Maxtor Corporation

Matthew A O'Hara

Lin Guo

Yu Sun

David E Fowler

David M Sigmond

Don Brunnet

Dennis Chen

A disk drive uses seek profile manipulation to provide enhanced transducer fly height control. The maximum seek velocity that is used during a seek operation is made dependent upon, among other things, the direction associated with the seek operation (i.e., either radially inward or radially outward with respect to the disk). In a preferred embodiment, the maximum seek velocity in a direction that normally results in a fly height loss is made less than the maximum seek velocity in the opposite direction. Thus, a minimum transducer fly height can be maintained with minimal effect on average seek time in the disk drive. In one approach, the maximum seek velocity values are stored within a lookup table within the disk drive.

Disk drive using seek profile to enhance fly height control

Sliders having air bearing surfaces are disclosed for use with magnetic recording and reading heads in a magnetic disk drive assembly to reduce the pressure gradients resulting from the flow of air between the slider and the spinning disk. To relieve such pressure gradient, the bottom surface of the air bearing surface at or near the trailing edge includes one or more recesses, which may be one or more steps, inclined ramps, curves or other configurations. Other surfaces of the slider may also include recesses to relieve these pressures. The sliders having air bearing surfaces may be attached to, or integral with, a magnetic recording or reading head in a magnetic disk drive assembly. A method of reducing the formation of pressure gradients is also disclosed whereby air flow between the disk and the head creates a pressure greater than atmospheric, at least a part of which is released through a recess on the air bearing surface of the slider.

Air bearing surface for reducing pressure gradients

A slider support structure is disclosed for minimizing off-rack due to disk flutter. In one embodiment, the slider support structure includes a gimbal assembly ( ). The assembly ( ) includes an outer ring ( ) and an inner ring ( ). The outer ring ( ) is connected to the inner ring ( ) via narrow strips ( and ) adjacent to the front ( ) and back ( ) surfaces of the slider body ( ). The inner ring ( ) is attached to the left ( ) and right ( ) surfaces of the slider body ( ) via narrow strips ( and ). The strips ( and ) interconnecting the inner ring ( ) and outer ring ( ) define a flexible hinge that allows the slider body ( ) to pivot relative to the assembly ( ) about an axis ( ) which, in this case, is the roll axis. Similarly, the strips ( and ) define a flexible hinge which allows the slider to pivot relative to the assembly ( ) about another axis ( ) which, in this case, is the pitch axis. The axes ( and ) are disposed close to the lower surface of the slider so that head off-track associated with such pivotal is minimized.

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Oakland, CA, United States of America

Matthew A O'Hara