Hard disk drive embedded gasket base

Abstract

The hard disk drive housing base includes a groove extending into the sidewall from the interior sidewall surface and a gasket seal embedded in the groove. In the context of gradually increasing recording disk diameters, corresponding expanded disk shrouds, and corresponding narrower substrate sidewalls, such substrates are configured to enable the first cover to physically engage with a portion of the embedded gasket seal extending inwardly away from the sidewall surface, thereby providing a suitable drive seal mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention may generally relate to hard disk drives, and particularly to methods for embedding a gasket seal directly on a substrate. Background Art

[0002] A hard disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile storage device housed in a protective housing that stores digitally encoded data on one or more circular magnetic disks with magnetic surfaces. When the HDD is in operation, each magnetic recording disk is rapidly rotated by a spindle system. Data is read from and written to the magnetic recording disks using a read / write head (or "transducer") housed in a slider that is positioned above a specific location on the disk by an actuator. The read / write head uses a magnetic field to write data to and read data from the surface of the magnetic recording disk. The write head operates by flowing current through its coils, thereby generating a magnetic field. Electrical pulses are sent to the write head in different patterns of positive and negative current. The current in the write head's coils generates a local magnetic field in the gap between the head and the magnetic recording disk, which in turn magnetizes a small area on the recording medium.

[0003] As networked computing systems grow in number and functionality, the demand for data storage system capacity is also increasing. Cloud computing and large-scale data processing have further increased the need for digital data storage systems capable of transmitting and accommodating vast amounts of data. Consequently, increasing the storage capacity of HDDs (hard disk drives) is a continuing goal in the evolution of HDD technology. In one form, this goal manifests itself in increasing the diameter of the disks incorporated into a given HDD, thereby providing a larger disk surface area for data storage.

[0004] Any approaches that may be described in this section constitute approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any approach described in this section qualifies as prior art merely by virtue of its inclusion in this section. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references refer to similar elements and in which:

[0006] Figure 1 is a plan view of an exemplary hard disk drive according to one embodiment;

[0007] Figure 2A is a perspective view illustrating a hard disk drive substrate having a non-uniform disk shield according to one embodiment;

[0008] Figure 2B is an example according to one embodiment for Figure 2A a bottom plan view of the base plate cover;

[0009] Figure 2C is an example according to one embodiment Figure 2A A cross-sectional view of a sidewall rib of a substrate;

[0010] Figure 3A is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive substrate sealing sidewall of an exemplary 97 mm disk drive according to one embodiment;

[0011] Figure 3B is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive substrate sealing sidewall of an exemplary 98 mm disk drive according to one embodiment;

[0012] Figure 3C is a cross-sectional side view of a sealing side wall of a hard disk drive substrate illustrating a 99 mm disk;

[0013] Figure 4A is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive substrate with a gasket applied thereto of an exemplary 98 mm disk according to one embodiment;

[0014] Figure 4B is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive substrate with a gasket applied thereto illustrating a 99 mm magnetic disk;

[0015] Figure 5A is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary hard disk drive substrate having an embedded gasket according to a first embodiment;

[0016] Figure 5B is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary hard disk drive substrate having an embedded gasket according to a second embodiment; and

[0017] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method of manufacturing a hard disk drive housing base, according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Generally speaking, methods for embedding gasket substrates, such as those used in hard disk drives, are described. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention described herein. However, it will be apparent that the embodiments of the invention described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices may be shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments of the invention described herein.

[0019] introduction

[0020] the term

[0021] Reference herein to "an embodiment," "one embodiment," etc., is intended to mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic being described is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. However, instances of such phrases are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[0022] The term "substantially" should be understood to describe a feature that is mostly or nearly structured, configured, dimensioned, etc., but in practice manufacturing tolerances, etc., result in situations where the structure, configuration, dimensions, etc. are not always or necessarily exactly as described. For example, describing a structure as "substantially vertical" would give the term its ordinary meaning, such that the sidewalls would be vertical for all practical purposes, but might not be exactly at 90 degrees throughout.

