Method and system for providing enhanced thermal expansion for hard disk drives
View Patent ↗A method and system provide a magnetic read and/or write transducer for use in disk drive. A read transducer has an air-bearing surface (ABS) and includes a read sensor, a nonmagnetic gap, a heater, and an expander. The nonmagnetic gap is adjacent to a portion of the read sensor and has a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). The heater heats a portion of the magnetic read transducer. The expander is adjacent to a portion of the nonmagnetic gap and has a second CTE greater than the first CTE. The write transducer includes a pole, a coil, an insulator adjacent to and for insulating the coil, a heater and an expander. The expander has a CTE greater than the insulator's CTE.
1. A magnetic write transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) comprising:
a write pole;
at least one coil for energizing the write pole;
a heater for heating a portion of the magnetic read transducer;
an insulator adjacent to a portion of the coil, the insulator having a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE);
and an expander the expander having a second CTE greater than the first CTE.
2. The magnetic write transducer of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the expander is between the heater and the ABS.
3. The magnetic write transducer of claim 1 wherein the second CTE is at least twice the first CTE.
4. The magnetic write transducer of claim 1 wherein the expander has a length perpendicular to the ABS and a width in a track width direction, the length being at least twice the width.
5. The magnetic write transducer of claim 4 wherein the length is at least five times the width.
6. The magnetic write transducer of claim 4 wherein the heater has an active region having an active region width in the track width direction, the width being substantially equal to the active region width.
7. The magnetic write transducer of claim 1 wherein an additional portion of the expander overlaps the heater in a direction perpendicular to the ABS.
8. The magnetic write transducer of claim 1 wherein the expander includes a metal.
9. The magnetic write transducer of claim 1 wherein a portion of the at least one coil resides between the expander and the ABS.
10. A magnetic recording head having an air-bearing surface (ABS) comprising:
a magnetic read transducer including a read sensor, and a nonmagnetic gap; and
a magnetic write transducer including a write pole, at least one coil for energizing the write pole, and an insulator adjacent to a portion of the coil;
wherein at least one of the magnetic read transducer and the magnetic write transducer including a heater, a portion of the magnetic head adjacent to the expander having a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) greater than a second CTE of the expander.
11. The magnetic head of claim 10 wherein at least a portion of the expander is between the heater and the ABS.
12. The magnetic recording head of claim 10 wherein the magnetic read transducer includes a reader expander and a reader heater for heating a portion of the magnetic read transducer, at least a portion of the reader expander residing between the reader heater and the ABS, the nonmagnetic gap having a third CTE, the reader expander having a fourth CTE greater than the third CTE and wherein the magnetic write transducer includes a writer expander and a writer heater for heating a portion of the magnetic write transducer, the insulator having a fifth CTE, at least a portion of the writer expander residing between the writer heater and the ABS, the writer expander having a sixth CTE greater than the fifth CTE.
13. A disk drive comprising:
a slider;
media; and
a magnetic recording head coupled to the slider and including a magnetic read transducer and a magnetic write transducer, the magnetic read transducer including a read sensor, and a nonmagnetic gap, the magnetic write transducer including a write pole, at least one coil for energizing the write pole, and an insulator, the insulator being adjacent to a portion of the coil;
wherein at least one of the magnetic read transducer and the magnetic write transducer including a heater and an expander residing between the heater and the ABS, a portion of the magnetic head adjacent to the expander having a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) greater than a second CTE of the expander.
14. The disk drive of claim 13 wherein at least a portion of the expander is between the heater and the ABS.
15. The disk drive of claim 13 wherein the magnetic read transducer includes a reader expander and a reader heater for heating a portion of the magnetic read transducer, at least a portion of the reader expander residing between the reader heater and the ABS, the nonmagnetic gap having a third CTE, the reader expander having a fourth CTE greater than the third CTE and wherein the magnetic write transducer includes a writer expander and a writer heater for heating a portion of the magnetic write transducer, the insulator having a fifth CTE, at least a portion of the writer expander residing between the writer heater and the ABS, the writer expander having a sixth CTE greater than the fifth CTE.