2316results about "Fluid-dynamic spacing of heads" patented technology

A micro-actuator is comprised of a piezoelectric motor mounted on a flexure tongue with offsetting hinges, to perform a fine positioning of the magnetic read / write head. The substantial gain in the frequency response greatly improves the performance and accuracy of the track-follow control for fine positioning. The simplicity of the enhanced micro-actuator design results in a manufacturing efficiency that enables a high-volume, low-cost production. The micro-actuator is interposed between a flexure tongue and a slider to perform an active control of the fly height of the magnetic read / write head. The induced slider crown and camber are used to compensate for thermal expansion of the magnetic read / write head, which causes the slider to be displaced at an unintended fly height position relative to the surface of the magnetic recording disk. The enhanced micro-actuator design results in reduced altitude sensitivity, ABS tolerances, and reduced stiction. The controlled fly height of the magnetic read / write head prevents a possibility of a head crash, while improving the performance and data integrity.

A hard disk drive having a housing with a base and a cover connected to each other, a spindle motor connected to the base, a disk mounted on the spindle motor and rotating with respect to the base, and an actuator rotatably connected to the base and supporting a slider with a magnetic head mounted on a front end thereof. The magnetic head writes and / or reads data to and / or from the disk. The hard disk drive also has a blade protruding from a surface of the base and / or a portion of the cover facing the disk. The blade guides an air flow caused by rotation of the disk toward an outer edge of the disk.

A method adjusts a flying-height distance between a magnetic write head and a magnetic medium. The method includes positioning the write head in a location spaced from the magnetic medium by the flying-height distance. The write head includes a magnetic yoke and a proximal region in proximity to the magnetic medium. The write head further includes a resistive heater and at least a portion of the resistive heater is within the magnetic yoke and is in proximity to the proximal region. The resistive heater is configured to heat the proximal region. The proximal region has a coefficient of thermal expansion. The proximal region is configured to expand and to contract in response to a temperature of the proximal region. The method further includes flowing an electric current through the resistive heater. The method further includes controlling the electric current to adjust the temperature of the proximal region to selectively expand and contract the proximal region and thereby control the flying-height distance. Controlling the electric current includes pulsing the electrical current and adjusting a time interval between pulses.

A disk drive is disclosed which generates a pole tip protrusion (PTP) measurement by performing a write operation to heat the transducer while measuring a fly height of the transducer. A first data sequence written to the disk is read without heating the transducer to generate a first signal measurement. A second data sequence is then written to the disk in order to heat the transducer, and the first data sequence is again read to generate a second signal measurement. The PTP measurement is then generated in response to the first and second signal measurements.

An air bearing surface for read / write head of a magnetic disk drive is disclosed. The air bearing surface includes a trailing edge pad and a leading edge pad with trailing portions. A cavity is defined between the trailing edge pad and the trailing portions of the leading edge pad. A cavity patch is disposed within the cavity. The cavity patch can be disposed within the cavity towards one side of the read / write head.

A method and system for actuating a pole tip of a write head is disclosed. The write head includes a first pole and a second pole. The method and system include providing a strain element and providing a coil. The strain element is electrically insulated from the first pole and the second pole. The strain element is further configured to produce a strain for actuating the pole tip in response to a magnetic field. The coil carries a current capable of producing the magnetic field at the strain element.

A method of manufacturing a magnetic head device includes forming a thin film magnetic head element over a substrate, the thin film magnetic head element including a magnetoresistance (MR) element. The substrate is cut such that the MR element is exposed on a side surface of the substrate. The side surface is then polished. Afterward, a magnetically degenerated layer is removed from the thin film magnetic head element along the side surface. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

To provide a suspension board with circuit that enables its terminals to be bonded to the other terminals with sufficient strength with simple structure, to ensure sufficient bonding reliability, the suspension board with circuit 11 includes a suspension board 12, a base layer 13 formed on the suspension board 12, and a conductive layer 14 formed on the base layer 13 and a cover layer 18 with which the conductive layer 14 is covered, wherein external connection terminals 17 to be bonded to terminals 28 of a read / write board 29 are formed without the suspension board 12 and / or the base layer 13 being formed.