[0023] While terms such as "best," "optimize," "minimize," "maximize," "maximize," etc. may not have certain values ​​associated with them, if such terms are used herein, it is intended that one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that such terms will include affecting a value, parameter, metric, etc., in a beneficial direction consistent with the present disclosure as a whole. For example, describing a value of something as "minimum" does not require that the value actually be equal to some theoretical minimum value (e.g., zero), but should be understood in a practical sense that the corresponding goal is to move the value in a beneficial direction toward the theoretical minimum value.

[0024] The term "airtight" will be understood to describe a sealing arrangement that is designed to have nominally no (or negligible) gas leakage or permeation paths. Although terms such as "airtight," "negligible leakage," "leak-free," etc. may be used herein, it should be noted that such systems will typically still have some permeability and are therefore not absolutely leak-free.

[0025] Scenario

[0026] It is one of the continuous goals of HDD technology evolution to review that increasing the storage capacity of HDD, and increasing disk diameter to provide a larger disk storage area is a method for increasing storage capacity. Recently, some HDD designs may have changed from 95 millimeters (mm) disks to 97mm disks. However, for HDDs of even higher capacity when the number of disks is not increased, even larger-sized disks (e.g., 98mm, 99mm) may be considered. However, a problem with increasing disk diameter is that the gasket (seal) space for the HDD cover to be sealed to the housing substrate becomes narrower, such as at the 3 o'clock position, 9 o'clock position, and 12 o'clock position.

[0027] Furthermore, storage system owners / operators prefer HDDs with lower power consumption to save operating costs. A disk shroud is a structural surface located within the internal volume and adjacent to the disk stack, such that the shroud substantially surrounds the circumference of the disks over a certain arc span, typically less than a full 360 degrees, to allow clearance for the head stack assembly (HSA) to operate over the disks. Historically, the shroud-to-disk clearance (or "disk shroud clearance") has typically been continuous and constant (i.e., uniform) around the perimeter of the disks and typically kept as tight as possible to reduce disk flutter, particularly in air-based products. However, such a tight clearance creates more windage, which requires the spindle motor to expend more power. In helium (or other lighter-than-air)-based drives, the risk of disk flutter is minimal or nonexistent, but due to a legacy from air drives, a very narrow clearance is typically maintained. Widening the disk shroud clearance is one way to reduce the shear stress applied to the edges (or "edges") of the disks, thereby reducing windage torque and windage, as well as power consumption. Generally, the wider the shroud gap, the lower the windage, until the curve flattens out (e.g., at about 3mm spacing). However, increasingly larger disk diameters (e.g., 97mm for some products) push the thickness limits of the baseplate at the 3, 9, and 12 o'clock positions, which are particularly restrictive for drive form factors, and conflict with the need for a sealing strip (or "seat") surface to apply a gasket seal around the perimeter of the baseplate's internal cavity.

[0028] Figure 2A is a perspective view of an exemplary hard disk drive substrate with a non-uniform disk shield, according to one embodiment. A housing base 200 (or "base 200" or simply "base 200") configured to house internal components of a hard disk drive (HDD), such as a recording disk, an actuator arm assembly, a head slider, etc., includes an internal non-uniform disk shield structure, i.e., a disk shield 204. The base 200 is referred to herein as having a non-uniform disk shield because it has a non-uniform, non-constant radius and, therefore, is not uniform with respect to the corresponding recording disks of the disk stack (not shown here; see, e.g., Figure 1 The non-uniform disk shield 204 includes a first portion 204a having a first gap (or "gap") to the outer edge of the disk medium and a second portion 204b having a different second gap to the outer edge of the disk medium. Here, the first gap and the second gap corresponding to the first portion 204a and the second portion 204b of the disk shield 204 will be relative to the plane of the disk medium (i.e., the distance between the edge of the disk medium and the disk shield 204). The position of the second portion 204b of the disk shield 204 corresponds to or coincides with the narrower portion 202b of the sidewall 202 of the substrate 200.

