Hard disk drive embedded gasket base

Abstract

To provide a method for directly embedding a gasket seal in particular into a base plate for the purpose of providing a larger disc storage region in a hard disk drive and also to provide an enclosure base.SOLUTION: A base plate (enclosure base plate) 500 of a hard disk drive includes: a groove 504 that extends from an inner side wall surface 502a into a side wall 502; and a gasket seal 512 embedded in the groove. In a context where a diameter of a recording disk 520-1 gradually becomes larger, a corresponding disk shroud expands, and a corresponding side wall of the base plate becomes narrower, such a base plate is configured such that a first cover 510 can be physically engaged with a portion of the embedded gasket seal extending inward away from the side wall surface, whereby a favorable sealing mechanism is provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention may relate generally to hard disk drives and, more particularly, to an approach for embedding a gasket seal directly into a baseplate. [Background technology]

[0002] A hard disk drive (HDD) is a nonvolatile storage device that stores digitally encoded data on one or more circular disks with magnetic surfaces housed in a protective enclosure. When an 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 disk using a read-write head (or "transducer") housed on a slider positioned over specific locations 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 functions by generating a magnetic field using current flowing through the write head's coil. Electrical pulses are sent to the write head with different patterns of positive and negative currents. The current in the write head's coil generates a localized magnetic field across the gap between the head and the magnetic-recording disk, which in turn magnetizes small areas on the recording medium.

[0003] As the number and power of networked computing systems increases, more data storage system capacity is required. Cloud computing and large-scale data processing further increase the need for digital data storage systems capable of transferring and retaining large amounts of data. To this end, increasing the storage capacity of HDDs is one of the continuing goals in the evolution of HDD technology. In one form, this goal is realized in increasing the diameter of the disks incorporated into a given HDD, and therefore providing more disk surface area for data storage.

[0004] Any approach that may be described in this section is an approach that could be pursued, but not necessarily an approach that has been previously conceived or pursued. Thus, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

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

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a hard disk drive according to an embodiment. [Figure 2A] 1 is a perspective view illustrating a hard disk drive baseplate having a non-uniform disk shroud, according to one embodiment. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a bottom view of a cover for the base plate of FIG. 2A, according to one embodiment. [Figure 2C] 2B is a cross-sectional view illustrating a sidewall rib of the base plate of FIG. 2A, according to one embodiment. [Figure 3A] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive baseplate sealing sidewall for a 97 mm disk, according to one embodiment. [Figure 3B] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive baseplate sealing sidewall for a 98 mm disk, according to one embodiment. [Figure 3C] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a hard disk drive baseplate sealing sidewall for a 99 mm disk. [Figure 4A] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive base plate for a 98 mm disk with a gasket applied thereon, according to one embodiment. [Figure 4B] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a hard disk drive base plate for a 99 mm disk with a gasket applied thereon. [Figure 5A]1 is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive baseplate having an embedded gasket according to a first embodiment; [Figure 5B] 10 is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive baseplate having an embedded gasket according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a hard disk drive enclosure base, according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Generally, an approach to an embedded gasket base plate, such as for a hard disk drive, is described. In the following specification, 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. It will be apparent, however, that the embodiments of the invention described herein may 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. introduction term

[0008] References herein to "an embodiment," "one embodiment," etc. are intended to mean that the particular feature, structure, or characteristic being described is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. However, instances of such phrases do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

[0009] It will be understood that the term "substantially" describes features that are largely or approximately structured, configured, dimensioned, etc., but that manufacturing tolerances and the like may result in situations in which in practice the structure, configuration, dimensions, etc. are not always or necessarily precisely as described. For example, if one were to describe a structure as being "substantially vertical," the term would be assigned its obvious meaning, such that the sidewalls are for all practical purposes vertical, but may not be at exactly 90 degrees.

[0010] Terms such as "optimal," "optimize," "minimum," "minimize," "maximum," "maximize," and the like may not have specific values ​​associated with them, but when such terms are used herein, those of ordinary skill in the art are intended to understand that such terms include affecting values, parameters, metrics, and the like in a beneficial direction consistent with the entirety of this disclosure. For example, describing a value as a "minimum" does not require that the value actually equal a theoretical minimum (e.g., zero), but should be understood in a practical sense in that the corresponding goal would be to move the value in a beneficial direction toward the theoretical minimum.

[0011] The term "airtight" will be understood to describe a sealing arrangement that is designed to have nominally no (or negligible) leakage or permeation paths for gases. It should be noted that although terms such as "airtight," "negligible leakage," and "leak-free" may be used herein, such systems often still have a certain amount of permeability and therefore are not absolutely leak-free. context

[0012] Recall that increasing the storage capacity of HDDs is one of the continuing goals in the evolution of HDD technology, and increasing the diameter of the disks to provide more disk storage space is one approach to increasing storage capacity. Recently, some HDD designs have already transitioned from 95 millimeter (mm) disks to 97 mm disks. However, to further increase the capacity of HDDs without increasing the number of disks, even larger disk sizes (e.g., 98 mm, 99 mm) may be considered. However, one problem with increasing the disk diameter is that the spacing for the gasket (seal) that seals the HDD cover to the enclosure base plate becomes narrower, such as at the 3 o'clock, 9 o'clock, and 12 o'clock positions.

[0013] Furthermore, storage system owners / operators prefer HDDs with lower power consumption to save operational costs. A disk shroud refers to a structural surface or surfaces positioned close to the disk stack within an internal space, such that the shroud substantially surrounds the circumference of the disk over a certain range, typically less than a full 360° arc, to create space for the head stack assembly (HSA) to operate on the disk. Conventionally, shroud-to-disk clearance (or "disk shroud clearance") has typically been continuous and constant (i.e., uniform) around the circumference of the disk and is typically kept as narrow as possible to reduce disk flutter, especially for air-based products. However, such narrow clearance generates more windage drag, which requires the spindle motor to use more power. While helium-based (or other lighter-than-air) drives have little risk of disk flutter, the clearance is still typically kept very narrow due to a tradition inherited from air drives. Increasing the disk shroud clearance is one approach to reducing the shear stresses exerted on the disk rim (or "edge"), thereby reducing windage torque and drag and power consumption. Generally, wider shroud clearance reduces windage drag until the curve flattens (e.g., at about a 3 mm gap). However, increasingly larger disk diameters (e.g., 97 mm in some products) push the baseplate thickness limits at the 3, 9, and 12 o'clock positions, where drive form factors are particularly constrained, and conflict with the need for a seal land (or "seat") surface for applying a gasket seal around the baseplate's internal cavity.

[0014] FIG. 2A is a perspective view illustrating a hard disk drive base plate having a non-uniform disk shroud, according to one embodiment. Enclosure base 200 (or “base plate 200” or simply “base 200”), configured to house internal components of a hard disk drive (HDD), such as a recording disk, actuator arm assembly, and head slider, includes an internal non-uniform disk shroud structure, disk shroud 204. Base plate 200 is referred to herein as having a “non-uniform” disk shroud in that it has a non-uniform, non-constant radius and, therefore, a non-uniform or non-constant gap between it and the outer edge or rim of the corresponding recording disk(s) in the disk stack (see, for example, disk media 120 in FIG. 1 , though not shown here). Being non-uniform, disk shroud 204 includes a first portion 204a having a first clearance (or “gap”) relative to the outer edge of the disk media and a second portion 204b having a different, second clearance relative to the outer edge of the disk media. In this regard, the first clearance 305a and the second clearance 305b corresponding to the first portion 204a and the second portion 204b of the disk shroud 204 relate to the plane of the disk media, i.e., the distance between the edge of the disk media and the disk shroud 204. The position of the second portion(s) 204b of the disk shroud 204 corresponds to or coincides with the narrower portion(s) 202b of the side wall 202 of the base plate 200.

[0015] According to one embodiment, as shown, the narrower portion(s) 202b, 204b are located at specific positions or locations along the sidewall 202 and disk shroud 204 of the base plate 200. That is, these portions may be located at the 3 o'clock (or 0°), 12 o'clock (or 90°), and 9 o'clock (or 180°) positions (for reference, at the bottom of FIG. 2A where the actuator operates, the area without the shroud 204 includes the 6 o'clock or 270° positions (see, e.g., FIG. 2)), where the drive form factor is particularly constrained due to the need for a seat or seating surface for sealing of the gasket 206 around the periphery of the main cavity of the base 200, given the limited space for the base sidewall 202 at such locations for a given form factor.

