Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) medium including a split heat-sink structure (SHSS)

1. A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) medium, comprising:

a substrate;

a split heat-sink structure (SHSS), comprising:

a first heat-sink layer disposed on the substrate;

a heat-sink break layer (HSBL) disposed on the first heat-sink layer; and

a second heat-sink layer disposed on the HSBL; and

a magnetic recording layer disposed on the SHSS,

wherein a thermal resistance of the HSBL is greater than a thermal resistance of the first heat-sink layer, and the thermal resistance of the HSBL is greater than a thermal resistance of the second heat-sink layer.

2. The HAMR medium of claim 1 , wherein the HSBL comprises two phases comprising a first-phase material and a second-phase material.

3. The HAMR medium of claim 2 , wherein a thermal conductivity of the first-phase material is greater than a thermal conductivity of the second-phase material.

4. The HAMR medium of claim 2 , wherein the first-phase material comprises columnar grains.

5. The HAMR medium of claim 2 , wherein the first-phase material is epitaxially matched to at least one of a first heat-sink material of the first heat-sink layer and a second heat-sink material of the second heat-sink layer.

6. The HAMR medium of claim 1 , wherein the HSBL comprises a single phase material.

7. The HAMR medium of claim 1 , wherein the HSBL comprises CoX, wherein X is a second constituent selected from the group consisting of Cr, Pt, Ag, Ru and combinations thereof.

8. A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) medium, comprising:

a substrate;

a split heat-sink structure (SHSS), comprising:

a first heat-sink layer disposed on the substrate;

a heat-sink break layer (HSBL) disposed on the first heat-sink layer; and

a second heat-sink layer disposed on the HSBL; and

a magnetic recording layer disposed on the SHSS,

wherein the HSBL comprises CoX, wherein X is a second constituent selected from the group consisting of Cr, Pt, Ag, Ru and combinations thereof, and

wherein the HSBL comprises two phases, wherein a first phase material comprises the CoX and a second phase material comprises a third constituent, Y, selected from the group consisting of SiO 2 , SiO x , MgO, Cr 2 O 3 , CrO x , HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , TiO 2 , TiO x , Ta 2 O 5 , TaO x , WO 3 , WO x , and combinations thereof.

9. A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) medium, comprising:

a substrate;

a split heat-sink structure (SHSS), comprising:

a first heat-sink layer disposed on the substrate;

a heat-sink break layer (HSBL) disposed on the first heat-sink layer; and

a second heat-sink layer disposed on the HSBL; and

a magnetic recording layer disposed on the SHSS,

wherein the HSBL comprises CoX, wherein X is a second constituent selected from the group consisting of Cr, Pt, Ag, Ru and combinations thereof, and

wherein the CoX has a substantially hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystal structure, and a (0002) preferred orientation.

10. A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) medium, comprising:

a substrate;

a split heat-sink structure (SHSS), comprising:

a first heat-sink layer disposed on the substrate;

a heat-sink break layer (HSBL) disposed on the first heat-sink layer; and

a second heat-sink layer disposed on the HSBL; and

a magnetic recording layer disposed on the SHSS,

wherein the HSBL comprises a mixture of a first phase and a second phase, wherein the first phase comprises a first-phase material comprising a metallic material with a columnar structure, and the second phase comprises a second-phase material comprising a material that is disposed between the grains of the first phase material.

11. The HAMR medium of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the first heat-sink layer is between about 5 nanometers (nm) to about 50 nm, a thickness of the HSBL is between about 1 nm to about 10 nm, and a thickness of the second heat-sink layer is between about 50 nm to about 100 nm.

12. The HAMR medium of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the first heat-sink layer is between about 50 nm to about 100 nm, a thickness of the HSBL is between about 1 nm to about 10 nm, and a thickness of the second heat-sink layer is between about 5 nm to about 50 nm.

13. A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) medium, comprising:

a substrate;

a split heat-sink structure (SHSS), comprising:

a first heat-sink layer disposed on the substrate;

a heat-sink break layer (HSBL) disposed on the first heat-sink layer; and

a second heat-sink layer disposed on the HSBL; and

a magnetic recording layer disposed on the SHSS,

wherein the first heat-sink layer and the second heat-sink layer comprise Ru, and the HSBL comprises a material selected from the group consisting of CoCrSiO 2 , CoPtSiO 2 , CoAgSiO 2 , CoRuSiO 2 , CoCrTiO 2 , CoPtTiO 2 , CoAgTiO 2 , CoRuTiO 2 , CoCr, CoPt, CoAg, and CoRu.

14. A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) medium, comprising:

a substrate;

a split heat-sink structure (SHSS), comprising:

a first heat-sink layer disposed on the substrate;

a heat-sink break layer (HSBL) disposed on the first heat-sink layer; and

a second heat-sink layer disposed on the HSBL;

a magnetic recording layer disposed on the SHSS;

an adhesion layer disposed between the substrate and the SHSS;

an amorphous underlayer (AUL) disposed on the SHSS;

an orientation-control layer disposed between the AUL and the magnetic recording layer; and

an overcoat layer disposed on the magnetic recording layer.

15. The HAMR medium of claim 1 , wherein the HAMR medium is incorporated into a HAMR disk to include the HAMR medium.

16. The HAMR medium of claim 1 , wherein the HAMR medium is incorporated into a HAMR data storage device, comprising:

a HAMR disk including the HAMR medium;

a HAMR slider including a slider substrate, the HAMR slider configured to fly over the HAMR disk; and

a HAMR head disposed on the slider substrate, wherein the HAMR head includes:

a write element configured to write data to the HAMR disk; and

a read element configured to read data from the HAMR disk; and

a laser disposed on the HAMR head, wherein the laser is configured to raise the temperature of the HAMR medium to reduce the coercivity thereof at a location on the HAMR disk whereat the write element is configured to write data.

17. The HAMR medium of claim 16 , wherein the data storage device comprises a hard-disk drive (HDD).

18. A method for making a HAMR medium for heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), comprising:

providing a substrate;

depositing a split heat-sink structure (SHSS), comprising:

depositing first heat-sink layer on the substrate;

depositing heat-sink break layer (HSBL) on the first heat-sink layer; and

depositing second heat-sink layer on the HSBL; and

depositing a magnetic recording layer on the SHSS,

wherein a thermal resistance of the HSBL is greater than a thermal resistance of the first heat-sink layer, and the thermal resistance of the HSBL is greater than a thermal resistance of the second heat-sink layer.

19. A method for making a HAMR medium for heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), comprising:

placing a substrate in a thin-film deposition tool;

depositing a split heat-sink structure (SHSS), comprising:

depositing first heat-sink layer on the substrate;

depositing heat-sink break layer (HSBL) on the first heat-sink layer; and

depositing second heat-sink layer on the HSBL; and

depositing a magnetic recording layer on the SHSS,

wherein the HSBL comprises a mixture of a first phase and a second phase, wherein the first phase comprises a first-phase material comprising a metallic material with a columnar structure, and the second phase comprises a second-phase material comprising a material that is disposed between the grains of the first phase material.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the first-phase material is epitaxially matched to at least one of a first heat-sink material of the first heat-sink layer and a second heat-sink material of the second heat-sink layer.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein the HSBL comprises a single phase material.

22. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

depositing an adhesion layer on the substrate;

depositing an amorphous underlayer (AUL) on the SHSS;

depositing an orientation-control layer on the AUL; and

depositing an overcoat layer on the magnetic recording layer.