Seagate Technology Incorporated

Adam Karl Himes

Michael Thomas Johnson

Scott Edward Ryun

Kevin Jon Schulz

David Allen Sluzewski

David Gordon Qualey

Gregory Paul Myers

Zine-Eddine Boutaghou

Zine Eddine Boutaghou

Kent J Forbord

Andrew Robert Motzko

Markus Erwin Mangold

Dongming Liu

Lin Zhou

Roger Alan Resh

Kurt J Korkowski

Ram Mohan Rao

Lee Clifford Knippenberg

Kenneth R Fastner

Wayne Allen Bonin

Peter Crane

John Stuart Wright

Michael S Bowers

Menachem Rafaelof

Yu-Li Chang

Paul E Kupinski

Bijoyendra Nath

Ram Mahan Rao

James Ronald Krolnik

Su Xia

Jonathan C Chaffee

Kevin John Schulz

A method of detecting a contact between a transducing head and a storage medium is provided. The method applies an input signal, having a select power level and known frequency, to an actuator for actuating the head. An output signal is obtained in response to the input signal. At least one signal component is extracted from the output signal at the same or a harmonic of the same known frequency as the input signal applied to the actuator. Whether the at least one extracted signal component indicates a contact between the head and the medium is determined. The power level of the applied wave pattern is increased incrementally until the extracted signal component indicates a contact between the head and the storage medium.

Contact detection

A data storage device may have at least a slider constructed with at least one feature positioned on an air bearing region and separated from a data transducer. The at least one feature can be configured to provide a slider stiffness that decreases modulation while the at least one feature is floating above or in contact with a data storage media.

Advanced air bearing slider with modulation decreasing stiffness

A slider includes a slider body having an air bearing surface, a first contact finger, and a transducing head. The first contact finger extends from the slider body and has a contact surface area of between about 2 square microns to about 20 square microns. The transducing head is supported by the slider body near the first contact finger and extends from the air bearing surface by a distance less than that of the first contact finger.

Slider with stabilizing contact finger

A FOS circuit and a method for fabricating the same that reduces the possibilities of shorts or damage to a circuit board during assembly due to solder reflow. The FOS circuit has a tail, a shunt bar, a plurality of flying leads, and a dam. The tail has a first and second end. The shunt bar is located adjacent to the second end of the tail. The plurality of flying leads project substantially perpendicular from the first edge of the second end of the tail. The plurality of flying leads are substantially parallel to one another and extend between the second end of the tail and the shunt bar. A plurality of electrical paths are formed through the tail to the flying leads. The dam intersects the flying leads and extends from a first flying lead to a last flying lead and is substantially parallel with the first edge of the second end of the tail.

Solder control features for a disc drive head flex interconnect

The present invention includes gimbal having an attachment portion and a head support structure spaced apart from the attachment portion. A first strut connects the attachment portion and the head support structure. The first strut has an increased center portion and two end portions on opposite sides of the center portion. The increased center portion has a greater thickness than the two end portions. The gimbal also includes a second strut spaced apart from the first strut and is connected to the attachment portion and the head support structure. The second strut has an increased center portion and two end portions on opposite sides of the increased center portion. The increased center portion of the second strut has a greater thickness than the two end portions.

Gimbal strut shape to increase buckling load

A flow control device for a data storage system to reduce flow induced vibration. The flow control device includes a plurality of streamline flow passages to reduce turbulent flow in a flow field along a disc surface. Thus, air flow induced by rotation of data discs is directed through the plurality of streamline flow passages to reduce turbulence to limit excitation or vibration of the head and suspension components.

Drive level flow-field conditioning to reduce flow field turbulence

A gimbal assembly to dampen air bearing vibration to reduce interference with read-write operations. The gimbal assembly includes dampeners on coextending gimbal arms gimbally supporting an air bearing slider to dampen vibration of the air bearing slider excited by air bearing vibration modes.

Head gimbal assembly including dampening for air bearing vibration

A flexible circuit includes a dielectric liquid crystal polymer. The liquid crystal polymer supports electrically conductive elements. The liquid crystal provides improved properties to the flexible polymer. A suspension assembly can be formed with a transducer head supported on an adjustable arm, where the flexible circuit provides electrical connection to the transducer.

Disc drives having flexible circuits with liquid crystal polymer dielectric

Herein is disclosed a method and apparatus for reducing particle collection on a slider or gimbal tongue. The gimbal tongue is shaped so as to interact with airflow within a disc drive to direct particles away from the slider and gimbal tongue. The leading edge of the gimbal tongue overhangs the leading edge of the slider. As air current approaches such a geometry, a large pocket of slow moving, high pressure air is created just upwind of the slider. Thus, as particulate matter encounters this pocket, the matter is slowed and its momentum is partially dissipated. A vent is provided in the gimbal tongue. The vent permits an escape route for the particles to move to an area of lower pressure, located on the other side of the gimbal tongue.

Modified gimbal tongue designs to reduce particle sensitivity

A flexible circuit for use in a head gimbal assembly having low stiffness and high robustness. The flexible interconnect circuit has interconnecting leads which connect the flexible interconnect circuit to a transduction head. To ensure the transducing head is able to follow the surface of the disc and properly read from and write to the disc, the interconnect leads are constructed with a varying width. The leads are widened at the points where breakage usually occurs and are narrowed at a middle portion to ensure the leads maintain the desired flexibility.

Head gimbal assembly interconnecting leads having improved robustness and lower stiffness

A printed circuit head interconnect of a head gimbal assembly (HGA) has different material thicknesses in different regions of the printed circuit head interconnect. The printed circuit head interconnect includes a lamination sheet of materials having dielectric materials and conductive materials. The regions which need to have a lower stiffness are made thinner than the rest of the regions. The rest of the regions are made thick and robust enough to support the HGA. A method of reducing the thicknesses of the printed circuit head interconnect includes applying a resist mask pattern having a plurality of openings with different sizes so as to obtain different thicknesses of the materials in different regions of the printed circuit head interconnect.

Reduced stiffness printed circuit head interconnect

Passive damping of a disc drive structural member is achieved using a tuned resonance passive damping circuit. This circuit can, for example, be connected to a head gimbal assembly that has a piezoelectric micro-actuator. The circuit can be tuned to the sway frequency of the micro-actuator. The circuit is configured to dissipate mechanical energy as heat, effectively damping the structure to which it is attached.

Passive damping method and circuit for data storage device actuator

A head interconnect circuit for connecting transducer elements of a data head to drive circuitry including an alignment finger on a lead tip for aligning leads relative to connectors or solder pads for electrically connecting heads to drive circuitry. A method for connecting a head interconnect circuit to a printed circuit supported on an head actuator including aligning an alignment finger on the lead tip with a printed surface of a drive circuit for soldering leads on the lead tip to solder pads or connectors on the drive circuit.

Method for connecting a head interconnect circuit with alignment finger to a printed circuit

A disc drive has an actuator assembly that includes an actuator arm and a suspension having a load beam for supporting a head above a surface of a disc. The actuator assembly includes a plurality of surface features formed on a surface of at least one of the actuator arm and the load beam to reduce aerodynamic drag forces experienced by the actuator assembly. The disc drive may also include an air dam having a finger extending over the surface of the disc, where the finger includes a plurality of surface features to reduce flow separation of an airflow passing over the finger. The surface features may comprise dimples or V-shaped shark skin denticles.

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Richfield, MN, United States of America

Adam Karl Himes