[0016] FIG. 2B is a bottom view of a cover for the base plate of FIG. 2A, according to one embodiment. Cover 210 (or "first cover 210") includes a gasket 212 disposed generally around the periphery of cover 210. Gasket 212 functions as a sealing mechanism (or simply "seal") between first cover 210 and base plate 200 (FIG. 2A). According to one embodiment, gasket 212 is a CIPG (cured-in-place gasket, UV-curable gasket) type seal, in which a gasket material is applied onto base plate 200 and then UV-cured. The CIPG gasket seal then facilitates peelability of the overlying first cover 210. Typically, HDDs include either a gasket applied to the base plate, such as gasket 206 on base plate 200 (FIG. 2A), or a gasket applied to the cover, such as gasket 212 on cover 210; thus, FIGS. 2A and 2B can be viewed as alternative approaches to sealing first cover 210 to base plate 200. In either case, gaskets 206, 212 are shaped to fit into sidewall lands or seats around the entire perimeter of base plate 200 / cover 210, with the gasket seats on sidewall 202 of such base plate 200 typically being narrower at the 3, 9, and 12 o'clock positions, i.e., in portion 202b of base plate 200 (FIG. 2A).

[0017] Furthermore, in the context of a hermetically sealed HDD in which a lighter-than-air gas (e.g., helium) is sealed, a second cover (not shown) is typically welded to base plate 200 over first cover 210 to hermetically seal the gas within the HDD. Accordingly, space is required on the sidewalls of base plate 200 to couple the second cover, and the top surfaces of such sidewalls configured to receive the second cover are referred to herein as "weld ribs" (or simply "ribs"). FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view illustrating sidewall ribs of the base plate of FIG. 2A, according to one embodiment. The cross-sectional view of FIG. 2C illustrates the 3 o'clock, 9 o'clock, and 12 o'clock positions, i.e., scenarios corresponding to sidewall portion 202b (FIG. 2A). Here, in the context of a laser recording disk 220 having a diameter of 97 mm or less, as shown, there is sufficient overlap space between the cover 210 and the side wall 202 of the base plate 200, i.e., inside the rib 203a, so that a suitable seal can be achieved with the gasket 212 resting on the seat 203b of the base plate 200. Method for sealing a first cover in the context of a larger diameter disk

[0018] However, as the diameter of recording disks becomes increasingly larger, gasket sealing becomes increasingly difficult as the seat 203b becomes narrower. Figure 3A is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive baseplate sealing sidewall for a 97 mm disk 320-1, according to one embodiment. In the context of a 97 mm disk, a baseplate 300 includes a sidewall 302 including ribs 302a and a seat 303b configured to seat a gasket 312 coupled to a first cover 310. Here, for example, the seat 303b is shown as 1.075 mm wide (including the shroud chamfer), thereby providing a sufficient gasket compression surface to allow for suitable seating of the gasket 312 and the seat 303b. Figure 3B is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive baseplate sealing sidewall for a 98 mm disk, according to one embodiment. In the context of the 98 mm disk 320-2, the base plate 330 includes a sidewall 332 including a rib 333a and a potential seat 333b configured to seat a gasket 342 coupled to the first cover 340. Here, for example, the seat 333b is shown as being 0.575 mm wide (including the shroud chamfer), thereby providing a slight overlap between the gasket 342 and the seat 333b. FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive baseplate sealing sidewall for a 99 mm disk. In the context of the 99 mm disk 320-3, the base plate 360 ​​includes a sidewall 362 including a rib 363a and a minimum "seat" 363b surface configured to seat a gasket 372 of the first cover 370. Here, for example, "seat" 363b is shown as being 0.075 mm wide (including the shroud chamfer), which does not provide sufficient gasket compression surface to allow for suitable seating of gasket 372 with "seat" 363b. Thus, conventional approaches such as those shown in Figures 3A-3C tend to be less effective at sealing the first cover to the sidewall of the base plate as the diameters of recording disks 320-1, 320-2, 320-3 become increasingly larger.

