2119results about "Record carrier guidance" 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 method and system for providing an energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) disk drive are described. The EAMR disk drive includes a slider, at least one EAMR transducer on the slider, and at least one laser coupled with the slider. The slider has a slider back side, a trailing face, and an intersection. The trailing face and the slider back side meet at the intersection. The trailing face makes an angle different from ninety degrees with the slider back side at the intersection. The laser(s) have an optical axis and are optically coupled with the trailing face of the slider. The optical axis is substantially perpendicular to the intersection and parallel to the slider back side.

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 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.

A magnetic tape of the present invention comprises a plurality of servo bands and servo signals for performing tracking-control of a magnetic head, wherein the servo signals are recorded on the servo bands, wherein a DC magnetization region magnetized in one direction by direct current is arranged along longitudinal directions of the magnetic tape on the servo bands, wherein each of the servo signals is magnetized in a reverse direction for the one direction of a DC magnetization and is recorded within the DC magnetization region, and wherein any of a relative ratio and relative difference of DC magnetization intensity in the DC magnetization region and recording magnetization intensity of each of the servo signals differs for each of the servo 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.

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 head stack assembly includes an actuator including an actuator arm, a load beam coupled to the actuator arm, and a gimbal coupled to the load beam. The gimbal is formed of an electrically conductive material. The head stack assembly further includes a dielectric layer disposed upon the gimbal. The head stack assembly further includes a slider supported by the gimbal. The head stack assembly further includes slider conductive pads disposed upon the dielectric layer with the dielectric layer interposed between the slider conductive pads and the gimbal. The slider conductive pads are electrically connected to the slider. The head stack assembly further includes a ground conductive pad disposed upon the dielectric layer with the dielectric layer interposed between the ground conductive pad and the gimbal. The ground conductive pad is electrically connected to the slider and the gimbal for electrically grounding the slider.

An apparatus for concentrating electromagnetic energy comprises a metallic transducer including a first section and a second section, wherein the first section is wider than the second section and has a width to length aspect ratio greater than or equal to a width to length aspect ratio of the second section, and a condenser for directing electromagnetic radiation onto the transducer. A magnetic storage device that includes the apparatus is also provided.

A magnetic data storage system according to one embodiment includes a magnetic head; and guides on opposite sides of the magnetic head for directing a magnetic medium over the magnetic head. The magnetic head includes: outer portions each having a tape bearing surface and an array of transducers selected from a group consisting of readers and writers; and a central portion positioned between the outer portions, the central portion having a tape bearing surface and an array of transducers selected from a group consisting of readers and writers. An inner edge of each of the tape bearing surfaces of the outer portions is adapted for skiving air from the magnetic medium when the magnetic medium travels in a direction from the central portion towards the respective outer portion. The guides are oriented to direct the magnetic medium to fly over a leading one of the outer portions, engage a leading edge of the tape bearing surface of the central portion, and engage an inner edge of the tape bearing surface of a trailing one of the outer portions.

An optical device integrated head having high light utilizing efficiency by decreasing the propagation loss caused from an optical source to a recording medium, conducting by mounting according to compact active alignment method for efficiently guiding a light generated from a laser device to the top end of a head, in which a light source device mounted on a submount has a mirror portion having an inclinated surface to at least a portion of one edge thereof for reflecting an output light from the optical source device at the inclinated surface, a structural member including a lens structure for further allowing a light to pass through the submount, and an optical waveguide disposed passing through a slider for mounting the submount, and the optical source and the slider are positioned by using active alignment of light in a chip-on carrier structure having the optical source device mounted on the submount.

Embodiments of the invention achieve a decrease in electric power consumption while ensuring high recording density and high reliability in a magnetic disk apparatus. In one embodiment, a magnetic disk apparatus comprises a rotatable magnetic disk and a magnetic head slider to be able to fly above a surface of the magnetic disk. The magnetic head slider comprises an air bearing surface, by which the magnetic head slider is caused to fly and come near to the rotating surface of the magnetic disk with a predetermined spacing therebetween, recording and reproducing elements to perform at least one of recording on and reproduction from the magnetic disk, and a heating device to adjust a distance between the recording and reproducing elements and the surface of the magnetic disk. The heating device is mounted such that heating thereof causes a part of the air bearing surface to expand and project to increase a distance between the recording and reproducing elements and the surface of the magnetic disk.

