Magnetic disk drive and recording head control method

1. A magnetic disk drive, comprising:

a magnetic disk including a recording layer for vertical magnetic recording;

a recording head generating a vertical recording field to be applied to the recording layer;

a reproducing head reading and reproducing data subjected to the vertical magnetic recording from the recording layer; and

a controller controlling the recording head and the reproducing head,

wherein

the recording head includes:

a main magnetic pole generating the vertical recording field;

a return magnetic pole facing a distal portion of the main magnetic pole through a write gap, returning a magnetic flux from the main magnetic pole, and forming a magnetic circuit together with the main magnetic pole;

a recording coil exciting the magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit formed by the main magnetic pole and the return magnetic pole;

a spin torque oscillator (STO) arranged in the write gap;

an STO voltage supply circuit applying a voltage to the STO through the main magnetic pole and the return magnetic pole; and

a heater adjusting a temperature of the recording head, and

the controller includes:

a referential characteristic value measuring unit recording and reproducing referential data in the recording layer and measuring a referential characteristic value, in a state in which supply of the voltage applied to the STO is stopped;

a heater controller reducing a temperature set value of the heater at a recording operation, based on the referential characteristic value;

a corrected characteristic value measuring unit recording and reproducing corrected data and measuring a corrected characteristic value, in a state of supplying the voltage to be applied to the STO with a polarity opposite to a polarity at a general operation, while varying the temperature set value of the heater at a recording operation of the heater controller;

a comparator comparing the referential characteristic value with the corrected characteristic value and obtaining a difference; and

a correction unit correcting a reduction quantity of the temperature set value of the heater, based on the difference obtained from the comparator.

2. The magnetic disk drive of claim 1 , wherein

the heater controller controls the temperature set value of the heater at the recording operation to be lower than at least a general set value at non-driving time of the voltage to be applied to the STO, when measuring the corrected characteristic value.

3. The magnetic disk drive of claim 1 , wherein

each of the referential characteristic value and the corrected characteristic value is any one of a bit error rate (BER), a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a track average amplifier (TAA), and an over write characteristic.

4. The magnetic disk drive of claim 1 , wherein

the corrector sets the reduction quantity of the temperature set value of the heater at which the difference obtained from the comparator becomes minimum to a corrected quantity of the temperature set value of the heater at supplying the voltage to the STO.

5. A method of controlling a recording head of a magnetic disk drive, the method comprising:

if a magnetic disk drive comprises:

a recording head opposed to a magnetic disk including a recording layer for vertical magnetic recording and generating a vertical recording field to be applied to the recording layer;

a main magnetic pole generating the vertical recording field;

a return magnetic pole facing a distal portion of the main magnetic pole through a write gap, returning a magnetic flux from the main magnetic pole, and forming a magnetic circuit together with the main magnetic pole;

a recording coil exciting the magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit formed by the main magnetic pole and the return magnetic pole;

a spin torque oscillator (STO) arranged in the write gap;

an STO voltage supply circuit applying a voltage to the STO through the main magnetic pole and the return magnetic pole; and

a heater adjusting a temperature of the recording head,

recording and reproducing referential data in the recording layer and measuring a referential characteristic value, in a state in which supply of the voltage applied to the STO is stopped;

executing control of reducing a temperature set value of the heater at a recording operation, based on the referential characteristic value;

recording and reproducing corrected data and measuring a corrected characteristic value, in a state of supplying the voltage to be applied to the STO with a polarity opposite to a polarity at a general operation, while varying the temperature set value of the heater at a recording operation of the heater controller;

comparing the referential characteristic value with the corrected characteristic value and obtaining a difference; and

correcting a reduction quantity of the temperature set value of the heater, based on the difference obtained from the comparator.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein

the control of the heater controls the temperature set value of the heater at the recording operation to be lower than at least a general set value at non-driving time of the voltage to be applied to the STO, when measuring the corrected characteristic value.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein

each of the referential characteristic value and the corrected characteristic value is any one of a bit error rate (BER), a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a track average amplifier (TAA), and an over write characteristic.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein

the correction of the reduction quantity of the temperature set value of the heater sets the reduction quantity of the temperature set value of the heater at which the difference obtained from the comparison between the referential characteristic value and the corrected characteristic value becomes minimum to a corrected quantity of the temperature set value of the heater at supplying the voltage to the STO.