[0019] Another approach involves applying a gasket seal directly onto the base plate, rather than the first cover, by employing, for example, CIPG. Figure 4A is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive base plate for 98 mm disks with a gasket applied thereto, according to one embodiment. In the context of a 98 mm disk 420-2, the base plate 400 includes a side wall 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 shown as being 0.575 mm wide (including the shroud chamfer), thereby providing a sufficient gasket compression surface to allow for suitable seating of the gasket 412 and the seat 403b, for example, with the gasket 412 applied to the horizontal wall of the seat 403b and the vertical wall of the rib 403a of the base plate 400. Figure 4B is a cross-sectional side view of a hard disk drive base plate for 99 mm disks with a gasket applied thereto. In the context of a 99 mm disk 420-3, the base plate 430 includes a sidewall 432 including ribs 433a and a minimal "seat" 433b surface configured to seat the gasket 442 of the first cover 440. Here, for example, the "seat" 433b is shown as being 0.075 mm wide (including the shroud chamfer), thereby not providing a sufficient gasket compression surface to allow for suitable seating of the gasket 442 with the "seat" 433b; i.e., there is effectively no horizontal wall of the seat 433b for the gasket 442 to seat. Therefore, alternative approaches such as those shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B tend to be less effective at sealing the first cover to the sidewall of the base plate as the diameter of the recording disks 420-2, 420-3 increases. Recessed gasket on the base plate

[0020] 5A is a side cross-sectional view showing a hard disk drive baseplate 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 baseplate 500 includes a sidewall 502 including a rib 503, a groove 504 extending from an inner sidewall surface 502a into the sidewall 502, and a gasket seal 512 embedded in the groove 504. In contrast to the baseplate having a gasket applied thereon as shown and described in FIGS. 4A and 4B, i.e., the gasket 412 is applied to the horizontal wall of the seat 403b and the vertical wall of the rib 403a of the baseplate 400, here the groove 504 extends into the sidewall 502 and the gasket seal 512 is embedded in the groove 504, and according to one embodiment, the gasket seal 512 is primarily enclosed within the groove. For example, gasket seal 512 may be surrounded by at least or about 180° or on three sides within groove 504. Groove 504 and embedded gasket seal 512, e.g., comprised of conventional gasket seal material(s), are configured to seal first cover 510 to base plate 500. According to this illustrated embodiment, groove 504 extends into sidewall 502 substantially perpendicular to sidewall surface 502a, with a portion of embedded gasket seal 512 extending inward beyond sidewall surface 502a, e.g., some distance into the interior cavity of base plate 500. This configuration therefore allows first cover 510 to physically engage with the portion of embedded gasket seal 512 that extends inward, away from sidewall surface 502a, thereby providing a suitable sealing mechanism for an HDD, such as HDD 100 (FIG. 1). In the context of a recording disk 520-1 having an outer diameter of 97 mm or less, such a configuration can allow for disk shroud clearances of greater than 0.2 mm, or even about 1.0 mm or more if maximum disk shroud clearance is desired, for example, for power consumption optimization.

[0021] 5B is a side cross-sectional view showing a hard disk drive baseplate 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 baseplate 530 includes a sidewall 532 including ribs 533, a groove 534 extending from an inner sidewall surface 532a into the sidewall 532, and a gasket seal 542 embedded in the groove 534. Again, in contrast to baseplates having a gasket applied thereon, as shown and described in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the groove 534 extends into the sidewall 532, the gasket seal 542 is embedded in the groove 534, and, according to one embodiment, the gasket seal 542 is primarily enclosed within the groove. For example, the gasket seal 542 may be enclosed within the groove 534 by at least or approximately 180°, or by three sides. Groove 534 and embedded gasket seal 542, comprised of, for example, conventional gasket sealing material(s), are configured to seal first cover 540 to base plate 530. According to the illustrated embodiment, groove 534 extends into side wall 532 at a downward angle (e.g., toward the “floor” as in FIG. 2 ) from side wall surface 532 a, with a portion of embedded gasket seal 542 extending inward beyond side wall surface 532 a, for example, some distance into the interior cavity of base plate 530. Again, this configuration allows first cover 540 to physically engage with the portion of embedded gasket seal 542 that extends inward, away from side wall surface 532 a, thereby providing a suitable sealing mechanism for an HDD, such as HDD 100 ( FIG. 1 ). Again, in the context of a recording disk 520-2 having an outer diameter of 97 mm or less, such a configuration can allow for disk shroud clearances of greater than 0.2 mm, or even about 1.0 mm or more if maximum disk shroud clearance is desired, for example, for power consumption optimization. Hard disk drive enclosure base manufacturing method

[0022] 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a hard disk drive enclosure base, according to one embodiment. For example, the manufacturing method of FIG. 6 can be used to manufacture HDD enclosure bases such as base 500 (FIG. 5A) and 530 (FIG. 5B).