[0029] According to one embodiment and as depicted, portions 202b, 204b are located at a plurality of specific positions or locations along the sidewall 202 of the substrate 200 and the disk shield 204. That is, the portions may be located at the 3 o'clock (or 0°) position, the 12 o'clock (or 90°) position, and the 9 o'clock (or 180°) position (where, for reference, the 3 o'clock position is 0°). Figure 2A The area without the shroud 204 in the lower portion of the actuator where it operates includes the 6 o'clock or 270° position. At these locations, given the limited space in such locations for the base sidewall 202 in a given form factor, the actuator form factor is particularly constrained because a seat or sealing surface for the gasket 206 seal is required around the perimeter of the main cavity of the base 200.

[0030] Figure 2B is an example according to one embodiment for Figure 2A The bottom plan view of the cover of the substrate 200. The cover 210 (or "first cover 210") includes a gasket 212 positioned substantially around the periphery of the cover 210. The gasket 212 serves as a seal between the first cover 210 and the substrate 200 ( Figure 2A ) between the first cover 210 and the second cover 210. ) In one embodiment, the gasket 212 is a CIPG (cured in place gasket) type seal, whereby the gasket material is applied to the substrate 200 and then UV (ultraviolet) cured. Here, the CIPG gasket seal facilitates the removability of the overlying first cover 210. Typically, HDDs are configured with a gasket applied to the substrate, such as the gasket 206 ( Figure 2A ), or a gasket applied to a cover such as gasket 212 of cover 210, thus Figures 2A to 2B can be considered as an alternative method of sealing the first cover 210 to the substrate 200. In either case, the gaskets 206, 212 are shaped to conform to a sidewall band or seat generally around the perimeter of the substrate 200 / cover 210, and wherein such substrate 200 sidewall 202 gasket seats are generally at the 3 o'clock position, the 9 o'clock position, and the 12 o'clock position (i.e., at the portion 202b ( Figure 2A ) is narrower.

[0031] Furthermore, in the context of a hermetically sealed HDD in which a lighter-than-air gas (e.g., helium) is enclosed, a second cover (not shown) is typically welded to the base plate 200 above the first cover 210 to hermetically seal the gas within the HDD. Therefore, a space is required on the sidewalls of the base plate 200 for coupling the second cover thereto, wherein the upper surface of such sidewalls configured to receive the second cover is referred to herein as a "welding rib" (or simply "rib"). Figure 2C is an example according to one embodiment Figure 2A A cross-sectional view of the sidewall ribs of the substrate. Figure 2C The cross-sectional view of exemplifies the positions corresponding to the 3 o'clock position, the 9 o'clock position, and the 12 o'clock position (ie, the side wall portion 202b ( Figure 2A Here, in the context of a recording disk 220 diameter of 97 mm or less, as depicted, there is sufficient overlap between the cover 210 and the sidewall 202 of the substrate 200, i.e., the inner side of the rib 203 a, so that the gasket 212 can achieve a suitable seal on the seat 203 b of the substrate 200.

