Seagate Technology Incorporated

Gary Edwin Bement

Michael David Mundt

Mark Andrew Chapin

Paul W Smith

Serge Jacques Fayeulle

Brian David Denker

James Morgan Murphy

Jason Wayne Riddering

Paul Max Jones

Frederick Paul Renken

Jerome Frederick Griep

Robert Billings Church

Allan Kai Luk

A device and method for testing a slider of a head-gimbal assembly during disc drive manufacturing. The device includes a test disc, an actuator arm and a control module. The test disc has a first circumferential area for detecting contact between the slider and the test disc and a second circumferential area for burnishing sliders that contact the first circumferential area as the test disc rotates at or above the predetermined velocity. The head-gimbal assembly is affixed to the actuator arm such that the slider is operable to move between an inner diameter and an outer diameter of the test disc. The control module controls the movement of the actuator arm, and thus the slider, relative to the test disc. The control module monitors the slider-disc interface for contact therebetween. If contact is detected, the slider is either burnished or the head-gimbal assembly is discarded altogether.

Techniques for certifying a head-gimbal assembly

A device and method for testing a slider of a head-gimbal assembly during disc drive manufacturing. The device includes a test disc, an actuator arm and a control module. The test disc has a first circumferential area for detecting contact between the slider and the test disc and a second circumferential area for burnishing sliders that contact the first circumferential area as the test disc rotates at or above the predetermined velocity. The head-gimbal assembly is affixed to a support, or flexure, on the actuator arm such that the slider is operable to move between an inner diameter and an outer diameter of the test disc. The control module controls rotation of the test disc and movement of the actuator arm, and thus the slider, relative to the test disc. The control module monitors the slider-disc interface for contact therebetween. If contact is detected, the slider is either burnished or the head-gimbal assembly is discarded altogether.

Tool for certifying a head-gimbal assembly

A disc stabilization system comprises a spinning disc with a disc surface deflectable by shock. The disc surface is in contact with a gas layer adjacent the disc surface. When the suspension system is subjected to a mechanical shock, the disc can deflect. The amplitude and duration of the deflection due to mechanical shock is limited by a wing feature. The wing feature includes an aerodynamic surface that interacts with the gas layer to generate an aerodynamic force on the disc surface. A strut supports the wing feature over the disc surface in a position such that the aerodynamic force increases as the disc surface deflects toward the aerodynamic surface.

Disc stabilization system

A method and system for improving performance in a disc drive using a genetic algorithm. Chromosomes of parameter settings are loaded into disc drive components and one or more metrics are monitored that respond to variations in the parameter settings. A fitness for each chromosome is obtained as a function of the one or more metrics. The chromosomes of settings are mated and adapted over time based on the fitness of each chromosome. Parameters within each chromosome vary by random selection based on the fitness of the chromosome.

Dynamically improving data storage device performance

A suspension assembly which can be energized to provide in-situs fly height adjustment for a head of a disc drive or energizable to adjust preload force for CSS. The suspension assembly includes a shape memory flexure element having an energizable length differential. In one aspect, the flexure element is integrated with a flexible suspension circuit which provides advantages for manufacture and assembly. In another aspect, the flexure element is coupled to a bending portion of the head suspension assembly and energized to adjust flexure of the suspension assembly relative to the bending portion.

Suspension assembly including a shape memory flexure element to adjust flexure or preload force

A fly height detector apparatus and associated method for detecting the fly height of a read/write head spatially disposed from a data storage surface during a data transfer operation. The fly height detector apparatus comprises a receiver circuit measuring the frequency of the read/write head; a perturbation deliverable to the gap between the read/write head and the data storage surface to invoke a dynamic response in the read/write head; and a processor circuit responsive to the receiver circuit to derive a fly height in relation to the dynamic response frequency. The processor circuit comprises a memory in which is stored a numerical model describing a functional interrelationship between the fly height and the read/write head frequency.

Fly height detector

An in-situs pitch and/or roll attitude adjustment system. The in-situs adjustment system includes a flexure element having an energizable dimension differential. The flexure element is coupled to a suspension assembly and slider and is energizable to supply a flexure force to the slider to adjust pitch or roll attitudes of the slider.

Head gimbal assembly with in-situs adjustable pitch and roll

A disc drive includes a disc, a beam extending from the voice coil motor to a gimbal point to provide a load force, and a slider that flies over the disc with a pole tip protrusion that has an ambient temperature sensitivity. The disc drive also includes a strut with a yielding bend section (YBS). Deposits of shape memory alloys (SMA) having different first and second transformation temperature ranges are deposited on the yielding bend section (YBS) and effectively reduce an ambient temperature sensitivity of the pole tip protrusion.

Temperature compensated fly height control

A data storage device includes a disc stack, a rotary actuator having an arm coupled to a transducer head, and support structure for receiving the arm with a reduced incidence of sliding contact therewith. The arm is separated from the support means, and then moved so that the head is above a disc surface for storing data. After the disc stack reaches its nominal rotation speed, the head is loaded so that it can transfer data. During periods of non-activity, the head is raised (unloaded) again and the arm is placed on the support means. This reduces a risk of damage in the presence of shocks while minimizing particle generation induced by friction.

Data storage device operated for reduced sliding contact

A method of adjusting a distribution of clamping pressure applied to a disc by a disc clamp includes identifying an uneven distribution of clamping pressure applied to the disc by the disc clamp. A quantity of heat is determined and applied to the disc clamp to remedy the uneven distribution of clamping pressure. A system for adjusting a clamping pressure applied to a data storage disc by a disc clamp includes a disc pack assembly having a disc clamp securing a disc to a spindle motor hub. The system also includes means for identifying an uneven distribution of clamping pressure applied to the disc by the disc clamp and for remedying the uneven distribution of clamping pressure by heating the disc clamp for a period of time.

Disc clamp adjustment using heat

A patterned magnetic storage medium has a plurality of data sectors separated by respective servo sectors with each servo sector having a pattern of pits representing servo data. Grooves in each data sector separate adjacent tracks. Non-uniform structures patterns the grooves to a model of minimum or zero fly height perturbations of a slider adjacent the medium. The non-uniform structures preferably include lands pseudo-randomly spaced along each groove to form segmented grooves of pseudo-random length, with the lands being pseudo-randomly positioned across the data sector. In other embodiments, the servo sectors have lengths along each track to define a null frequency that matches a pitch frequency of modulation of a slider due to the pits of the servo sectors.

Method and apparatus for minimizing slider fly heights over patterned media

A shock test apparatus for evaluating the shock performance of individual disc drive components includes a base portion and a top cover connected to the base portion to define an interior volume. First and second disc drive components are secured within the interior volume of the apparatus to engage one another in the absence of a shock event. A shock pulse generator includes an actuator for imparting a shock pulse to one of the disc drive components. A second shock pulse generator can be used to impart a shock pulse to the second disc drive component. Measurements are made of both the shock imparted to the disc drive components and the interaction between the first and second disc drive components during the shock event.

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Frederick, CO, United States of America

Gary Edwin Bement