Heat-assisted magnetic recording (hamr) head with tapered main pole and heat sink material adjacent the pole

Abstract

A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head for recording data in data tracks of a HAMR disk has a gas-bearing slider that supports a near-field transducer (NFT) and a main magnetic pole formed of two layers. The first main pole layer has a cross-track width at the slider's gas-bearing surface (GBS) that tapers down in the direction towards the NFT where the optical spot is formed. The second main pole layer is located away from the NFT and has a substantially wider cross-track width than the first main pole layer so as to provide sufficient magnetic field for writing. Layers of heat sink material are located on the sloped cross-track sides of the tapered first main pole layer to reduce the temperature and thus the likelihood of oxidation of the main pole layers.

1 . A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head for writing to a magnetic recording layer comprising:
 a head carrier having a recording-layer-facing surface with an along-the-track axis and a cross-track axis substantially orthogonal to the along-the-track axis;   a main pole on a surface substantially orthogonal to the recording-layer-facing surface, the main pole comprising a first layer and a second layer in contact with the first layer, the first layer tapering in an along-the-track direction from the second layer, the first layer having a tapered end at the recording-layer-facing surface;   a near-field transducer (NFT) layer on the head carrier oriented substantially parallel to the first layer, the NFT layer having an output tip at the recording-layer-facing surface aligned with the first layer tapered end in the along-the-track direction;   heat sink material adjacent the cross-track sides of the tapered first layer, wherein the heat sink material is spaced apart from the NFT; and   a diffusion layer between the heat sink material and the cross-track sides of the tapered first layer, the diffusion layer comprising a material selected from In, Co, Indium oxide, and TiN.   
     
     
         2 . The HAMR head of  claim 1  wherein the heat sink material is selected from Au, Cu, Ag, Al, Mg, In, Ir, Rh, Ru, Cr, Be, Mo, Co, W, Ti, Ni, Pt, and alloys of two or more of Au, Cu, Ag, Al, Mg, In, Ir, Rh, Ru, Cr, Be, Mo, Co, W, Ti, Ni, Pt. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The HAMR head of  claim 1  wherein the heat sink material extends in the cross-track direction wider than the cross-track width of the-second layer. 
     
     
         5 . The HAMR head of  claim 1  wherein the heat sink material extends in the along-the-track direction beyond an end of the first layer. 
     
     
         6 . The HAMR head of  claim 1  wherein the heat sink material is recessed in the along-the-track direction from an end of the first layer. 
     
     
         7 . The HAMR head of  claim 1  wherein the NFT layer output tip has a generally triangular shape. 
     
     
         8 . The HAMR head of  claim 1  wherein the NFT layer output tip is generally E-shaped. 
     
     
         9 . The HAMR head of  claim 1  wherein the second layer is tapered in the along-the-track direction with its tapered end in contact with the first layer. 
     
     
         10 . The HAMR head of  claim 1  wherein the second layer has an end at least partially recessed from the recording-layer-facing surface. 
     
     
         11 . The HAMR head of  claim 1  wherein the first layer is formed of a first ferromagnetic material having a first magnetic moment and wherein the second layer is formed of a second ferromagnetic material having a second magnetic moment, the first magnetic moment is greater than the second magnetic moment. 
     
     
         12 . The HAMR head of  claim 1  wherein the first layer has two tapered ends at the recording-layer-facing surface, the two tapered ends being spaced from one another in the cross-track direction and wherein the NFT layer output tip is aligned with a portion of each of the two tapered ends. 
     
     
         13 . The HAMR head of  claim 1  further comprising a magnetoresistive read head on the head carrier. 
     
     
         14 . A heat-assisted recording (HAMR) disk drive comprising:
 the HAMR head of  claim 13 ;   an optical waveguide coupled to the NFT layer;   a laser for directing light to the waveguide; and   a magnetic recording disk having a magnetic recording layer.   
     
     
         15 . A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head for writing to a magnetic recording layer on a magnetic recording disk comprising:
 a gas-bearing slider having a gas-bearing surface (GBS) for facing the magnetic recording layer on the disk, the GBS having an along-the-track axis and a cross-track axis orthogonal to the along-the-track axis;   an optical waveguide on the slider;   a near-field transducer (NFT) on the slider and optically coupled to the waveguide, the NFT having a generally triangularly shaped output tip at the GBS;   a first main magnetic pole on the slider and having a generally trapezoidal shaped output end at the GBS, the narrower edge of the trapezoidal output end being spaced from and aligned in the along-the-track axis with an apex of the triangularly shaped NFT output tip;   a second main magnetic pole connected to the first main pole, the second main pole have a cross-track width greater than the cross-track width of the first main pole's output end;   a primary magnetic pole connected to the second main pole and having an end recessed from the GBS;   heat sink material adjacent the cross-track sloped sides of the trapezoidal output end of the first pole, wherein the heat sink material is spaced apart from the NFT; and   a diffusion layer between the heat sink material and the cross-track sloped sides of the trapezoidal output end of the first pole, the diffusion layer comprising a material selected from In, Co, Indium oxide, and TiN.   
     
     
         16 . The HAMR head of  claim 15  wherein the second main pole is tapered in an along-the-track direction with its tapered end in contact with the first main pole. 
     
     
         17 . The HAMR head of  claim 15  wherein the second main pole has an end at least partially recessed from the GBS. 
     
     
         18 . The HAMR head of  claim 15  wherein the first main pole is formed of a first ferromagnetic material having a first magnetic moment and wherein the second main pole is formed of a second ferromagnetic material having a second magnetic moment, the first magnetic moment is greater than the second magnetic moment. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) disk drive comprising:
 the HAMR head of  claim 15 ;   a magnetoresistive read head on the slider;   a laser for directing light to the waveguide; and   a magnetic recording disk having a magnetic recording layer.   
     
     
         21 . The HAMR head of  claim 15 , wherein the heat sink material extends beyond the narrower edge of the trapezoidal shaped output end of the first main magnetic pole in an along-the-track axis direction. 
     
     
         22 . The HAMR head of  claim 15 , wherein the heat sink material is along an entirety of the cross-track sloped sides of the trapezoidal output end and recessed from the narrower edge of the trapezoidal shaped output end of the first main magnetic pole.