[0032] Method of sealing the first cover in the context of larger diameter disks

[0033] However, as the diameter of the recording disk becomes larger, sealing by the gasket becomes increasingly difficult as the seat 203b becomes narrower. Figure 3A 3 is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive substrate sealing sidewall of an exemplary 97 mm disk 320-1, according to one embodiment. In the context of a 97 mm disk, the substrate 300 includes a sidewall 302 including a rib 303a and a seat 303b configured to seat a gasket 312 coupled to a first cover 310. Here, for example, the seat 303b is depicted as being 1.075 mm wide (including the shroud ramp), thereby providing sufficient gasket compression surface to achieve proper seating of the gasket 312 with the seat 303b. Figure 3B 3 is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive substrate sealing sidewall for an exemplary 98 mm disk, according to one embodiment. In the context of 98 mm disk 320-2, substrate 330 includes a sidewall 332 including ribs 333a and (possibly) a seat 333b configured to seat a gasket 342 coupled to first cover 340. Here, for example, seat 333b is depicted as being 0.575 mm wide (including the shroud ramp), thereby providing a slight overlap between gasket 342 and seat 333b. Figure 3C 3 is a cross-sectional side view of a hard drive substrate sealing side wall illustrating a 99 mm disk. In the context of the 99 mm disk 320-3, the substrate 360 ​​includes a side wall 362 that includes ribs 363a and a minimum "seat" 363b surface for seating the gasket 372 of the first cover 370. Here, for example, the "seat" 363b is depicted as being 0.075 mm (including the shroud ramp) wide, thereby not providing sufficient gasket compression surface to achieve proper seating of the gasket 372 with the "seat" 363b. Thus, as Figures 3A to 3C The conventional method shown tends to be ineffective in sealing the first cover to the substrate sidewalls as the diameters of the recording disks 320-1, 320-2, 320-3 become progressively larger.

[0034] Another approach involves applying the gasket seal directly to the substrate, for example by employing CIPG, rather than to the first cover. Figure 4A 4 is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive substrate with a gasket applied thereto for an exemplary 98 mm disk, according to one embodiment. In the context of the 98 mm disk 420-2, the substrate 400 includes a sidewall 402 including a rib 403a and a seat 403b configured to seat a gasket 412 coupled to the first cover 410. Here, for example, the seat 403b is depicted as being 0.575 mm wide (including the shroud ramp), thereby providing sufficient gasket compression surface to achieve proper seating of the gasket 412 with the seat 403b, e.g., when the gasket 412 is applied to the horizontal wall of the seat 403b and the vertical wall of the rib 403a of the substrate 400. Figure 4B is a cross-sectional side view of a hard drive substrate with a gasket applied thereto illustrating a 99 mm disk. In the context of the 99 mm disk 420-3, the substrate 430 includes a side wall 432 that includes ribs 433a and a minimum "seat" 433b surface for seating the gasket 442 of the first cover 440. Here, for example, the "seat" 433b is depicted as being 0.075 mm (including the shroud ramp) wide, thereby not providing sufficient gasket compression surface to achieve proper seating of the gasket 442 with the "seat" 433b, i.e., no horizontal wall of the seat 433b is effective for seating the gasket 442. Thus, as Figures 4A to 4B The alternative approach shown tends to be ineffective in sealing the first cover to the substrate sidewalls as the diameters of the recording disks 420-2, 420-3 become progressively larger.

[0035] Embedded gasket on base plate

[0036] Figure 5A is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary hard disk drive substrate with an embedded gasket according to a first embodiment. In the context of a recording disk 520-1 having an outer diameter greater than 97 mm (e.g., a "large diameter" disk), the substrate 500 includes a sidewall 502 including a rib 503 and a groove 504 extending from an inner sidewall surface 502a into the sidewall 502, and a gasket seal 512 embedded in a groove 504. Figures 4A to 4BCompared to the substrate shown and described above with a gasket applied thereto, i.e., the gasket 412 applied to the horizontal wall of the seat 403b and the vertical wall of the rib 403a of the substrate 400, here the groove 504 extends into the sidewall 502 and the gasket seal 512 is embedded in the groove 504. According to one embodiment, the gasket seal 512 is primarily enclosed within the groove. For example, the gasket seal 512 can be enclosed at least or approximately 180 degrees, or surrounded on three sides within the groove 504. The groove 504 and the embedded gasket seal 512 (e.g., composed of a conventional gasket sealing material) are configured to seal the first cover 510 to the substrate 500. According to this illustrated embodiment, the groove 504 extends into the sidewall 502 substantially perpendicular to the sidewall surface 502a, and a portion of the embedded gasket seal 512 extends inward beyond the sidewall surface 502a, for example, into the interior cavity of the substrate 500. Thus, such a configuration enables the first cover 510 to physically engage a portion of the embedded gasket seal 512 that extends inwardly away from the sidewall surface 502a, thereby providing a secure connection for an HDD such as HDD 100 ( Figure 1 ) provide a suitable sealing mechanism. In the context of a recording disk 520-1 having an outer diameter of 97 mm or less, such a configuration can enable a disk shroud clearance greater than 0.2 mm, or even up to about 1.0 mm or greater, with instances where a maximum disk shroud clearance is desired, such as for power consumption optimization, for example.

