Active media for heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR)
An apparatus includes a magnetic recording layer and a thermally active material adjacent to and/or embedded in the magnetic recording layer, wherein the thermally active material has a thermal property that changes when the temperature of the thermally active material changes, or undergoes a phase transition in a predetermined temperature range, to reduce a peak temperature or increase a thermal gradient of a heated portion of the magnetic recording layer.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a magnetic recording layer; and
a thermally active material in contact with the magnetic recording layer, wherein the thermally active material has a thermal property that changes when the temperature of the thermally active material changes to reduce a peak temperature of a heated portion of the magnetic recording layer.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thermal property comprises:
thermal conductivity or specific heat.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thermally active material comprises at least one of:
a film, segregates adjacent to boundaries of magnetic grains in the magnetic recording layer, or inclusions in the magnetic grains.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thermally active material has a thermal conductivity that increases with temperature.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thermally active material has a specific heat that increases with temperature.
6. An apparatus comprising:
a storage media including a magnetic recording layer and a thermally active material in contact with the magnetic recording layer, wherein the thermally active material has a thermal property that changes when the temperature of the thermally active material changes to reduce a peak temperature of a heated portion of the magnetic recording layer;
a recording head; and
a positioning device for positioning the recording head adjacent to the storage media.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the thermal property comprises:
thermal conductivity or specific heat.
8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the thermally active material comprises at least one of:
a film, segregates adjacent to boundaries of magnetic grains in the magnetic recording layer, or inclusions in the magnetic grains.
9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the thermally active material has a thermal conductivity that increases with temperature.
10. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the thermally active material has a specific heat that increases with temperature.
11. An apparatus comprising:
means for providing a recording media having a magnetic recording layer and a thermally active material in contact with the magnetic recording layer, wherein the thermally active material has a thermal property that changes as the temperature of the thermally active material changes;
means for heating a portion of the magnetic recording layer and the thermally active material to a temperature above which the direction of magnetization of domains in the magnetic recording layer are to be switched, wherein the thermally active material reduces a peak temperature of the heated portion of the magnetic recording layer; and
means for applying a magnetic field to the magnetic recording layer to switch the direction of magnetization of the domains.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the thermal property comprises:
thermal conductivity or specific heat.
13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the thermally active material comprises at least one of:
a film, segregates adjacent to boundaries of the magnetic grams, or inclusions in the magnetic grains in the magnetic recording layer.
14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the means for heating a portion of the magnetic recording layer and the thermally active material to a temperature above which the direction of magnetization of the magnetic domains is to be switched applies a pulsed light to the magnetic recording layer.
15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the thermally active material has a thermal conductivity that increases with temperature.