Patent ID: 7369349
Filing Date: 2008-05-06
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A data storage device comprising: a slider which flies above a rotating medium; a head element located at the slider; a controller which performs seek operation of the head element to seek a target track, and which performs the seek operation in a plurality of different control modes; and a heater which is located at the slider, said heater being brought into an ON state after a last mode of the seek operation starts and before the head element accesses a data area, said heater being continuously kept in the ON state until the head element accesses the data area so that the head element protrudes by thermal expansion to adjust a clearance between the head element and the rotating medium, wherein a value of an electric current supplied to the heater in the ON state that is continuously kept is larger than or equal to a value of an electric current supplied to the heater while the head element reads out data from the data area.