Perpendicular magnetic recording write head with heater and heat sink for providing temperature gradient across the main pole
A perpendicular magnetic recording write head includes a heater on one side of the pole tip of the main pole and a heat sink on the opposite side of the pole tip. The heater is formed of high resistivity material and is connected to a power source. During writing, power is applied to the heater, which causes a relatively large temperature gradient across the pole tip from the heater to the heat sink. The temperature gradient increases the damping of the ferromagnetic material of the main pole during writing, which increases the switching speed of the main pole.
1. A perpendicular magnetic recording write head for magnetizing regions of a magnetic recording layer comprising:
a substrate;
a main pole of ferromagnetic material on the substrate and having a pole tip, the pole tip having an end for facing the recording layer;
heat sink material between the substrate and the main pole;
a layer of electrically conductive heater material having a first portion overlaying the main pole and a second portion in contact with the pole tip; and
a layer of electrically insulating material between the first portion of heater material and the main pole.
2. The write head of claim 1 further comprising a power supply connected to the layer of heater material for supplying power to the heater material.
3. The write head of claim 1 wherein the heater material has electrical resistivity of at least 100 μOhm-cm.
4. The write head of claim 1 wherein the heater material is selected from Ta, NiTa, NiFeTa, NiCr and beta-W.
5. The write head of claim 1 wherein the heat sink material is selected from Cu, Au, Ru and alloys thereof.
6. The write head of claim 1 further comprising an electrically conductive coil for generating magnetic flux in the main pole.
7. A magnetic recording disk drive comprising:
a rotatable magnetic recording disk having a recording layer; and
the write head of claim 1 .
8. A perpendicular magnetic recording write head for magnetizing regions of a magnetic recording layer comprising:
a substrate;
a main pole of ferromagnetic material on the substrate and having a pole tip, the pole tip having an end for facing the recording layer;
heat sink material between the substrate and the main pole;
a layer of electrically conductive heater material overlaying the main pole;
a layer of electrically insulating material between the heater material and the main pole, wherein the heater material is electrically isolated from the main pole by the electrically insulating layer; and
a trailing shield of ferromagnetic material having an end for facing the recording layer, the trailing shield end spaced from the pole tip to define a write gap, and electrically conductive material in the write gap, wherein the layer of heater material is in contact with the conductive material in the write gap.
9. The write head of claim 8 further comprising a power supply connected to the layer of heater material for supplying power to the heater material.
10. The write head of claim 8 wherein the heater material has electrical resistivity of at least 100 μOhm-cm.
11. The write head of claim 8 wherein the heater material is selected from Ta, NiTa, NiFeTa, NiCr and beta-W.
12. The write head of claim 8 wherein the heat sink material is selected from Cu, Au, Ru and alloys thereof.
13. The write head of claim 8 further comprising an electrically conductive coil for generating magnetic flux in the main pole.