having first and second read sensors and one write head includes: while the magnetic head is at a first position relative to a disk medium, reading first magnetic servo information written on a first surface of the disk medium, with the first read sensor, and reading second magnetic servo information written on the first surface of the disk medium with the second read sensor; determining a position error of the magnetic head based on the first and second magnetic servo information; and repositioning the magnetic head to a second position relative to the disk medium to compensate for the determined position error of the magnetic head.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are sliders with segmented front bars, methods of manufacturing them, and data storage devices comprising them. In some embodiments, a slider comprises a segmented front bar, a leading pad, a shallow-edge surface, and a cavity. The segmented front bar includes a plurality of slots situated substantially perpendicular to the leading-edge surface of the slider. The leading pad is situated between the leading-edge surface of the slider and a trailing edge of the slider and is recessed from the segmented front bar. The cavity abuts the segmented front bar and is situated between the segmented front bar and the leading pad. The shallow-etch surface is situated between the cavity and the leading pad. A maximum depth of the plurality of slots relative to a non-recessed surface of the segmented front bar is less than a depth of the cavity relative to the non-recessed surface of the segmented front bar.

Abstract: Magnetic recording media with a thermal spin injection layer that induces a spin injection in a magnetic recording layer in response to a thermal gradient in the thermal spin injection layer. The thermal spin injection layer may comprise an antiferromagnetic, a ferromagnetic, or a ferrimagnetic material that demonstrates a Spin Seebeck effect. In turn, when heating the magnetic recording media (e.g., with a near field transducer of a HAMR drive), the thermal gradient may be established in the thermal spin injection layer. A resulting spin torque field may assist in switching a magnetic domain in the magnetic recording layer by providing an assistive field to at least initiate switching of the magnetic domain. In turn, more reliable or efficient operation of a storage drive comprising the magnetic recording media may be realized.

Abstract: A method includes generating a first feedforward signal based, at least in part, on a sensor signal. The method further includes generating a second feedforward signal based, at least in part, on a feedforward seek table. A control signal is modified based, at least in part, on the first feedforward signal and the second feedforward signal. A position of an actuator is controlled in response to the modified control signal.

Abstract: An information processing device performs control to record deletion information indicating that an object with a designated object ID has been deleted, on a recording medium, in a case where a specific object ID is designated and an instruction to delete the object is input, for a magnetic tape on which an object that includes data and metadata related to the data and that is assigned an object ID as identification information is recorded, the object being assigned an object ID in a case where the object is updated different from an object ID of the object before the update.

Abstract: Various illustrative aspects are directed to a data storage device comprising one or more disks, an actuator arm assembly comprising one or more disk heads and a voice coil motor (VCM), the VCM configured to operate in a PWM mode and a linear mode, and one or more processing devices configured to: seek the VCM towards a target track in the PWM mode; transition the VCM from the PWM mode to the linear mode, wherein the transitioning comprises switching an offset compensation value from a first offset compensation value to a second compensation offset value to compensate for a transition offset induced while transitioning the VCM from the PWM to the linear mode, wherein the first and the second offset compensation values correspond to the PWM and linear modes, respectively, and seek the VCM towards the target track in the linear mode for a linear mode time.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a head gimbal assembly includes a head connecting step which a thermally assisted magnetic head is connected to a suspension. The head connecting step includes a solder ball arrangement step which only one solder ball is arranged so that a laser diode of the thermally assisted magnetic head is connected to a flexure of the suspension, in an assembly structure which a slider of the thermally assisted magnetic head is adhered to the suspension. The solder ball arrangement step is performed using a connecting ball, as the solder ball, having a size larger than a wiring gap between an electrode surface of the laser diode and the flexure, and being in unmelted-solid condition.

Abstract: A system for determining a fly height includes a first head of a disk drive, a second head of the disk drive, a capacitive sensor circuit coupled to the first head and the second head, and a logic device coupled to the capacitive sensor circuit. The capacitive sensor circuit is configured to measure a first capacitance between the first head and the first disk, remove noise from the first capacitance using a second capacitance between the second head and the second disk, and based thereon determine a corrected first capacitance. The logic device is configured to determine the fly height between the first head and the first disk using the corrected first capacitance.

Abstract: A magnetic disk device includes a plurality of magnetic heads, a storage unit that stores a table storing, for each of the magnetic heads, a track skew value obtained by adding a head shared value and a head unique value, and a control unit that reads out the track skew value corresponding to one of the magnetic heads to be operated from the table and performs seek control.

Abstract: There is provided a signal processing device, a signal processing method, and a program capable of improving noise resistance in high linear density recording. Partial response (PR) equalization of a reproduced signal of multilevel codes of 3<=ML is performed and maximum likelihood decoding of an equalized signal obtained through the PR equalization is performed. The present technology can be applied to, for example, a recording/reproducing device or the like such as an optical disc.

Abstract: A method for generating calibration data useful for calibrating a plurality of tape cartridges includes the steps of selecting a subset of tape cartridges from the plurality of tape cartridges, the subset of tape cartridges having fewer tape cartridges than the plurality of tape cartridges; calibrating each of the subset of tape cartridges using a plurality of tape drives to generate global calibration data; selecting one of the plurality of tape cartridges that is not included within the subset of tape cartridges; and calibrating the one of the plurality of tape cartridges using the global calibration data generated via the calibrating of each of the subset of tape cartridges.

Abstract: A magnetic tape device. The angle ? formed by the axis of the element array of the magnetic head with respect to a width direction of the magnetic tape is changed during running of the magnetic tape in the magnetic tape device. The magnetic tape satisfies Equation 1: TDSage+TDSenv?TC?0.10 ?m. In Equation 1, the TDSage is a maximum value of an absolute value of a difference between a servo band spacing obtained before storage for 24 hours in a predetermined environment and a servo band spacing obtained after the storage. TDSenv is a value calculated by multiplying a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of servo band spacings obtained in each of five predetermined environments by ½, and TC is a value calculated by TC=L{cos (?initial???)?cos (?initial+??)}.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for synchronous writing of a grain patterned medium. The systems and methods can be implemented within a data storage device having a grain patterned medium. Further, a calibration process to determine a count of bits between servo wedges can be implemented in manufacturing, within the data storage device, or both. In some examples, the data storage device, during operation, can utilize the count of bits to perform synchronous writing, determine write errors, or both. Further, the servo wedge of the grain patterned medium may be patterned with a same or similar grain pattern as the data area that follows the servo wedge. Such a data storage device can implement a single clock for reading a servo wedge and writing a data area.