An apparatus comprises a slider having an air-bearing surface (ABS), a write pole at or near the ABS, and a reader at or near the ABS and connected to a pair of reader bond pads of the slider. A near-field transducer (NFT) is formed on the slider at or near the ABS, and an optical waveguide is formed in the slider and configured to receive light from a laser source. A sensor is situated proximal of the write pole at a location within the slider that receives at least some of the light communicated along the waveguide. The sensor may be electrically coupled to the reader bond pads in parallel with the reader, and configured to generate a signal indicative of output optical power of the laser source.

A method and apparatus are directed to providing relative movement between a slider configured for heat-assisted magnetic recording and a magnetic recording medium, and causing protrusion of a portion of an air bearing surface (ABS) of the slider in response to activating at least a laser source while maintaining spacing between the protrusion and the medium. A magnitude of at least a portion of the protrusion is measured while maintaining spacing between the protrusion and the medium.

A near-field transducer includes an enlarged portion and a peg protruding from a first edge. The enlarged portion has a second edge facing away from the first edge. The near-field transducer includes a heat sink disposed on the enlarged portion and with an outline shape that matches that of the enlarged portion. The heat sink is disposed at a first separation distance from the first edge of the enlarged portion and a second, greater, separation distance from the second edge of the enlarged portion. The first separation distance is greater than the second separation distance.

A local probe storage array is provided that includes a substrate, and a polymeric layer over the substrate, the polymeric layer comprising a crosslinking agent comprising at least three alkyne groups.

A device including a magnetic structure, the magnetic structure having a substrate adjacent surface and a second, opposing surface, the magnetic structure having a near field transducer (NFT), wherein the NFT includes gold or an alloy thereof, and is positioned at the second surface an overcoat structure; and a film structure, the film structure positioned between the magnetic structure and the overcoat structure, the film structure having a total thickness of not greater than about 100 , and the film structure including: a first interfacial structure having a first and a second opposing surface; a second interfacial structure having a first and a second opposing surface; and an intermediate structure wherein the first surface of the first interfacial structure is positioned adjacent the NFT of the magnetic structure, and the second surface of the second interfacial structure is positioned adjacent the overcoat structure, and the intermediate structure is positioned between the first interfacial structure and the second interfacial structure, and wherein the first interfacial structure includes one or more rare earth elements, one or more alkaline earth metals, one or more alkali metals, or a combination thereof.

An apparatus includes a waveguide that has a core between the first and second cladding layers. A near-field transducer in the first cladding layer is configured to receive the energy from the waveguide and deliver the energy to a recording medium. A reflector in the second cladding layer is configured to reduce reflection of the energy from the recording medium back to an energy source.

A storage device includes a storage medium, a magnetic recording head, and a controller configured to operate the magnetic recording head to write consecutive data tracks at a uniform written track width and further configured to write data to alternating data tracks of the consecutive data tracks prior to writing data to at least one track interlaced with the alternating data tracks.

First and second signal patterns are used to write corresponding portions of first and second adjacent tracks to a magnetic storage medium. A characteristic of the first signal pattern is changed based on the second signal pattern, the changing of the characteristic reducing an adjacent track interference affecting the second track.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a method of writing servo information on a storage medium is provided. The method includes applying heat to a servo portion of a storage medium, and applying a magnetic field to the servo portion that is heated to write servo information on the servo portion. According to further embodiments of the present invention, an arrangement for writing servo information on a storage medium and a method of forming a storage medium are also provided.

A thermal assisted magnetic recording head has a magnetic head slider and a light source unit that is fixed to the magnetic head slider. A first surface of the light source unit and a second surface of the magnetic head slider face each other via a gap. The light source unit includes a light source that emits laser light from an emission part that is positioned on the first surface and a photodetector that detects the laser light. The magnetic head slider includes a waveguide through which the laser light that is incident on an incident part positioned on the second surface propagates, near-field light generation means for generating near-field light on an air bearing surface, the near-field light being generated from the laser light that propagates through the waveguide, and a recording magnetic pole that is provided adjacent to the near-field light generation means and that has an end part positioned on the air bearing surface. A medium for propagating the laser light is continuously formed along a path that includes the gap and that extends from the emission part to a light receiving surface of the photodetector.