[0037] Figure 5B is a cross-sectional side view of an example hard disk drive substrate with an embedded gasket according to a second embodiment. In the context of a recording disk 520-2 having an outer diameter greater than 97 mm (e.g., a "large diameter" disk), the substrate 530 includes a sidewall 532 including a rib 533 and a groove 534 extending from an inner sidewall surface 532a into the sidewall 532, and a gasket seal 542 embedded in a groove 534. This is also related to a disk such as Figures 4A to 4B Compared to the substrate with the gasket applied thereto shown and described above, the groove 534 extends into the sidewall 532 and the gasket seal 542 is embedded in the groove 534. According to one embodiment, the gasket seal 542 is mainly enclosed within the groove. For example, the gasket seal 542 can be enclosed by at least or approximately 180 degrees, or surrounded by three sides within the groove 534. The groove 534 and the embedded gasket seal 542 (e.g., composed of conventional gasket sealing material) are configured to seal the first cover 540 to the substrate 530. According to the illustrated embodiment, the groove 534 extends from the sidewall surface 532a at a downward angle (e.g., as in Figure 2AThe first cover 540 extends into the side wall 532 (toward the "bottom"), and a portion of the embedded gasket seal 542 extends inward beyond the side wall surface 532a, for example, into the inner cavity of the base plate 530. Here again, this configuration enables the first cover 540 to physically engage the portion of the embedded gasket seal 542 that extends inward away from the side wall surface 532a, thereby providing a secure connection for an HDD such as HDD 100 ( Figure 1 Here again, in the context of a recording disk 520-2 having an outer diameter of 97 mm or less, such a configuration can enable a disk shroud clearance greater than 0.2 mm, or even up to about 1.0 mm or greater, with instances where a maximum disk shroud clearance is desired, such as for power consumption optimization, for example.

[0038] Method of manufacturing a hard disk drive housing base

[0039] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method of manufacturing a hard disk drive housing base according to one embodiment. For example, Figure 6 The manufacturing method can be used to manufacture HDD housing bases such as base 500 ( Figure 5A )、530( Figure 5B ).

[0040] At block 602, a groove is formed in the sidewall of the hard drive housing base extending from the interior sidewall surface. For example, groove 504 ( Figure 5A )、534( Figure 5B ) from the inner sidewall surface 502a ( Figure 5A )、532a( Figure 5B ) extends to the hard drive (see, e.g., Figure 1 HDD 100) housing base 200 ( Figure 2A )、500( Figure 5A )、530( Figure 5B ) (See also, e.g., Figure 1 The side wall 502 (of the HDD housing 1 68) Figure 5A )、532( Figure 5B According to one embodiment, forming the groove includes forming the groove to extend substantially perpendicular to the sidewall surface into the sidewall, with reference to Figure 5A According to another embodiment, forming the groove includes forming the groove to extend from the sidewall surface into the sidewall at a downward angle, with reference to Figure 5B .

[0041] At block 604, a gasket seal is inserted into the groove. For example, the gasket seal 512 ( Figure 5A )、542( Figure 5B) is embedded (e.g., adhered, press-fitted, etc.) into the grooves 504, 534. According to an embodiment, forming the groove (e.g., frame 602) and embedding the gasket seal (e.g., frame 604) are performed at a plurality of discrete locations along the sidewall of the base. According to a related embodiment, these locations are the 0° position, the 90° position, and the 180° position of the base. According to one embodiment, embedding the gasket seal includes embedding the gasket seal so that a portion of the gasket seal extends inwardly beyond the sidewall surface, such as Figures 5A to 5B Each configuration.

