US 11,386,922 B1 · Multiple protective film on near-field transducer of heat-assisted magnetic recording device

Abstract

A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head has a protective multilayer confined to a window of the disk-facing surface of the slider that surrounds the near-field transducer (NFT) end and write pole end. The protective multilayer is made up of a first film of silicon nitride directly on and in contact with the NFT end and the write pole end and a second film of a metal oxide on and in contact with the silicon nitride film. The silicon nitride film is preferably formed by RIBD but is thin enough so that it does not contain any significant amount of other compounds. The metal oxide is preferably silicon dioxide, or alternatively an oxide of hafnium, tantalum, yttrium or zirconium, and together with the silicon nitride film provides a protective multilayer of sufficient thickness to be optically transparent to radiation and resistant to thermal oxidation.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head for writing to a magnetic recording layer, the head comprising:

a head carrier having a surface for facing a recording layer;
a write pole on the head carrier and having an end at the recording layer facing surface;
an optical waveguide on the head carrier for receipt of laser radiation;
a near-field transducer (NFT) on the head carrier for optical coupling with the waveguide, the NFT having an output end at the recording layer facing surface;
wherein the recording layer facing surface of the head carrier comprises a window region surrounding the NFT output end and write pole end, and a non-window region;
and
a protective multilayer on the NFT output end and write pole end, the protective multilayer consisting of a silicon nitride film on and in contact with the NFT end and write pole end and an oxide film on and in contact with the silicon nitride film, the oxide being selected from an oxide of silicon, hafnium, tantalum, yttrium and zirconium.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Multiple protective film on near-field transducer of heat-assisted magnetic recording device

Life of this patent

Multiple protective film on near-field transducer of heat-assisted magnetic recording device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14