[0023] In block 602, grooves are formed from the interior sidewall surfaces of the hard disk drive enclosure base, extending into the sidewalls. For example, grooves 504 (FIG. 5A), 534 (FIG. 5B) are formed (e.g., by casting, machining, etc.) to extend from the interior sidewall surfaces 502a (FIG. 5A), 532a (FIG. 5B) of the enclosure base 200 (FIG. 2A), 500 (FIG. 5A), 530 (FIG. 5B) (also see, for example, HDD enclosure 168 in FIG. 1) of the hard disk drive (see, for example, HDD 100 in FIG. 1) into the sidewalls 502 (FIG. 5A), 532 (FIG. 5B). According to one embodiment, forming the grooves includes forming the grooves to extend into the sidewalls substantially perpendicular to the sidewall surfaces, as shown in FIG. 5A. According to another embodiment, forming the grooves includes forming the grooves to extend into the sidewalls at a downward angle from the sidewall surfaces, as shown in FIG. 5B.

[0024] At block 604, a gasket seal is embedded into the groove. For example, gasket seal 512 ( FIG. 5A ), 542 ( FIG. 5B ) is embedded (e.g., glued, press-fit, etc.) into groove 504, 534. According to one embodiment, forming the groove (e.g., block 602) and embedding the gasket seal (e.g., block 604) occurs at multiple discrete locations along the sidewall of the base. According to a related embodiment, these locations are 0°, 90°, and 180° positions of the base. According to one embodiment, embedding the gasket seal includes embedding the gasket seal such that a portion of the gasket seal extends inward beyond the sidewall surface, as in the configurations of FIGS. 5A and 5B .

[0025] Such base plates 500, 530 with embedded gasket seals 512, 542 thus enable a first cover 510 (FIG. 5A), 540 (FIG. 5B), for example, having a substantially flat surface approaching an edge, to physically engage at least a portion of the embedded gasket seal 512, 542 that extends inwardly away from the sidewall surface 502a, 532a. This approach therefore provides a suitable sealing mechanism for HDDs such as HDD 100 (FIG. 1), even considering larger disk diameters (e.g., greater than 97 mm) and corresponding extended disk shrouds. These approaches and configurations are similarly applicable to conventional disk diameters (e.g., 97 mm or less), thereby enabling larger disk shroud clearances (e.g., in the range of approximately 0.2 mm to 1.0 mm) and relatively low power consumption. Illustrative physical description of the operating context

[0026] Embodiments may be used in the context of a digital data storage device (DSD), such as a hard disk drive (HDD). Accordingly, a plan view illustrating a conventional HDD 100, according to an embodiment, is shown in FIG. 1 to help explain how a conventional HDD typically operates.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows the functional layout of components of a HDD 100, including a slider 110b that includes a magnetic read-write head 110a. Collectively, the slider 110b and head 110a may be referred to as a head-slider. The HDD 100 includes at least one head gimbal assembly (HGA) 110 that includes the head-slider, a lead suspension 110c that is typically attached to the head-slider via a flexure, and a load beam 110d that is attached to the lead suspension 110c. The HDD 100 also includes at least one recording medium 120 rotatably mounted on a spindle 124 and a drive motor (not visible) that is attached to the spindle 124 to rotate the medium 120. The read-write head 110a, which may also be referred to as a transducer, includes a write element and a read element for writing and reading information stored on the medium 120 of the HDD 100, respectively. The medium 120 or multiple disk media may be secured to the spindle 124 with a disk clamp 128 .

[0028] HDD 100 further includes an arm 132 mounted to HGA 110, a carriage 134, and a voice coil motor (VCM) including an armature 136 including a voice coil 140 mounted to carriage 134, and a stator 144 including a voice coil magnet (not shown). The VCM's armature 136 is attached to carriage 134 and configured to move arm 132 and HGA 110 to access portions of media 120, all collectively mounted on a pivot shaft 148 with an intervening pivot bearing assembly 152. In 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 interlocking arms that give the carriage the appearance of a comb.

