Magnetic Recording Head Flying Height Control for Lubricant Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
In heat-assisted magnetic recording heads, the generation of a lubricant cured material on the magnetic disk surface leads to degraded recording performance due to changes in flying height, as the lubricant cured material affects laser transmittance and requires reformation when flying height changes.
Innovation Solution
A control method for a magnetic recording/reproducing device that involves changing the head flying height to a higher second height after recording, and filling the gap between the head and the recording surface with lubricant to form a lubricant filling area, thereby maintaining recording performance across varying flying heights.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the flying height is decreased, then the recording density can be increased, but the lubricant cured material is shaven by abrasion causing performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming a lubricant filling area in advance before recording operations. The controller causes the lubricant to fill the gap between the head and recording surface at a higher flying height, creating a stable lubricant layer that prevents abrasion during subsequent low-flying-height recording operations, thus preventing performance degradation before it occurs.
2Reliability
If the flying height is increased, then the lubricant cured material is protected from abrasion, but the laser transmittance increases and recording efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the flying height adjustable and adaptive. The controller dynamically changes the flying height based on the operational requirements - using higher flying heights when lubricant filling is needed to prevent abrasion, and lower flying heights during normal recording operations to maintain efficient laser transmittance and recording speed, thus optimizing both reliability and productivity at different operational phases.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the head moves from low flotation track to high flotation track, then the adaptability is improved, but the recording performance is degraded until cured material is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the controller form a lubricant filling area before the head moves to a high flotation track. This preliminary lubricant formation ensures that when the head transitions to different tracks with varying flotation heights, the lubricant layer is already in place to maintain stable recording performance, eliminating the performance degradation that would otherwise occur during track transitions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution prevents the degradation of recording performance by ensuring consistent lubricant filling, reducing the time required to achieve stable bit error rates, and maintaining efficient laser transmittance across different flying heights.
Implementation Method 1
In heat-assisted magnetic recording heads, the temperatures of magnetic disks are increased by laser to perform recording
Implementation Method 2
filling the portion located between the head and the medium with a lubricant
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a magnetic recording/reproducing device includes a housing which accommodates a magnetic recording medium, and a magnetic head which records or reproduces magnetic data relative the magnetic recording medium, and a synthetic adsorbent provided in the housing and containing a polystyrene-divinylbenzene copolymer.