Embodiments of the invention provide a magnetic disk drive which has improved electrical properties owing to a reduction in the loss of transmission line, improved vibration properties owing to a reduction in the stiffness of wiring around the head, and a flat impedance in the transmission line. In one embodiment, a magnetic disk drive comprises a suspension; a magnetic head coupled with the suspension and configured to write and read information to and from a magnetic recording medium; and a transmission line disposed on the suspension to transmit writing and reading information to and from the magnetic head. The transmission line includes a writing line and a reading line, a lower conductor disposed underneath the writing line and the reading line, and an insulating layer interposed between the lower conductor and the writing and reading lines. The lower conductor comprises copper or copper-based alloy and has a thickness of substantially less than 25 μm, desirably about 2-12 μm, and more desirably about 5 μm.

An apparatus comprising a slider including a slider substrate with a trailing side and a writer with bond pads disposed on the trailing side. The writer has an optic input for receiving an optic output. The apparatus comprises an optoelectronic substrate having a substrate surface facing the trailing side, and having contacts on the substrate surface that are joined to the bond pads by conductive bridges, and having an optoelectronic emitter adjacent the substrate surface for generating the optic output.

A calibration disk includes calibration areas that allow a glide head to be calibrated as to the glide's head's avalanche height, fly height and the like. The calibration areas may be, for example, configured in a circumferential band (or, alternatively, a series of circumferential bands extending substantially concentric to one another), one or more spiral bands or some other suitable configuration. Such bands can, for example, extend from adjacent an outer diameter of the calibration disk to adjacent an inner portion of the calibration disk. Each of the circumferential bands is a textured area on the calibration disk having a given degree of composite roughness, as measured by the given circumferential band's average composite roughness height, and as such is referred to herein as a calibration band. Preferably, the given circumferential band is textured in a uniform manner, sufficient to produce a constant and continuous output signal from a sensor mounted on a glide head when the glide head flies lower than a maximum composite roughness height. Also preferably, the average composite roughness height within an individual calibration band is substantially uniform, and the average composite roughness height of each calibration band is slightly different from that of the other calibration bands.

A method for forming an electrical interconnect on an integrated lead suspension or suspension component of the type formed from a laminated sheet of material having a stainless steel layer, a conductive lead layer and an insulating layer separating the stainless steel and conductive lead layers. An aperture is formed through at least the insulating layer to expose the stainless steel layer at an interconnect site. An interconnect mask is applied around the interconnect site. Conductive material is electroplated onto the stainless steel layer at the interconnect site to form a plated interconnect. The mask is then removed. The method is used to form an interconnect bond pad on the same side of the stainless steel layer as the conductive lead layer in one embodiment. In another embodiment the aperture is formed through the insulator layer and the stainless steel layer, and conductive material is built up on the stainless steel layer during the electroplating step until it meets and plates onto the conductive lead layer to form a stainless steel side interconnect. In yet another embodiment the aperture is formed through the insulator layer and the conductive lead layer, and conductive material is built up on the stainless steel layer during the electroplating step until it meets and plates onto the conductive lead layer to form a conductive lead side interconnect.

The invention is a magnetic transducer with separated read and write heads for perpendicular recording. The write head has a trailing shield that extends from the return pole piece toward the main pole piece to form the write gap at the air-bearing surface. One embodiment of the trailing shield is a two part structure with a pedestal and a much smaller tip that confronts the main pole piece at the gap. In one embodiment a sink of non-magnetic, electrically conductive material is disposed in the separation gap between the read head and the flux bearing pole piece. The sink is preferably made of copper and does not extend to the ABS.

A head gimbal assembly (HGA) is provided. The HGA includes a suspension that has a suspension coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and a slider that has a slider CTE. A bonding element attaches the slider to the suspension. A compensation layer, having a compensation CTE, is located on the suspension. The compensation layer serves to compensate for a thermal distortion of the slider. A method of forming a HGA is also provided. The method includes providing a suspension having a suspension CTE and forming a slider having a slider CTE. The method further includes attaching the slider to the suspension and depositing a compensation layer, having a compensation CTE, on the suspension. The compensation layer serves to compensate for a thermal distortion of the slider.

A producing method of a suspension board with circuit that can permit a terminal portion to be formed by electrolysis plating without exposing a conductor layer to outside and also can reduce the number of processes, and the suspension board with circuit produced by the same producing method. After an insulating base layer 3 is formed on a suspension board 2 in a specific pattern in which a second opening 12 is formed, a thin metal film 13 is formed on an entire surface of the insulating base layer 3 and on a surface of the suspension board 2 including the second opening 12 exposed from the insulating base layer 3.Then, a conductor layer 4 is formed in the form of a wired circuit pattern on the thin metal film 13. Thereafter, the insulating cover layer 10 is formed in such a manner that a pad opening 11 is formed in the insulating cover layer 10 and then a pad portion 16 is formed in the pad opening 11 using the suspension board 2 as a lead portion of the electrolysis plating. Thereafter, a first opening 25 larger than the second opening 12 is formed in the suspension board 2 at a portion thereof corresponding to the second opening 12.