[0029] An assembly comprising a head gimbal assembly (e.g., HGA 110), including a flexure to which a head slider is coupled, an actuator arm (e.g., arm 132) and / or 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 listed. For example, an HSA may refer to an assembly that further includes electrical interconnection components. In general, an HSA is an assembly configured to move a head slider to access portions of medium 120 for read and write operations.

[0030] 1, electrical signals including write signals to and read signals from head 110a (e.g., current to the voice coil 140 of the VCM) are transmitted by a flexible cable assembly (FCA) 156 (or "flex cable," or "flexible printed circuit" (FPC)). The interconnection between flex cable 156 and head 110a may include an arm-electronics (AE) module 160, which may have an on-board preamplifier for the read signal and other read and write channel electronics. AE module 160 may be mounted on carriage 134 as shown. Flex cable 156 may, in some configurations, be coupled to an electrical connector block 164, which provides electrical communication through an electrical feedthrough provided by an HDD enclosure 168. The HDD housing 168 (or "enclosure base", or "base plate", or simply "base"), together with the HDD cover, provides a semi-sealed (or, in some configurations, hermetically sealed) protective enclosure for the information storage components of the HDD 100.

[0031] A disk controller including a digital signal processor (DSP) and other electronic components including servo electronics provide electrical signals to the drive motor, the voice coil 140 of the VCM, and the head 110a of the HGA 110. The electrical signals provided to the drive motor enable the drive motor to rotate, providing torque to the spindle 124, which is then transmitted to the medium 120 attached to the spindle 124. As a result, the medium 120 rotates in a direction 172. The rotating medium 120 forms a cushion of air that acts as an air bearing on which the air-bearing surface (ABS) of the slider 110b rides so that the slider 110b flies above the surface of the medium 120 without contacting the thin magnetic recording layer on which information is recorded. Similarly, in HDDs utilizing a lighter-than-air gas, such as helium as a non-limiting example, the rotating medium 120 creates a cushion of gas that acts as a gas or fluid bearing on which the slider 110b rides.

[0032] An electrical signal provided to the voice coil 140 of the VCM enables the head 110a of the HGA 110 to access tracks 176 where information is to be recorded. Thus, the armature 136 of the VCM swings through an arc 180, enabling the head 110a of the HGA 110 to access various tracks on the medium 120. Information is stored on the medium 120 in multiple radially nested tracks arranged in sectors on the medium 120, such as sector 184. Correspondingly, each track is made up of multiple sectored track portions (or "track sectors"), such as sectored track portion 188. Each sectored track portion 188 may include the recorded information and a header that includes error correction code information and a servo burst signal pattern, such as an ABCD servo burst signal pattern, that identifies the track 176. When accessing track 176, a read element of head 110a of HGA 110 reads the servo burst signal pattern, which 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. Having located track 176 and identified a particular sectored track portion 188, head 110a reads information from track 176 or writes information to track 176 in response to instructions received by a disk controller from an external agent, e.g., a microprocessor in a computer system.

[0033] The electronic architecture of an HDD includes numerous electronic components, such as a hard disk controller ("HDC"), an interface controller, an arm electronics module, a data channel, motor drivers, a servo processor, and buffer memory, each performing a different function for the operation of the HDD. Two or more of these components may be combined on a single integrated circuit board called a "system on a chip" ("SOC"). Some, if not all, of these electronic components are typically located on a printed circuit board that is coupled to the bottom side of the HDD, such as in HDD enclosure 168.

[0034] References herein to hard disk drives, such as HDD 100 shown and described with reference to FIG. 1, may encompass information storage devices sometimes referred to as “hybrid drives.” A hybrid drive generally refers to a storage device that has the functionality of both a traditional HDD (see, e.g., HDD 100) combined with a solid-state storage device (SSD) that uses non-volatile memory, such as electrically erasable and programmable flash or other solid-state (e.g., integrated circuit) memory. Because the operation, management, and control of different types of storage media typically differ, the solid-state portion of a hybrid drive may include its own corresponding controller functions, or the controller functions may be integrated into a single controller along with the HDD functions. A hybrid drive may be designed and configured to operate and utilize the solid-state portion in several ways, such as, by way of non-limiting example, using the solid-state memory as cache memory to store frequently accessed data, to store I / O-intensive data, and the like. Furthermore, a hybrid drive may be designed and configured essentially as two storage devices, i.e., a traditional HDD and an SSD, in a single enclosure, with either one or multiple interfaces for host connection. Extensions and Substitutes

