A method provides a magnetic transducer having a media-facing surface (MFS). The method includes providing a pole, providing a side gap, providing coil(s) for energizing the pole and providing side shield(s). A portion of the pole resides at the MFS. The side gap is between the pole and the side shield(s). The side shield(s) have a gradient in a saturation magnetization such that the saturation magnetization increases in a yoke direction perpendicular to the MFS. The step of providing the side shield(s) further includes providing a nonmagnetic structure having a side surface parallel to the MFS and providing at least one side shield layer. A portion of the side shield layer(s) are on the side surface. The portion of the side shield layer(s) has the gradient in the saturation magnetization. At least part of the side shield being formed by the portion of the side shield layer(s).

A tape head including a body with a tape-bearing surface configured to contact a magnetic tape, at least one transducer that is a read or write element, configured so the tape head may read from or write to the tape, in operation; and a monobloc closure with a structured cross-sectional profile, so as to exhibit: contact part, fixed on a side of the body which adjoins the tape-bearing surface at an edge thereof, the contact part having a top surface level with the tape-bearing surface; and connecting part integral with the contact part, the connecting part having a top surface recessed from the contact part's top surface, perpendicularly to a contact plane defined by said tape-bearing surface, so the connecting part's top surface does not contact the tape, in operation; and a broken line of mechanical weakness that extends at an end of said third surface.

A data writer can have at least a write pole separated from a return pole by a non-magnetic lamination. The non-magnetic lamination may consist of first, second, and third non-magnetic materials that are each different and configured to provide a physical protrusion on an air bearing surface of less than 4 Angstroms.

A method including depositing a plasmonic material at a temperature of at least 150° C.; and forming at least a peg of a near field transducer (NFT) from the deposited plasmonic material.

A method involves depositing a near-field transducer on a substrate of a slider. The near-field transducer comprises a plate-like enlarged portion and a peg portion. A first hard stop extending from the near field transducer and an air bearing surface is formed. A heat sink is formed on the enlarged portion and the first hard stop. A dielectric material is deposited over the near-field transducer and the heat sink. A second hard stop is deposited on the dielectric material away from the air bearing surface. The second hard stop comprises a recess corresponding in size and location to the heat sink. The method involves milling at an oblique angle to the substrate between the first hard stop and second hard stop to cut through the heat sink at the angle. The recess of the second hard stop increases a milling rate over the heat sink compared to a second milling rate of the dielectric away from the heat sink.

A data reader may have a magnetoresistive stack with a magnetically free layer decoupled from a first shield by a cap. The cap can have one or more sub-layers respectively configured with a thickness of 4 nm or less as measured parallel to a longitudinal axis of the magnetoresistive stack on an air bearing surface.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a spin torque oscillator including an oscillation layer formed of a magnetic material, a spin injection layer formed of a magnetic material and configured to inject a spin into the oscillation layer, and a current confinement layer including an insulating portion formed of an oxide or a nitride and a conductive portion formed of a nonmagnetic metal and penetrating the insulating portion in a direction of stacking. The conductive portion of the current confinement layer is positioned near a central portion of a plane of a device region including the oscillation layer and the spin injection layer.

Methods for manufacturing magnetoresistive devices are presented in which isolation of magnetic layers in the magnetoresistive stack is achieved by oxidizing exposed sidewalls of the magnetic layers prior to subsequent etching steps. Etching the magnetic layers using a non-reactive gas further prevents degradation of the sidewalls.

A magnetic element can be constructed by forming a write pole with a tip portion that continuously extends from an air bearing surface (ABS) along a plane orthogonal to the ABS to a body portion that continuously extends from the tip portion distal the ABS. A first write gap layer can then be deposited in contact with the write pole before a processing layer is deposited in contact with the first write gap layer. A magnetic shield may then be formed atop the processing layer with the magnetic shield being separated from the write pole by a first gap distance on the ABS throughout the tip portion and by a second gap distance distal the ABS along the plane orthogonal to the ABS along the body portion. The first and second gap distances can be measured parallel to the ABS with the second gap distance being greater than the first gap distance.

A plasmon generator generates surface plasmon and generates near-field light from the surface plasmon at a distal end surface situated on an air bearing surface facing a magnetic recording medium. The plasmon generator has a first portion including the distal end surface, a second portion situated away from the air bearing surface, and a separating layer situated between the first portion and the second portion and separating the first portion from the second portion.