Patent ID: 9454986
Filing Date: 2016-09-27
CPC Classification: G11B

Claim Text:
1. An apparatus, comprising: a light source configured to produce light; a slider configured to communicate the light to a near-field transducer that uses the light as an energy source for heating a region of a magnetic recording medium; a thermal sensor situated on the slider at a location for sensing a change in temperature resulting from direct heating of the thermal sensor by the light and from waste heat communicated from the light source to the thermal sensor, wherein the sensed change in thermal sensor temperature due to direct heating of the thermal sensor is representative of optical intensity of the light delivered by the light source; a circuit coupled to the thermal sensor and configured to measure a change in resistance of the thermal sensor in response to the sensed change in thermal sensor temperature due to direct heating of the thermal sensor rather than from waste heat generated by the light source; and a processor coupled to the circuit and configured to: