Effectiveness of a pulsed laser in heat-assisted magnetic recording

Recently, much effort has been directed towards increasing the areal density of heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). Here, we use our HAMR recording simulation that employs renormalized media parameters to examine the potential use of a pulsed laser instead of a continuous laser. Proper tuning of the synchronization between magnetic and laser pulses yields improved thermal gradients and comparable (or improved) recording performance relative to a continuous laser. Importantly, it also produces less average heat in the media, which is expected to improve near field transducer lifetime. Results also show that the optimized pulsed laser reduces adjacent track erasure relative to a continuous laser, which is important for non-shingled recording.

Automated summary

In this study, the potential use of a pulsed laser instead of a continuous laser in heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) is explored using a simulation. Tuning the synchronization between magnetic and laser pulses improves thermal gradients and recording performance, while also reducing average heat in the media for improved near field transducer lifetime. Additionally, the optimized pulsed laser reduces adjacent track erasure, which is important for non-shingled recording.