A reader having a sensor stack and a top shield above the sensor stack. The top shield has an upper surface and a lower surface. The reader also includes at least one side shield below the top shield and adjacent to the sensor stack. The reader further includes a decoupling layer between the upper surface of the top shield and the at least one side shield. The decoupling layer is configured to decouple a first portion of the at least one side shield, proximate to the sensor stack, from at least a portion of the top shield.

A multi-sensor reader includes first and second read sensors. The first read sensor includes a first sensor stack including a sensing layer having a magnetization that changes according to an external magnetic field, and a first biasing component configured to magnetically bias the sensing layer of the first sensor stack in a first direction. The second read sensor includes a second sensor stack including a sensing layer having a magnetization that changes according to an external magnetic field, and a second biasing component configured to magnetically bias the sensing layer of the second sensor stack in a second direction that is substantially opposite the first direction.

A recording head that includes a bearing surface and a write pole having a front surface that forms a portion of the bearing surface. The recording head also includes a side shield for the write pole. The side shield includes a low saturation magnetization cap layer having a front surface that forms a portion of the bearing surface. The side shield also includes a main side shield layer having a saturation magnetization that is higher than a saturation magnetization value of the low saturation magnetization cap layer.

The present embodiments relate to a PMR write head with a trailing shield that comprises a FeCoNiM composition. The FeCoNiM composition can be formed via an electroplating process by adding Fe.sup.2+, Co.sup.2+, Ni.sup.2+ and a transition metal salt to an aqueous solution comprised of other additives in an electroplating cell that has an Ni or Co as the anode. The plated HD magnetic material as the trailing shield in a PMR writer can minimize a wide area track erasure (WATE). Further, a high moment high damping shield can lower bit error rate (BER) and increase aerial density capability (ADC) of the write head.

A first side shield has a first sidewall and a second sidewall, and a second side shield has a third sidewall and a fourth sidewall. The first to fourth sidewalls have first to fourth edges, respectively, that are farthest from a top surface of a substrate. The distance between a rear end of the first edge and a rear end of the third edge in a track width direction is greater than the distance between a front end of the first edge and a front end of the third edge in the track width direction. The distance between the second edge and the fourth edge in the track width direction increases with increasing distance from the medium facing surface.

A first side shield has a first sidewall and a second sidewall, and a second side shield has a third sidewall and a fourth sidewall. The first to fourth sidewalls have first to fourth edges, respectively, that are farthest from a top surface of a substrate. The distance between a rear end of the first edge and a rear end of the third edge in a track width direction is greater than the distance between a front end of the first edge and a front end of the third edge in the track width direction. The distance between the second edge and the fourth edge in the track width direction increases with increasing distance from the medium facing surface.

A method is disclosed for forming a perpendicular magnetic recording writer with an all wrap around (AWA) shield design wherein one or more of the leading shield, trailing shield, and side shields are a composite wherein a magnetic hot seed layer made of a >19 kG to 24 kG material adjoins a gap layer, and a side of the hot seed layer opposite the gap layer adjoins a high damping magnetic layer made of a 10-16 kG material (or a 16-19 kG material in the trailing shield) having a Gilbert damping parameter >0.04. In one embodiment, the high damping magnetic layer is FeNiRe with a Re content of 3 to 15 atomic %. The main pole leading and trailing sides may be tapered. Side shields may have a single taper or dual taper structure. Higher writer speed with greater areal density capability is achieved.

A method is disclosed for forming a perpendicular magnetic recording writer with an all wrap around (AWA) shield design wherein a surface of the leading shield that contacts the lead gap has a notch that is recessed 20 to 120 nm from the air bearing surface (ABS) and has a first side with a down-track dimension of 20-200 nm that is aligned parallel to the ABS. In one embodiment, the notch is aligned below the main pole leading side and has a cross-track width substantially the same as the track width of the main pole trailing side. The notch has two sidewalls formed equidistant from a center plane that bisects the leading shield wherein each sidewall intersects the first side at an angle of 90 to 170 degrees. Accordingly, overwrite and bit error rate are improved while adjacent track interference and tracks per square inch capability are substantially maintained.

Disclosed herein are write heads for data storage devices, methods for making and using such write heads, and data storage devices comprising such write heads. A write head comprises a near-field transducer (NFT), a thermal sensor, and a shield disposed between the NFT and the thermal sensor, wherein the shield comprises a magnetic or conductive material, such as, for example, Cu, Ag, Au, Al, Rh, Ti, Cr, Mo, Fe, Co, or Ni or an alloy that includes Cu, Ag, Au, Al, Rh, Ti, Cr, Mo, Fe, Co, and/or Ni. In some embodiments, the thermal sensor comprises a first lead and a second lead, and the shield is connected to the first lead but not the second lead to provide heat sinking for the shield.

A perpendicular magnetic recording writer is disclosed with an all wrap around (AWA) shield design in which a surface of the leading shield that contacts the lead gap is comprised of a notch that is recessed 20 to 120 nm from the air bearing surface (ABS) and has a first side with a down-track dimension of 20-200 nm that is aligned parallel to the ABS. In one embodiment, the notch is aligned below the main pole leading side and has a cross-track width substantially the same as the track width of the main pole trailing side. The notch has two sidewalls formed equidistant from a center plane that bisects the leading shield wherein each sidewall intersects the first side at an angle of 90 to 170 degrees. Accordingly, overwrite and bit error rate are improved while adjacent track interference and tracks per square inch capability are substantially maintained.