Microwave-assisted magnetic recording (mamr) write head with compensation for dc shunting field

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019244635-A1
Application number	US-201916276466-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 14, 2019
Priority date	Oct 2, 2017
Publication date	Aug 8, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A microwave-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR) write head has a spin-torque oscillator (STO) and a ferromagnetic compensation layer between the write pole and trailing shield. The compensation layer is separated from the free layer by a nonmagnetic barrier layer that prevents spin-polarized electrons from the free layer from reaching the compensation layer. The compensation layer may be located between the write pole and the free layer. Electrons become spin-polarized by the compensation layer and are reflected back from the write pole across a nonmagnetic spacer layer. This causes the magnetization of the compensation layer to flip and become antiparallel to the magnetization of the free layer. The compensation layer thus generates a DC offset field that compensates for the negative effect of the DC shunting field from the free layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A magnetic recording write head for magnetizing regions in a magnetic recording layer, the write head comprising:
a write pole; a trailing shield; a spin torque oscillator (STO) between the write pole and the trailing shield, the STO comprising a ferromagnetic free layer, a ferromagnetic spin-polarizing layer (SPL), and a first nonmagnetic spacer layer between the free layer and the SPL; STO electrical circuitry coupled to the STO for generating electron flow between the free layer and the SPL; an electrically conductive coil coupled to the write pole for generating a magnetic write field between the write pole and the trailing shield, wherein the free layer is adapted to generate a shunting field that opposes the write field in the presence of electron flow; a ferromagnetic compensation layer for offsetting said shunting field; a nonmagnetic barrier layer between the compensation layer and the free layer, and a second nonmagnetic spacer layer adjacent the compensation layer, the compensation layer being located between the second spacer layer and the barrier layer.

2 . The head of claim 1 wherein the write head is adapted for electron flow in the direction from the trailing shield to the write pole and the compensation layer is between the write pole and the free layer.

3 . The head of claim 2 further comprising a ferromagnetic reference layer ferromagnetically coupled to the write pole and located between the write pole and the second spacer layer.

4 . The head of claim 1 wherein the write head is adapted for electron flow in the direction from the write pole to the trailing shield and the compensation layer is between the trailing shield and the free layer.

5 . The head of claim 4 further comprising a ferromagnetic reference layer ferromagnetically coupled to the trailing shield and located between the trailing shield and the second spacer layer.

6 . The head of claim 1 wherein the free layer has a magnetization, and wherein the spin-polarizing layer has a magnetization, the spin-polarizing layer being adapted to have its magnetization flip to be substantially antiparallel to the magnetization of the free layer in the presence of electron flow and a write field.

7 . The head of claim 1 wherein the free layer has a magnetization, the free layer being adapted to have its magnetization oriented substantially parallel to the write field in the presence of a write field, and wherein the compensation layer has a magnetization, the compensation layer being adapted to have its magnetization flip to be substantially antiparallel to the magnetization of the free layer in the presence of electron flow.

8 . The head of claim 1 wherein the free layer is adapted to provide microwave-assisted magnetic recording to the recording layer in the presence of current through said STO electrical circuitry.

9 . A magnetic recording system comprising:
the write head of claim 1 ; and a magnetic recording medium having a magnetic recording layer.

10 . A microwave-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR) write head for magnetizing regions of a magnetic recording layer, the head comprising:
a write pole; a trailing shield; an electrically conductive coil coupled to the write pole and capable of generating a magnetic write field between the write pole and the trailing shield; electrical circuitry coupled to the write pole and the trailing shield and capable of generating electron flow from the trailing shield to the write pole; a spin torque oscillator (STO) between the write pole and the trailing shield, the STO comprising a ferromagnetic field generation layer (FGL) having a magnetization, a ferromagnetic spin-polarizing layer (SPL) having a magnetization, and a first nonmagnetic spacer layer between the FGL and the SPL, the FGL being located between the write pole and the SPL and adapted to have its magnetization substantially in the direction of the write field in the presence of a write field and electron flow, the SPL being adapted to have its magnetization flip to be substantially opposite the direction of magnetization of the FGL in the presence of electron flow and a write field; a ferromagnetic compensation layer between the write pole and the FGL; a nonmagnetic barrier layer between the compensation layer and the FGL; a second nonmagnetic spacer layer between the write pole and the compensation layer; wherein the FGL is adapted to have its magnetization precess in the presence of electron flow to thereby provide microwave-assisted magnetic recording to the recording layer, the precessing FGL magnetization generating a DC shunting field that opposes the write field; and wherein the compensation layer is adapted to have its magnetization flip to be substantially opposite the direction of FGL magnetization in the presence of electron flow to thereby generate a DC compensation field for offsetting said DC shunting field in the presence of electron flow.

11 . The head of claim 10 further comprising a ferromagnetic reference layer ferromagnetically coupled to the write pole and located between the write pole and the second spacer layer.

12 . A magnetic recording system comprising:
the write head of claim 10 ; and a magnetic recording medium having a magnetic recording layer.

13 . A microwave-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR) disk drive perpendicular recording write head for magnetizing regions in data tracks of a perpendicular magnetic recording layer on a disk, the head being formed on a slider having a gas-bearing surface (GBS) and comprising:
a substrate; a write pole on the substrate and having an end substantially at the GBS; a nonmagnetic spacer layer on the write pole; a ferromagnetic compensation layer on the spacer layer and having a magnetization and an edge substantially at the GBS; a nonmagnetic barrier layer on the compensation layer; a spin torque oscillator (STO) comprising a ferromagnetic free layer on the barrier layer and having a magnetization and an edge substantially at the GBS, a ferromagnetic spin-polarizing layer (SPL), and a nonmagnetic STO spacer layer between the free layer and the SPL; a nonmagnetic capping layer on the SPL; a trailing shield on the capping layer; STO electrical circuitry coupled to the STO capable of generating electron flow from the trailing shield to the write pole; and an electrically conductive coil coupled to the write pole capable of generating a magnetic write field between the write pole and the trailing shield; wherein the free layer is adapted to have its magnetization oriented substantially parallel to the write field in the presence of a write field, the free layer generating a DC shunting field that opposes the write field in the presence of STO electron flow; and wherein the compensation layer is adapted to have its magnetization flip to be substantially antiparallel to the magnetization of the free layer in the presence of electron flow, the compensation layer generating a compensation field for offsetting said DC shunting field in the presence of electron flow.

14 . The head of claim 13 further comprising a ferromagnetic reference layer ferromagnetically coupled to the write pole and located between the write pole and the spacer layer.

15 . The head of claim 13 wherein the spin-polarizing layer has a magnetization, the spin-polarizing layer being adapted to have its magnetization flip to be substantially antiparallel to the magnetization of the free layer in the presence of electron flow and a write field.

16 . The head of claim 13 wherein the free layer i

Assignees

• Western Digital Tech Inc

Inventors

• Goncharov Alexander
• Asif Bashir Muhammad

Classifications

• G11B5/11

  Shielding of head against electric or magnetic fields · CPC title

• G11B5/6082

  Design of the air bearing surface · CPC title

• G11B5/314 Primary

  where the layers are extra layers normally not provided in the transducing structure, e.g. optical layers (G11B5/3196 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G11B5/399

  with intrinsic biasing, e.g. provided by equipotential strips · CPC title

• G11B2005/0024

  Microwave assisted recording · CPC title