Method of setting flying height and flying height setting device

A method for setting a flying height of a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head relative to a magnetic recording medium in a thermally-assisted magnetic recording device, including

• the magnetic recording medium,
• the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head, and
• a positioning device that supports the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head, and that positions the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head relative to the magnetic recording medium, wherein
• the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head includes:
• a magnetic pole that generates a writing magnetic field from an end surface that forms a portion of a medium opposed surface facing the magnetic recording medium,
• a waveguide where light for exciting surface plasmon propagates,
• a plasmon-generator that generates near-field light from a near-field light generating portion on a near-field light generating end surface that forms a portion of the medium opposed surface by coupling with the light in a surface plasmon mode,
• a light source part that irradiates the waveguide with light by applying a predetermined drive current, and
• a heater part that heats the vicinity of the medium opposed surface in order to protrude the medium opposed surface toward the magnetic recording medium side, wherein the setting method comprising the steps of:
• determining a tentative optimum drive current that is supplied to the light source part, and setting 1st to nth drive currents for flying height setting (n being an integer of 2 or more) where values of the drive currents are smaller than the tentative optimum drive current, and increase sequentially;
• supplying heater power to the heater part while supplying the 1st to nth drive currents for flying height setting to the light source part to protrude the medium opposed surface of the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head toward the magnetic recording medium side, and detecting touch down of the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head;
• storing the heater power that is supplied to the heater part when the touch down of the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head is detected, as touch down power;
• calculating a correlation between the 1st to nth drive currents for flying height setting and the touch down power;
• determining a tentative optimum heater power to be supplied to the heater part when the tentative optimum drive current is supplied to the light source part so as to set the flying height to be a target flying height,
• supplying the tentative optimum drive current to the light source part, supplying the tentative heater power to the heater part, and recording a reference signal to the magnetic recording medium;
• and
• determining whether or not the reference signal is recorded with a desired signal intensity, wherein
• when it is determined that the reference signal is not recorded with the desired signal intensity, while current values of the tentative optimum drive current and the 1st to nth drive currents for flying height setting are changed to greater current values, a series of steps from the step of detecting the touch down to the step of determination are repeated until the reference signal is recorded with the desired signal intensity, and
• when it is determined that the reference signal is recorded with the desired signal intensity, tentative optimum drive current at that time and tentative heater power determined based on the correlation are determined as the optimum drive current to be supplied to the light source part and the optimum heater power to be supplied to the heater part, respectively.