Heat assisted magnetic recording transducer having protective pads
View Patent ↗A method fabricates a heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) and that is optically coupled with a laser. The HAMR transducer includes a write pole, a waveguide, and at least one protective pad. The write pole has a pole tip with an ABS facing surface. The waveguide is located in a down track direction from the pole tip and directs light from the laser toward the ABS. The protective pad(s) are adjacent to the write pole and have front surface(s) at the ABS.
1. A heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) transducer having air-bearing surface (ABS) and being optically coupled with a laser, the HAMR transducer comprising:
a write pole having a pole tip with an ABS facing surface;
a waveguide in a down track direction from the pole tip for directing light from the laser toward the ABS; and
at least one protective pad adjacent to the write pole and having at least one front surface at the ABS.
2. The HAMR transducer of claim 1 wherein the at least one protective pad includes a first pad adjacent to the pole in a cross track direction from the pole tip.
3. The HAMR transducer of claim 1 wherein the first pad includes a first portion and a second portion, the pole tip residing between the first portion and the second portion.
4. The HAMR transducer of claim 3 wherein the first pad has a width of at least four microns in the cross track direction.
5. The HAMR transducer of claim 2 further comprising:
at least one shield recessed from the ABS and in a down track direction from the write pole, the write pole being between the waveguide and the at least one shield; and
wherein the at least one protective pad includes a second pad in a down track direction from the write pole, a portion of the second pad being between the at least one shield and the ABS.
6. The HAMR transducer of claim 1 further comprising:
at least one shield recessed from the ABS and in a down track direction from the write pole, the write pole being between the waveguide and the at least one shield.
7. The HAMR transducer of claim 6 wherein the at least one protective pad includes a first pad in a down track direction from the write pole, a portion of the first pad being between the at least one shield and the ABS.
8. The HAMR transducer of claim 7 wherein the first pad includes a magnetic material and wherein the HAMR transducer further includes:
a nonmagnetic layer between the first pad and the write pole.
9. The HAMR transducer of claim 8 wherein a portion of the nonmagnetic layer is between the first pad and the shield.
10. The HAMR transducer of claim 8 further comprising:
an additional pole adjoining the write pole, a portion of the nonmagnetic layer being between the additional pole and the first pad.
11. The magnetic transducer of claim 1 wherein the at least one protective pad includes at least one of NiFe, tantalum oxide, CoNiFe, Ta and aluminum nitride.
12. A heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) transducer having air-bearing surface (ABS) and being optically coupled with a laser, the HAMR transducer comprising:
a write pole having a pole tip with an ABS facing surface;
an additional pole adjoining the write pole;
a waveguide in a down track direction from the pole tip for directing light from the laser toward the ABS;
at least one shield recessed from the ABS and in a down track direction from the write pole, the write pole being between the waveguide and the at least one shield;
a first protective pad adjoining the write pole and having a first surface at the ABS, the first protective pad having a first portion and a second portion the pole tip residing between the first portion and the second portion, the first pad having a width of at least four microns in the cross track direction and not more than eight microns in the cross track direction;
a second protective pad in a down track direction from the write pole and having a second surface at the ABS, a portion of the second protective pad being between the at least one shield and the ABS.
13. The HAMR transducer of claim 12 wherein the second pad includes a magnetic material and wherein the HAMR transducer further includes:
a nonmagnetic layer between the second pad and the write pole and between the second pad and the at least one shield.
14. The magnetic transducer of claim 12 wherein each of the first protective pad and the second protective pad includes at least one of NiFe, tantalum oxide, CoNiFe, Ta and aluminum nitride.
15. A HAMR disk drive comprising:
a media,
a slider, and
a magnetic transducer coupled with the slider, the magnetic transducer having air-bearing surface (ABS), a write pole, a waveguide and at least one protective pad, the write pole having a pole tip with an ABS facing surface, the waveguide being in a down track direction from the pole tip and for directing light from the laser toward the ABS, the at least one protective pad being adjacent to the write pole and having at least one front surface at the ABS.
16. A method for providing heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) transducer having air-bearing surface (ABS) and being optically coupled with a laser, the HAMR transducer comprising:
providing a write pole having a pole tip with an ABS facing surface;
providing a waveguide in a down track direction from the pole tip for directing light from the laser toward the ABS; and
providing at least one protective pad adjacent to the write pole and having at least one front surface at the ABS.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one protective pad includes a first pad adjacent to the write pole in a cross track direction from the pole tip.
18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:
providing at least one shield recessed from the ABS and in a down track direction from the write pole, the write pole being between the waveguide and the at least one shield; and
wherein the at least one protective pad includes a second pad in a down track direction from the write pole, a portion of the second pad being between the at least one shield and the ABS.
19. The method of claim 16 further comprising:
providing at least one shield recessed from the ABS and in a down track direction from the write pole, the write pole being between the waveguide and the at least one shield; and
wherein the at least one protective pad includes a first pad in a down track direction from the write pole, a portion of the first pad being between the at least one shield and the ABS.
20. The method of claim 16 wherein each of the at least one protective pad includes at least one of NiFe, tantalum oxide, CoNiFe, Ta and aluminum nitride.