Self-heating in thin-film magnetic recording heads due to write currents

Self-heating due to write currents is a critical concern in thin-film magnetic recording heads; the reliability of the head-media interface and magnetoresistive sensors can be degraded by excessive temperature rise during writing operations. A combined experimental and theoretical study shows that the magnetic saturation of yoke structures and the heat transfer across the air bearing strongly influence the magnitude and spatial distribution of the temperature rise. This paper describes three-dimensional numerical heat transfer simulations that can accurately model self-heating as a function of the amplitude and frequency of write current pulses.