According to one embodiment, a magnetic recording device includes a magnetic head, a first circuit, and a second circuit. The magnetic head includes a magnetic pole, a first shield, a stacked body provided between the magnetic pole and the first shield, a first terminal electrically connected to the magnetic pole, a second terminal electrically connected to the first shield, and a coil. The first circuit is electrically connected to the first terminal and the second terminal. The second circuit is electrically connected to the coil. The first circuit performs at least a first operation. In the first operation, the first circuit supplies a first current to a current path between the first and second terminals when the second circuit supplies a recording current to the coil. The first current is smaller than a second current. The second current causes an electrical resistance of the current path to oscillate.

Embodiments herein provide film stacks that include a buffer layer; a synthetic ferrimagnet (SyF) coupling layer; and a capping layer, wherein the capping layer comprises one or more layers, and wherein the capping layer, the buffer layer, the SyF coupling layer, or a combination thereof, is not fabricated from Ru.

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.

Embodiments herein provide methods of forming a magnetic tunnel junction structure. The method includes forming a film stack that includes: a buffer layer; a seed layer disposed over the buffer layer; a first pinning layer disposed over the seed layer; a synthetic ferrimagnet (SyF) coupling layer disposed over the first pinning layer; a second pinning layer disposed over the SyF coupling layer; a structure blocking layer disposed over the second pinning layer; a magnetic reference layer disposed over the structure blocking layer; a tunnel barrier layer disposed over the magnetic reference layer; a magnetic storage layer disposed over the tunnel barrier layer; a capping layer disposed over the magnetic storage layer; and a hard mask disposed over the capping layer, wherein at least one of the capping layer, the buffer layer, and the SyF coupling layer is not fabricated from Ru; and forming a magnetic tunnel junction structure.

A magnetic head includes a main pole and a write shield. The write shield includes a bottom shield, a first side shield and a second side shield. The first side shield has first and second sidewalls. The second side shield has third and fourth sidewalls. Each of the second and fourth sidewalls has a top edge farthest from a top surface of a substrate. The top edge of each of the second and fourth sidewalls is parallel to a medium facing surface. A portion of a top surface of the bottom shield, the first sidewall, and the third sidewall define a receiving section to receive a portion of the main pole. The receiving section has a bottom including a first inclined portion, a second inclined portion, and a third inclined portion.

A data storage device is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, wherein the head comprises a spin torque oscillator (STO) element. The data storage device further comprises a differential amplifier comprising a first input coupled to a first end of the STO element and a second input coupled to a second end of the STO element. A bias current is applied to the STO element, and the bias current is adjusted. A resistance delta of the STO element is detected based on an output of the differential amplifier, wherein the resistance delta corresponds to a bias current level when the STO begins to oscillate.

The present disclosure generally relate to spin-orbit torque (SOT) devices comprising a topological insulator (TI) modulation layer. The TI modulation layer comprises a plurality of bismuth or bismuth-rich composition modulation layers, a plurality of TI lamellae layers comprising BiSb having a (012) crystal orientation, and a plurality of texturing layers. The TI lamellae layers comprise dopants or clusters of atoms, the clusters of atoms comprising a carbide, a nitride, an oxide, or a composite ceramic material. The clusters of atoms are configured to have a grain boundary glass forming temperature of less than about 400 C. Doping the TI lamellae layers comprising BiSb having a (012) crystal orientation with clusters of atoms comprising a carbide, a nitride, an oxide, or a composite ceramic material enable the SOT MTJ device to operate at higher temperatures while inhibiting migration of Sb from the BiSb of the TI lamellae layers.

Methods that include forming at least a portion of a near field transducer (NFT) structure; depositing a material onto at least one surface of the portion of the NFT to form a metal containing layer; and subjecting the metal containing layer to conditions that cause diffusion of at least a portion of the material into the at least one surface of the portion of the NFT; and devices formed thereby.

A data storage device is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk, wherein the head comprises a spin torque oscillator (STO) element. The data storage device further comprises a differential amplifier comprising a first input coupled to a first end of the STO element and a second input coupled to a second end of the STO element. A bias current is applied to the STO element, and the bias current is adjusted. A resistance delta of the STO element is detected based on an output of the differential amplifier, wherein the resistance delta corresponds to a bias current level when the STO begins to oscillate.

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.