Current-assisted magnetic recording write head with improved write gap structure

US10679650B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Western Digital Technologies, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Zhigang Bai · Milpitas, US
• Venkatesh Chembrolu · San Jose, US
• Yaguang Wei · Pleasanton, US
• Terence Lam · Cupertino, US
• Michael Kuok San Ho · Redwood City, US
• Lijie Guan · San Jose, US
• Suping Song · Fremont, US
• Supradeep Narayana · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 15, 2019
• Grant date: Jun 9, 2020
• Expiry date: Feb 15, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G11B5/315
• WIPO field: Audio-visual technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A current-assisted magnetic recording write head has an electrically conductive layer in the write gap between the write pole and the trailing shield. Electrical circuitry directs current from the write pole, through the conductive layer, to the trailing shield. The current through the conductive layer generates an Ampere field substantially orthogonal to the magnetization in the write pole to assist magnetization switching of the write pole. The write head's magnetic throat height (THm) is substantially the thickness of the trailing shield at the write gap, while the write head's electrical throat height (THe) is substantially the height of the conductive layer in the write gap. In embodiments of this invention, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the readback signal and the soft error rate (SER) of the recorded data can be improved with a write gap structure wherein THe is greater than THm.