[0035] In the foregoing description, embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementation to implementation. Accordingly, various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the embodiments. Thus, the sole and exclusive indication of what the invention is and what the applicants intend for it to be is the set of claims issuing from this application, the particular form from which such claims originate, including any subsequent amendments. The definitions expressly set forth herein for terms contained in such claims shall govern the meaning of those terms as used in the claims. Therefore, no limitation, element, property, feature, advantage, or attribute not expressly recited in a claim should in any way limit the scope of such claim. The specification and drawings are hereby to be regarded in an illustrative, and not restrictive, sense.

[0036] Additionally, certain process steps may be described herein in a particular order, and alphabetic and alphanumeric symbols may be used to identify particular steps. Unless otherwise specified herein, embodiments are not necessarily limited to any particular order of performing such steps. In particular, symbols are used merely for convenient 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), a disk medium rotatably mounted on a spindle; a head slider containing a read / write transducer configured to read and write to the disk medium; an actuator configured to move the head slider to access portions of the disk media; an enclosure base, a groove extending from the interior sidewall surface into said sidewall; a gasket seal embedded in the groove; an enclosure base comprising: A hard disk drive (HDD) comprising:

2. The HDD of claim 1 , wherein the grooves and embedded gasket seals are disposed at a plurality of discrete locations along the sidewall of the base.

3. The actuator is located near a 270° position of the base, The HDD of claim 1 , wherein the groove and the embedded gasket seal are positioned at a 0° position, a 90° position, and a 180° position on the base.

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

5. a first cover coupled to the base; the groove extends into the sidewall substantially perpendicular to the sidewall surface; a portion of the embedded gasket seal extending inwardly beyond the sidewall surface; the first cover physically engages the portion of the embedded gasket seal; The HDD of claim 1 .

6. a first cover coupled to the base; the groove extends from the sidewall surface into the sidewall at a downward angle; a portion of the embedded gasket seal extending inwardly beyond the sidewall surface; the first cover physically engages the portion of the embedded gasket seal; The HDD of claim 1 .

7. 10. The HDD of claim 1, wherein the disk medium has a diameter greater than 97 millimeters.

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

9. 2. The HDD of claim 1, wherein the disk medium has a diameter of 97 millimeters or less and a disk shroud clearance of 1.0 millimeters or more.

10. The HDD of claim 1 further comprising a gas that is lighter than air.

11. 1. An enclosure base for a hard disk drive, the base comprising: a groove extending from the interior sidewall surface into said sidewall; a gasket seal embedded in the groove; an enclosure base comprising:

12. The base of claim 11 , wherein the grooves and embedded gasket seals are disposed at a plurality of discrete locations along the sidewall of the base.

13. The base is configured to house an actuator that moves a head slider; the actuator is located near a 270° position of the base; The base of claim 12 , wherein the groove and embedded gasket seal are positioned at a 0° position, a 90° position, and a 180° position on the base.

14. the groove extends into the sidewall substantially perpendicular to the sidewall surface; a portion of the embedded gasket seal extending inwardly beyond the sidewall surface; The base according to claim 11.

15. the groove extends from the sidewall surface into the sidewall at a downward angle; a portion of the embedded gasket seal extending inwardly beyond the sidewall surface; The base according to claim 11.

16. 1. A method for manufacturing a hard disk drive enclosure base, comprising: forming a groove extending from an interior sidewall surface into said sidewall; embedding a gasket seal in the groove; A method comprising:

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

18. The base is configured to house an actuator that moves a head slider, the actuator is located near a 270° position of the base; 17. The method of claim 16, wherein forming the groove and embedding the gasket seal occurs at a 0° position, a 90° position, and a 180° position on the base.

19. forming the groove includes forming the groove to extend into the sidewall substantially perpendicular to the sidewall surface; embedding the gasket seal includes embedding the gasket seal such that a portion of the gasket seal extends inwardly beyond the sidewall surface.

17. The method of claim 16.

20. forming the groove includes forming the groove to extend into the sidewall at a downward angle from the sidewall surface; embedding the gasket seal includes embedding the gasket seal such that a portion of the gasket seal extends inwardly beyond the sidewall surface.

17. The method of claim 16.

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