A slider of a heat-assisted recording head comprises electrical bond pads coupled to bias sources and a ground pad, an air bearing surface, and a waveguide configured to receive light from a laser source. A contact sensor proximate the air bearing surface is coupled between a first bond pad and a second bond pad. A bolometer is coupled to a reference thermal sensor. The bolometer is situated at a slider location that receives at least some of the light communicated along the waveguide. The reference thermal sensor is situated at a slider location unexposed to the light communicated along the waveguide. The bolometer and reference thermal sensor are coupled between the first and second bond pads and in parallel with the contact sensor. A ground connection is coupled to the ground pad and at a connection between the bolometer and the reference thermal sensor.

A system, according to one embodiment, includes: a near field transducer, a return pole, a main pole, a waveguide adjacent the near field transducer, wherein the waveguide extends away from the near field transducer along a direction perpendicular to a media facing surface, at least one cladding layer adjacent to the waveguide, an underlayer positioned behind the near field transducer with respect to the media facing surface, the underlayer extending away from the near field transducer along the direction perpendicular to the media facing surface, and a fill material at least partially surrounding the underlayer, the waveguide and the at least one cladding layer. The underlayer has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the fill material. Other systems, and methods are described in additional embodiments,

A system, according to one embodiment, includes: a near field transducer, a return pole, a main pole, a waveguide adjacent the near field transducer, wherein the waveguide extends away from the near field transducer along a direction perpendicular to a media facing surface, at least one cladding layer adjacent to the waveguide, an underlayer positioned behind the near field transducer with respect to the media facing surface, the underlayer extending away from the near field transducer along the direction perpendicular to the media facing surface, and a fill material at least partially surrounding the underlayer, the waveguide and the at least one cladding layer. The underlayer has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the fill material. Other systems, and methods are described in additional embodiments,

A sequential storage media system may include a head for reading or writing data to sequential storage media and a controller communicatively coupled to the head. The controller may be configured to control winding of a tape comprising sequential storage media and cleaning media between reels of a cartridge comprising the tape in order to clean a head of a sequential storage media system by passing the cleaning media over the head, after cleaning the head of the sequential storage media system, monitor a bit error rate of input/output communication between the head and the sequential storage media, and repeat the cleaning and the monitoring steps responsive to the bit error rate exceeding a threshold.

A sequential storage media system may include a head for reading or writing data to sequential storage media and a controller communicatively coupled to the head. The controller may be configured to control winding of a tape comprising cleaning media between reels of a cartridge comprising the tape in order to determine an occurrence of an event indicative of a need to clean a head of a sequential storage media system, issue to a user an indication of the occurrence of the event, determine an amount of cleaning for the head based on a bit error rate of input/output communication associated with the head, and responsive to receiving a cleaning cartridge in the sequential storage media system, clean the head of a sequential storage media system in accordance with the amount of cleaning by passing cleaning media of a cartridge over the head.

A sequential storage media system may include a head for reading or writing data to sequential storage media and a controller communicatively coupled to the head. The controller may be configured to control winding of a tape comprising sequential storage media and cleaning media between reels of a cartridge comprising the tape in order to clean a head of a sequential storage media system by passing the cleaning media over the head, after cleaning the head of the sequential storage media system, monitor a bit error rate of input/output communication between the head and the sequential storage media, and repeat the cleaning and the monitoring steps responsive to the bit error rate exceeding a threshold.

A sequential storage media system may include a head for reading or writing data to sequential storage media and a controller communicatively coupled to the head. The controller may be configured to control winding of a tape comprising cleaning media between reels of a cartridge comprising the tape in order to determine an occurrence of an event indicative of a need to clean a head of a sequential storage media system, issue to a user an indication of the occurrence of the event, determine an amount of cleaning for the head based on a bit error rate of input/output communication associated with the head, and responsive to receiving a cleaning cartridge in the sequential storage media system, clean the head of a sequential storage media system in accordance with the amount of cleaning by passing cleaning media of a cartridge over the head.

Devices having air bearing surfaces (ABS), the devices include a near field transducer (NFT) that includes a disc; a peg, the peg including gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), or combinations thereof; and the peg having a front surface at the air bearing surface of the device, an opposing back surface, a top surface that extends from the front surface to the back surface, two side surfaces that extend from the front surface to the back surface and a bottom surface that extends from the front surface to the back surface; and a protective layer disposed on at least one surface of the peg, the protective layer comprising an oxide of a metal that has a higher oxidation tendency than that of the material of the peg.

A head includes a head body having a medium facing surface, and a protective film covering the medium facing surface. The head body includes a main pole, a waveguide, a plasmon generator, and a main light-blocking section. The waveguide has an entrance end face and an exit end face. The plasmon generator has a near-field light generating surface. The medium facing surface includes a first region including neither of the exit end face and the near-field light generating surface, and a second region including the exit end face and the near-field light generating surface. The protective film includes a first portion covering the first region, and a second portion covering the second region. The main light-blocking section is located to intersect an imaginary straight line connecting the entrance end face and the first region.

A head includes a head body having a medium facing surface, and a protective film covering the medium facing surface. The head body includes a main pole, a waveguide, a plasmon generator, and a main light-blocking section. The waveguide has an entrance end face and an exit end face. The plasmon generator has a near-field light generating surface. The medium facing surface includes a first region including neither of the exit end face and the near-field light generating surface, and a second region including the exit end face and the near-field light generating surface. The protective film includes a first portion covering the first region, and a second portion covering the second region. The main light-blocking section is located to intersect an imaginary straight line connecting the entrance end face and the first region.

A tape head including a body exhibiting a tape-bearing area is provided. The body comprises at least one transducer that is a read element or a write element, configured in the tape head so as for the tape head to read from or write to a magnetic tape, in operation. The tape-bearing area is essentially covered by an electrically conducting layer of material. This way, the exposed surface of the electrically conducting layer essentially forms the tape-bearing surface of the tape head, which surface contacts the magnetic tape, in operation. A tape head apparatus for recording or reproducing multi-track tapes including the tape head is also provided.

A tape head including a body exhibiting a tape-bearing area is provided. The body comprises at least one transducer that is a read element or a write element, configured in the tape head so as for the tape head to read from or write to a magnetic tape, in operation. The tape-bearing area is essentially covered by an electrically conducting layer of material. This way, the exposed surface of the electrically conducting layer essentially forms the tape-bearing surface of the tape head, which surface contacts the magnetic tape, in operation. A tape head apparatus for recording or reproducing multi-track tapes including the tape head is also provided.