A magnetic recording head having an air bearing surface (ABS) includes a main pole, a side shield laterally spaced from the main pole by a first side gap and a second side gap, an electrically conductive non-magnetic gap material layer disposed between the main pole and the side shield in the first side gap, and a dielectric non-magnetic gap material matrix and a conformal dielectric spacer layer disposed between the main pole and the side shield in the second side gap. The dual side gap recording head can improve on track performance on write gap peak field, on track performance on write field gradient, ATI off track performance, WATER reliability and can provide advantageous writer and side shield saturation properties.

According to one embodiment, a head gimbal assembly includes a suspension and a magnetic head supported by the suspension via a gimbal portion. The magnetic head includes a slider and a head portion in the slider. The slider includes an air bearing surface, a pair of side surfaces, a leading-side end surface, and a trailing-side end surface. The slider includes a deep groove which is formed between a leading-side step portion and a trailing-side step portion and is open to the air bearing surface and the pair of side surfaces, and at least a pair of capturing grooves which is formed on a bottom surface of the deep groove. The capturing grooves are provided along the pair of side surface and are placed with a gap from the pair of side surfaces.

A magnetic recording head having an air bearing surface (ABS) includes a main pole, a side shield laterally spaced from the main pole by a first side gap and a second side gap, an electrically conductive non-magnetic gap material layer disposed between the main pole and the side shield in the first side gap, and a dielectric non-magnetic gap material matrix and a conformal dielectric spacer layer disposed between the main pole and the side shield in the second side gap. The dual side gap recording head can improve on track performance on write gap peak field, on track performance on write field gradient, ATI off track performance, WATER reliability and can provide advantageous writer and side shield saturation properties.

According to one embodiment, a head gimbal assembly includes a suspension and a magnetic head supported by the suspension via a gimbal portion. The magnetic head includes a slider and a head portion in the slider. The slider includes an air bearing surface, a pair of side surfaces, a leading-side end surface, and a trailing-side end surface. The slider includes a deep groove which is formed between a leading-side step portion and a trailing-side step portion and is open to the air bearing surface and the pair of side surfaces, and at least a pair of capturing grooves which is formed on a bottom surface of the deep groove. The capturing grooves are provided along the pair of side surface and are placed with a gap from the pair of side surfaces.

Implementations described and claimed herein include a method for manufacturing monolithically-integrated on-slider hybridized electronics for magnetic read/write. The method includes forming a slider body, excising a void in a surface of the slider body, monolithically integrating an electronic block into the void of the slider body, polishing the surface of the slider body, and depositing functional layers on the surface of the slider body. By integrating electronics in close proximity to transducers, operational performance and functionality may be gained.

A method of manufacturing hard disk drives (HDDs) includes assembling a first HDD including a first slider having a first air bearing surface (ABS) configuration, configuring the first HDD to rotate its disk media at a first revolutions-per-minute (RPM), and sealing the first HDD with a first internal pressure level. Continuing, the method includes assembling a second HDD including a second head slider having the same first ABS configuration, configuring the second HDD to rotate its disk media at a second RPM that is lower than the first RPM, and sealing the second HDD with a second internal pressure level that is higher than the first pressure level. Thus, in the context of using a common slider among different RPM drives, a higher internal pressure for the lower RPM drive can compensate for loss in fly height that might otherwise occur due to the lower operational RPM.

An apparatus comprises a slider configured for writing data to and reading data from a magnetic recording medium and for heat-assisted magnetic recording. The slider comprises a heater configured to receive an AC signal and to cause oscillation in a spacing between the slider and the medium, and a contact sensor situated on the slider and configured to produce a DC response signal. A detector is coupled to the slider and configured to measure an amplitude of a spike in the DC response signal, calculate a ratio between the spike amplitude and an amplitude of the DC response signal, and detect contact between the slider and the medium in response to the ratio exceeding a predetermined threshold.

According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device which supplies, at the time of startup of data write or startup of data read, electric power higher than steady electric power used to make, in advance, spacing between a magnetic disk and a magnetic head become saturated at a target value to a heater of the magnetic head for a specified time and, after an elapse of the specified time, gradually reduces the electric power to be supplied to the heater of the magnetic head to the steady electric power.

Dynamic fly height (DFH) control is obtained for a read/write head by use of a heating element having two laterally separated heat sources symmetrically spaced around the track center line of the head. The two heating sources create a protrusion profile relative to the undistorted ABS that recesses the read element and main write pole at the track center line relative to off-track positions. The resulting DFH control also protects the head from HDI (head-disk interference) events that are either the result of calibration procedures or normal HDD (hard disk drive) operation.

An apparatus includes a slider of a recording head comprising a plurality of electrical bond pads coupled to bias sources and a ground pad. Each of a plurality of electrical components of the slider is coupled to at least one of the electrical bond pads. At least one of the electrical bond pads is a shared electrical bond pad coupled to at least two of the electrical components. At least one diode is coupled to at least one of the electrical bond pads and at least one of the electrical components.