A method of manufacturing an integrated lead head suspension flexure of the type having conductors on a spring metal layer capable of being etched by a first etching process. The method includes forming a patterned layer having gaps one or more flying lead regions of dielectric material on a major surface of the spring metal layer and forming one or more conductive leads on the flexure, including onto the dielectric material and over exposed spring metal at the gap at each flying lead region. At least the flying lead portion of the conductive lead is formed from conductive material resistant to the first etching process. The method also includes etching a flying lead region of the spring metal layer to remove a portion of the spring metal layer in the flying lead region and expose the flying lead portions of the conductive lead.

A disk drive including a disk drive base and a cover attached to the disk drive base. The disk drive further includes a rotatable disk including a disk surface extending to an outer periphery. The disk drive further includes a spindle motor including an axis of rotation. The spindle motor is rotatably coupled to the disk drive base for rotating the disk about the axis of rotation. The disk drive further includes a shroud surface concentrically formed about and adjacent the outer periphery. The disk drive further includes a cavity formed in the shroud surface. The cavity extends to a cavity opening adjacent the outer periphery. The disk drive further includes an airflow diverter element extending from the cover towards the disk surface radially between the cavity opening and the axis of rotation for diverting disk rotation induced airflow adjacent the disk surface.

In a slider using thermal expansion type, being adjustable on a flying height thereof, having problems to be solved, i.e., to reduce the electric power consumption, and to lesson the heat load upon a reproducing element thereof, wherein a heating device 4 is located separating from tip portions of the recording and reproducing elements 2 and 3. Also, for deforming only the vicinity of the heating device 4 and the recording and reproducing elements 2 and 3, so as to protrude from, the heating device 4 and the recording and reproducing elements 2 and 3 are surrounded by a resin film 6 of small rigidity, thereby increasing an amount of protrusion of the recording and reproducing elements 2 and 3 per a unit of electric power, but without increasing temperature of the reproducing element 3, with an aim of the structure of cutting off the force from materials of circumferences against the deformation.

A head stack assembly includes a flex cable assembly. The head stack assembly further includes an actuator arm and a load beam coupled to the actuator arm. The head stack assembly further includes a trace suspension assembly backing layer coupled to the load beam and including a gimbal. The head stack assembly further includes a dielectric layer disposed upon the trace suspension assembly backing layer. The head stack assembly further includes a slider supported by the gimbal. The head stack assembly further includes a ground trace disposed upon the dielectric layer with the dielectric layer between the ground trace and the trace suspension assembly backing layer. The ground trace extends along the actuator arm and is electrically connected to the slider and the flex cable assembly for grounding the slider to the flex cable assembly.

In a read / write device for writing and reading a storage medium by way of a heat assisted magnetic recording / reproduction scheme, the read / write device including an elevated slider provided with a semiconductor laser, provided is a heat dissipation mechanism for dissipating heat generated in the elevated slider to an outside of a housing of the read / write device. Further, the storage medium has a second heatsink layer formed of an Al film having a thickness of 50 μm, a backing layer, a heat barrier layer, a first heatsink layer, a magnetic recording layer, and a protection film on a glass substrate. With this arrangement, in a read / write device which performs a heat assisted magnetic recording and reproduction by a semiconductor laser provided on the elevated slider, the occurrence of malfunction due to temperature rises in the storage medium is prevented.

A heater for changing a projection distance protrusion value by thermal expansion accompanying electric-power-distributed heating is provided in a head having at least a reading element. At desired correction timing, a changed distance detection unit measures a clearance changed distance in a state in which the head is positioned to a track on the recording medium while increasing the amount of electric power distributed to the heater. A contact determination unit determines that the head is brought into contact with the recording medium when a derivative value of the clearance changed distance is below a predetermined threshold value. A measurement output unit outputs the clearance changed distance detected by the changed distance detection unit at the time of contact determination of the contact determination unit as a measurement result of the clearance between the reading element and the recording medium.

A wired flexure comprises a metallic substrate, a polyimide layer formed on the metallic substrate, and read conductors and write conductors formed on the polyimide layer. The polyimide layer has a thick-walled portion and a thin-walled portion that are different in thickness. The read and write conductors extend covering the thick- and thin-walled portions. In order to obtain a desired impedance, the width of the conductors in the thin-walled portion is smaller than that of the conductors in the thick-walled portion.