[0042] Thus, such substrates 500, 530 including embedded gasket seals 512, 542 enable, for example, a first cover 510 ( Figure 5A )、540( Figure 5B ) can be physically engaged with at least a portion of the embedded gasket seal 512, 542 that extends inwardly away from the sidewall surface 502a, 532a. Thus, the method provides a method for HDDs such as HDD 100 ( Figure 1 ) provide a suitable sealing mechanism even with larger diameter disks (e.g., greater than 97 mm) and corresponding expanded disk shrouds. These methods and configurations are equally applicable to conventional disk diameters (e.g., 97 mm and smaller), thereby providing a larger disk shroud clearance (e.g., in the approximate range of 0.2 mm-1.0 mm), thereby achieving relatively low power consumption.

[0043] Physical Description of an Exemplary Operating Situation

[0044] The embodiments may be used in the context of a digital data storage device (DSD) such as a hard disk drive (HDD). Thus, according to one embodiment, Figure 1 A plan view illustrating a conventional HDD 100 is shown to help describe how a conventional HDD typically operates.

[0045] FIG1 illustrates the functional arrangement of components of an HDD 100, including a slider 110b, which includes a magnetic read / write head 110a. Slider 110b and head 110a may be collectively referred to as a head slider. HDD 100 includes at least one head gimbal assembly (HGA) 110 having a head slider, a lead suspension 110c typically attached to the head slider via a flexure, and a load beam 110d attached to the lead suspension 110c. HDD 100 also includes at least one recording medium 120 rotatably mounted on a spindle 124 and a drive motor (not visible) attached to spindle 124 for rotating the medium 120. The read / write head 110a (also referred to as a transducer) includes a write element and a read element for writing and reading information stored on the medium 120 of HDD 100, respectively. A disk clamp 128 may be used to attach the medium 120 or multiple disk media to the spindle 124.

[0046] HDD 100 also includes an arm 132 attached to HGA 110, a carriage 134, and a voice coil motor (VCM) comprising an armature 136 containing a voice coil 140 attached to carriage 134, and a stator 144 containing a voice coil magnet (not visible). The armature 136 of the VCM is attached to carriage 134 and is configured to move the arm 132 and the HGA 110 to access the media 120, which are collectively mounted on a pivot shaft 148 with an interposed pivot bearing assembly 152. In the context of HDDs with multiple disks, carriage 134 may be referred to as an "E-block" or comb because the carriage is arranged to carry an array of linked arms, giving it the appearance of comb teeth.

[0047] The assembly including a head gimbal assembly (e.g., HGA 110) having a flexure to which a head slider is coupled, an actuator arm (e.g., arm 132) and / or a load beam to which the flexure is coupled, and an actuator (e.g., VCM) to which the actuator arm is coupled may be collectively referred to as a head stack assembly (HSA). However, an HSA may include more or fewer components than those described. For example, an HSA may refer to an assembly that also includes electrical interconnect components. Generally speaking, an HSA is an assembly that is configured to move a head slider to access portions of a medium 120 for read and write operations.

[0048] 1 , electrical signals, including write signals to and read signals from the head 110 a (e.g., current to the voice coil 140 of the VCM), are transmitted by a flexible cable assembly (FCA) 156 (or "flexible cable," or "flexible printed circuit" (FPC)). The interconnect between the flexible cable 156 and the head 110 a may include an arm electronics (AE) module 160, which may have an onboard preamplifier for the read signal and other read and write channel electronics. The AE module 160 may be attached to the carriage 134, as shown. The flexible cable 156 may be coupled to an electrical connector block 164, which, in some configurations, provides electrical connectivity via electrical feedthroughs provided by an HDD housing 168. The HDD housing 168 (or "housing base," "baseboard," or simply "base"), together with the HDD cover, provides a semi-sealed (or hermetically sealed, in some configurations) protective housing for the information storage components of the HDD 100.