A thermally-assisted magnetic recording head and a magnetic recording apparatus having the magnetic recording head built in are disclosed. The magnetic recording head is capable of recording magnetic information by heating a recording unit of a recording medium and raising its temperature to reduce magnetic coercive force and then applying recording magnetic field to the recording unit having the reduced coercive force. The magnetic recording head has a light absorbing film having an aperture, a laser device emitting and directing light through the aperture to the recording medium to head the recording unit and raise its temperature, and a recording magnetic pole for applying the recording magnetic field to the recording unit. In the aperture, an aperture width W1 is along a polarizing direction of the light emitted from the laser device while an aperture width W2 is approximately perpendicular to the polarizing direction of the aperture width W1, and the aperture width W1 is shorter than the aperture width W2. The heating source such as a laser device recedes from the medium to provide a unique configuration where a tip of the recording magnetic pole protrudes ahead of the heating source, and hence, heating beam and the recording magnetic pole can be located close to each other without losing sufficient energy density to heat the medium.

Method and apparatus are presented for electrically coupling a slider to ground. In one embodiment, a bonding pad is provided on a side of the slider body separate from the bonding pad(s) used for read/write signals. This separate bonding pad is electrically coupled within the slider body to components that are to be coupled to ground. A separate conductor provided on the suspension (e.g., a trace, a flex circuit, etc.) may be electrically coupled to the separate bonding pad via gold ball bonding. The conductor is also coupled to ground in the hard-disk drive device (e.g., via the preamplifier). The use of the separated bonding pad and trace may negate the need to use a conductive adhesive to electrically ground the slider via its attachment to the tongue of a slider.

A method and apparatus for compensating for media shift due to spiral groove roller tape guide is disclosed. The lateral tape shift is measured. Then the control of the coarse actuator is adjusted for the lateral tape shift so that the movement of the coarse actuator follows the tape shift.

Embodiments of the invention improve the power consumption and response speed of a heater for the gap flying height (hg) adjustment, to minimize an influence that the heater has on a life of a read element, and to provide a heater having resistance lines reduced in breaking and ensuring higher reliability. In one embodiment, a read/write element is formed near an air bearing surface (ABS) on a slider, and the circumference of the read/write element is filled with alumina. The read/write element includes an upper magnetic pole piece, a lower magnetic pole piece, a coil, and a resist filling around the coil, and a read element (MR) for performing reading, and an upper shield and lower shield for protecting the read element from an external magnetic field. A heater for adjusting the flying height is provided between the slider and the read/write element but near the read/write element. A temperature gradient relaxing material having a thermal conductivity higher than that of the heater and that of a material (alumina) filling around the heater is formed near the heater.

A Head Gimbal Assembly (HGA) for use in a disk drive and comprising an ESD-protected slider comprising a head formed on a slider substrate. The slider may comprise an electrical-isolation circuit; an electrically-resistive path between head input connections and the slider; or both isolation circuits and resistive paths for reducing electrostatic charge on the slider while remaining connected during disk drive operations.

An aspect of the invention can be regarded an air bearing slider for use in a disk drive including a rotatable magnetic disk. The slider includes a leading side and a trailing side. The slider further includes opposing lateral sides extending between the leading and trailing sides. The slider further includes a transducer pad disposed adjacent the trailing side. The transducer pad includes a transducer for reading and writing data from and to the magnetic disk. The slider further includes a pair of pressurized side pads each respectively disposed laterally between the transducer pad and a respective one of the lateral sides. Each side pad includes a forward shallow etched surface, a trailing shallow etched surface extending from adjacent the trailing side toward the leading side, and a side pad air bearing surface disposed between and above the forward and trailing shallow etched surfaces.

A system comprises a head having a tape bearing surface and an array of transducers in the tape bearing surface, the transducers being selected from a group consisting of readers, writers and servo readers, a length of the array being defined between outer transducers thereof, the head having a feature that induces formation of a larger spacing between a tape and portions of the tape bearing surface positioned laterally to the array in a direction about perpendicular to a direction of tape travel thereacross than between the tape and a contiguous portion of the tape bearing surface wherein the feature has a continuous length that is at least as long as the plurality of transducers, wherein the feature has a continuous length that is at least as long as the plurality of transducers.