Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Alex Y Tsay

Lin Yang

Jin Hui Ou-Yang

Chunjer Chuck Cheng

Dennis W Hogg

Ali Hosseinzadeh

Arman V Golgolab

Shufun Ho

Chee Shu Tay

A novel disk drive includes a disk and a spindle motor to which the disk is attached to rotate about an axis of rotation. The disk drive also includes a stationary plate facing and disposed over the disk, wherein the stationary plate includes a plurality of grooves through which rotation-induced air flows from an inlet end to an outlet end. The disk drive also includes a recirculation filter coupled to and immediately adjacent said outlet end of said plurality of grooves.

Disk drive having a stationary plate facing a disk and with a recirculation filter coupled to grooves in the stationary plate

A novel disk drive is disclosed and claimed. The disk drive includes a disk and a spindle motor to which the disk is attached to rotate about an axis of rotation. The disk drive also includes a stationary plate facing and disposed over the disk, wherein the stationary plate includes a plurality of grooves through which rotation-induced air flows from an inlet end to an outlet end. The disk drive also includes a recirculation filter coupled to and immediately adjacent said outlet end of said plurality of grooves.

A stationary plate functions as a vibration damper and has an integrated air filtration guide. In one embodiment the stationary plate is disposed between two adjacent disks, and the guide comprises one or more grooves through which rotation-induced air may flow. In another embodiment, a plurality of stationary plates may be disposed between a plurality of disks, wherein each of the plurality of stationary plates has a grooved side through which the rotation-induced air may flow. In still another embodiment, the orientation of the grooves in the stationary plate is such that the rotationally-induced airflow impinges the disk drive's voice coil motor.

Disk vibration damper having an integrated air circulation guide

There is provided an actuator for a disk drive. The actuator includes an actuator body defining an axis of rotation. The actuator further includes a coil. The actuator further includes a wrap-around support extending from the actuator body radially beyond the coil with respect to the axis of rotation without encircling the coil. The actuator further includes a tang supported by the wrap-around support. The coil is positioned radially between the tang and the axis of rotation. The actuator body, the wrap-around support, and the tang are all a single components comprising a metal material having material continuity rather than an assembly of subcomponents.

Actuator including a coil and a wrap-around support supporting a tang

A semiconductor die mounted to a flex cable is provided. The flex cable comprises a heat sink layer and a flex cable substrate having conductive traces disposed thereon. The flex cable substrate includes an aperture aligned with the semiconductor die. A thermal conductor disposed within the aperture contacts both the semiconductor die and the heat sink layer. The thermal conductor can comprise, for example, a set of solder balls.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Alex Y Tsay