Imation Corporation

Christopher A Merton

Christopher J Zwettler

James S Anderson

Saeed Fahimi

Richard E Jewett

Joseph Skorjanec

Ramnath Subramaniam

Todd W Abrahamson

The Invention Provides a Positioning System for a Linear Data Storage Medium, Such as magnetic tape or other data storage medium in which data is stored on parallel data tracks that extend along a length of the medium. The invention makes use of multiple actuators to control the positioning of sliders carrying read and write elements, e.g., separate sliders carrying the read and write elements, relative to the data storage medium with multiple degrees of freedom. The multiple degrees of freedom may include two or more of a vertical position, a horizontal position, a transverse position, an azimuth position, a zenith position, and a yaw position. In this manner, the invention can improve head-to-track alignment of read heads and write heads with linear data storage systems having very small track pitches, such as track pitches approximately 1 micron and especially less than 1 micron.

Positioning head assembly for data storage system with multiple degrees of freedom

A magnetic recording medium which includes a substrate having a front side and a backside, a longitudinal direction and a cross-web direction, with a particulate/binder or thin film magnetic layer formed over the front side of the substrate, wherein the magnetic medium has a cross-web dimensional difference from the magnetic recording head used therewith of less than 900 &#x3bc;m/meter over a 35&#xb0; C. temperature range, and over a 70% relative humidity range. Preferred substrates include thin metals, metal alloys, and thin glass films.

Magnetic recording medium having a dimensionally stable substrate

A magnetic recording medium which includes a non-magnetic substrate having a front side and a backside, a longitudinal direction and a crossweb direction, with a particulate/binder magnetic layer formed over the front side of the substrate, wherein the magnetic medium has a cross web dimensional difference from the magnetic recording head used therewith of less than 900 microns/meter over a 35 degree temperature range, and over a 70% relative humidity range. In one embodiment, the substrate is a polymeric film which has been subjected to a biaxial tensilization process, thus having a lower coefficient of hygroscopic expansion and coefficient of thermal expansion than an otherwise identical film substrate which has not been biaxially tensilized. The magnetic recording medium formed using such a tensilized substrate has a Wyko Ra smoothness of less than about 10 nm, and a coefficient of thermal expansion from about 5 ppm/C to about 10 ppm/C.

Magnetic recording medium having a smooth biaxially tensilized film substrate

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Hammond, WI, United States of America

Christopher A Merton