Thermal Analysis of Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording Optical Head with Laser Diode on Slider

For the optical head used in heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), mounting a laser diode chip on the slider offers a more integrated, compact, and stable design. However, the heat generated by the laser diode will cause the head temperature to increase, which may decrease the laser output power and change the slider flying status. In this paper, the thermal analysis of the HAMR head including the laser diode and a transducer is conducted. The effects of the laser diode power, the power absorbed by the transducer, boundary thermal resistance between the laser diode chip and the slider substrate, and slider fly speed and fly height on the laser temperature increase, the transducer temperature increase, and the air-bearing surface temperature distribution are studied. The deformation of the air-bearing surface caused by its temperature change is also analyzed.