[0049] Other electronic components, including a disk controller and servo electronics including a digital signal processor (DSP), provide electrical signals to the drive motor, the voice coil 140 of the VCM, and the head 110a of the HGA 110. The electrical signal provided to the drive motor causes the drive motor to rotate, thereby providing torque to the spindle 124, which in turn is transmitted to the medium 120 attached to the spindle 124. As a result, the medium 120 rotates in direction 172. The rotating medium 120 forms an air cushion that acts as an air bearing on which the air bearing surface (ABS) of the slider 110b rides, allowing the slider 110b to fly above the surface of the medium 120 without coming into contact with the thin magnetic recording layer that records information. Similarly, in an HDD that utilizes a lighter-than-air gas (such as helium for non-limiting example), the rotating medium 120 forms an air cushion that acts as a gas or fluid bearing on which the slider 110b rides.

[0050] The electrical signal provided to the voice coil 140 of the VCM enables the head 110a of the HGA 110 to access the track 176 on which the information is recorded. As a result, the armature 136 of the VCM swings through an arc 180, which enables the head 110a of the HGA 110 to access the individual tracks on the medium 120. The information is stored in a plurality of radially nested tracks on the medium 120, which are arranged in sectors (such as sector 184) on the medium 120. Accordingly, each track is composed of a plurality of sectorized track portions (or "track sectors"), such as sectorized track portion 188. Each sectorized track portion 188 may include recorded information and a data header containing error correction code information and a servo burst signal pattern, such as an ABCD-servo burst signal pattern (which is information identifying the track 176). When accessing track 176, the read element of head 110a of HGA 110 reads a servo burst signal pattern that provides a position error signal (PES) to the servo electronics, which in turn controls the electrical signal provided to the voice coil 140 of the VCM, thereby enabling head 110a to follow track 176. Upon finding track 176 and identifying a particular sectored track portion 188, head 110a either reads information from track 176 or writes information to track 176 according to instructions received by the disk controller from an external agent, such as a computer system's microprocessor.

[0051] The electronic architecture of an HDD includes multiple electronic components for performing their respective HDD operating functions, such as a hard disk controller ("HDC"), an interface controller, an arm electronics module, a data channel, a motor driver, a servo processor, a buffer memory, etc. Two or more of these components may be combined on a single integrated circuit board called a "system on a chip" ("SOC"). Several, if not all, of these electronic components are typically arranged on a printed circuit board that is coupled to the bottom side of the HDD, such as to the HDD housing 168.

[0052] This document refers to hard drives, such as Figure 1The HDD 100 shown and described may include an information storage device sometimes referred to as a "hybrid drive." A hybrid drive generally refers to a storage device that combines the functionality of a conventional HDD (see, for example, HDD 100) with a solid-state storage device (SSD) that uses non-volatile memory, such as flash memory or other solid-state (e.g., integrated circuit) memory, which is electrically erasable and programmable. Because the operation, management, and control of different types of storage media are generally different, the solid-state portion of the hybrid drive may include its own corresponding controller functionality, which may be integrated into a single controller along with the HDD functionality. The hybrid drive may be constructed and configured to operate and utilize the solid-state portion in a variety of ways, such as, by way of non-limiting example, using the solid-state memory as cache memory, for storing frequently accessed data, for storing I / O intensive data, and the like. Additionally, the hybrid drive may be constructed and configured to essentially function as two storage devices, a conventional HDD and an SSD, in a single housing, with one or more interfaces for host connection.

