Laser modulation for magnetic recording apparatus
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorJames Dillon Kiely
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A transducer comprises a slider and a laser arrangement. The laser arrangement is configured to heat a region of a magnetic medium in proximity to the slider and produce modulated laser light to cause heat-induced modulation of the slider. The laser arrangement is configured to couple laser light at a power that reduces a coercivity of magnetic material at the region for writing data to or erasing data at the region, and couple modulated laser light to cause heat-induced modulation of the slider at a power lower than the power for writing data to or erasing data at the magnetic medium.
Claims24
An apparatus, comprising:
- a transducer;
- an air bearing defined between the transducer and a magnetic medium;
- and
- a laser arrangement configured to cause heat-induced modulation of a component of the transducer, wherein the laser arrangement comprises a laser configured to produce modulated laser light at a frequency that mechanically excites the component at a resonant frequency and at a power lower than a power for writing data to or erasing data at the magnetic medium.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a transducer comprising a slider;
- an air bearing defined between the slider and a magnetic medium;
- and
- a laser arrangement configured to:
- heat a region of the magnetic medium in proximity to the slider;
- and
- produce modulated laser light to cause heat-induced modulation of the slider, wherein the modulated laser light causes heat-induced modulation of the slider at a mode of air bearing resonance frequency.
A method, comprising:
- heating a slider of a transducer-using laser light as an energy source for the heating;
- modulating the laser light to cause heat-induced modulation of the slider;
- measuring, using a processor and a reader or sensor configured to produce a signal indicative of head-media separation, a resonant frequency of an air bearing defined between the slider and a magnetic medium proximate the slider;
- and;
- tuning a frequency of the laser light to cause heat-induced modulation of the slider at the resonant frequency of the air bearing.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a transducer comprising a slider and a reader or sensor configured to produce a signal indicative of changes in head-media separation;
- an air bearing defined between the slider and a magnetic medium;
- a laser arrangement configured to:
- heat a region of a magnetic medium in proximity to the slider;
- and
- produce modulated laser light to cause heat-induced modulation of the slider;
- and
- a processor coupled to the transducer, the processor configured to measure a resonance frequency of the air bearing using the signal.
A method, comprising:
- heating a slider of a transducer using laser light as an energy source for the heating;
- modulating the laser light to cause heat-induced modulation of the slider at a frequency that matches a resonant frequency of an air bearing defined between the slider and a magnetic medium proximate the slider
- producing, by a reader or a sensor at the slider, a signal that is modulated in response to modulation of the slider;
- and
- detecting, using a processor coupled to the reader or sensor, one or both of head-media separation and head-media contact using the reader or sensor signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.