US 12,190,908 B2
Near-field transducer (NFT) designs for improved performance of heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR)
Sukumar Rajauria, San Jose, CA (US); Erhard Schreck, San Jose, CA (US); and Robert Smith, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Western Digital Technologies, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Western Digital Technologies, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 2, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/364,413.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/504,944, filed on May 30, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0404556 A1, Dec. 5, 2024
Int. Cl. G11B 5/00 (2006.01); G11B 5/31 (2006.01); G11B 13/08 (2006.01)
CPC G11B 13/08 (2013.01) [G11B 5/3106 (2013.01); G11B 2005/0021 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A magnetic storage device comprising:
a media comprising a magnetic recording layer; and
a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head for writing to the magnetic recording layer, the HAMR head comprising:
a waveguide;
a main pole comprising a main-pole surface facing the magnetic recording layer;
a near-field transducer (NFT) situated between the main pole and the waveguide, wherein the NFT comprises a main body and a micropillar, wherein the micropillar comprises a micropillar surface facing the magnetic recording layer, wherein a first distance between the micropillar surface and the media is less than a second distance between the main-pole surface and the media; and
a transparent overcoat situated on the main-pole surface and the micropillar surface, wherein a media-facing surface of the transparent overcoat is three-dimensional.