[0053] Extensions and replacements

[0054] In the foregoing description, embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to a large number of specific details, which may vary according to different specific implementations. Therefore, various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the embodiments. Therefore, the present invention and what the applicant intends to be the sole and exclusive indicator of the present invention are the set of claims issued by this patent application in the specific form in which such claims issue, including any subsequent corrections. Any definitions of terms contained in these claims expressly set forth herein shall determine the meaning of these terms as used in the claims. Thus, limitations, elements, characteristics, features, advantages or attributes that are not expressly recited in a claim should not limit the scope of this claim in any way. Therefore, this specification and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0055] Furthermore, in this description, certain process steps may be shown in a particular order, and letters and alphanumeric labels may be used to identify certain steps. Unless expressly indicated otherwise in the specification, embodiments are not necessarily limited to any particular order of performing such steps. Specifically, these labels are used only to facilitate identification of steps and are not intended to specify or require a particular order of performing such steps.

Claims

1. A hard disk drive (HDD), comprising: a magnetic disk medium rotatably mounted on the spindle; a head slider housing a read / write transducer configured to read from and write to the disk media; an actuator configured to move the head slider to access a portion of the disk media; and A housing base, the housing base comprising: a groove extending from the interior sidewall surface into the sidewall, and A gasket seal is embedded in the groove. 2 . The HDD of claim 1 , wherein the groove and embedded gasket seal are located at a plurality of discrete locations along the sidewall of the base. 3 . The HDD of claim 1 , wherein the groove and the embedded gasket seal are located at a 0° position, a 90° position, and a 180° position of the base.

4. The HDD according to claim 1, further comprising: a first cover coupled to the base; wherein the embedded gasket seal is configured to seal an interface between the first cover and the base.

5. The HDD according to claim 1, further comprising: a first cover coupled to the base; in: The trench extends into the sidewall substantially perpendicularly to the sidewall surface, A portion of the embedded gasket seal extends inwardly beyond the sidewall surface, and The first cover is physically engaged with the portion of the embedded gasket seal.

6. The HDD according to claim 1, further comprising: a first cover coupled to the base; in: The groove extends from the sidewall surface into the sidewall at a downward angle, a portion of the embedded gasket seal extends inwardly beyond the sidewall surface, and The first cover is physically engaged with the portion of the embedded gasket seal.

7. The HDD of claim 1, wherein the disk media has a diameter greater than 97 mm.

8. The HDD of claim 1, wherein the disk media has a diameter less than or equal to 97 mm and a disk shroud clearance greater than 0.2 mm.

9. The HDD of claim 1, wherein the disk media has a diameter less than or equal to 97 mm and a disk shroud clearance greater than or equal to 1.0 mm.

10. The HDD according to claim 1, further comprising a lighter-than-air gas contained therein.

11. A housing base for a hard disk drive, the base comprising: a groove extending from an interior sidewall surface into said sidewall; and A gasket seal is embedded in the groove.

12. The base of claim 11, wherein the groove and the embedded gasket seal are located at a plurality of discrete locations along the sidewall of the base.

13. The base of claim 12, wherein the groove and the embedded gasket seal are located at the 0° position, the 90° position, and the 180° position of the base.

14. The base according to claim 11, wherein: The trench extends into the sidewall substantially perpendicular to the sidewall surface; and A portion of the embedded gasket seal extends inwardly beyond the sidewall surface.

15. The base of claim 11, wherein: The groove extends from the sidewall surface into the sidewall at a downward angle; and A portion of the embedded gasket seal extends inwardly beyond the sidewall surface.

16. A method of manufacturing a hard disk drive housing base, the method comprising: forming a groove in the sidewall extending from an interior sidewall surface into the base; as well as Insert the gasket seal into the groove.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein forming the groove and embedding the gasket seal are performed at a plurality of discrete locations along the sidewall of the base.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein forming the groove and embedding the gasket seal are performed at a 0° position, a 90° position, and a 180° position of the base.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein: forming the groove includes forming the groove to extend into the sidewall substantially perpendicular to the sidewall surface; and Embedding the gasket seal includes embedding the gasket seal such that a portion of the gasket seal extends inwardly beyond the sidewall surface.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein: forming the groove includes forming the groove to extend from the sidewall surface into the sidewall at a downward angle; and Embedding the gasket seal includes embedding the gasket seal such that a portion of the gasket seal extends inwardly beyond the sidewall surface.

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