International Business Machines Corporation

Peter P Chrusch

Andrew Ching Tam

Peter Michael Baumgart

Hong S Seing

Michael Barenboim

Pieter J Kerstens

Benjamin Karni

Benny Michael Harper

Thao Anh Nguyen

Michael G Lisanke

Huizong Lu

Ali Reza Taheri

Lanphuong Thi Pena

Eric V Schnetzer

Pieter J M Kerstens

Benjamin Kami

A disk texturing tool is used, for example, to provide textured spots in an annular portion of both sides of a hardfile disk. Disks are moved into and out of the texturing process in cassettes, through two disk-handling stations. In each disk-handling station, a lifter raises each individual disk from the cassette. The individual disk is then transferred to a pick-and-place mechanism, which moves it to a spindle. The spindle spins and translates the disk, so that both sides of the disk are exposed to beams derived from a pulsed laser. The pick-and-place mechanism then returns the disk to the lifter, which lowers it into the cassette pocket from which it was taken. The pick-and-place mechanism simultaneously moves one disk from the lifter to the spindle and another from the spindle to the lifter. While disks are moved by the pick-and-place mechanism of one disk-handling station, a disk in the spindle of the other disk-handling station is exposed to the laser beams.

Apparatus for laser texturing disks

A disk texturing tool is used, for example, to provide textured spots in an annular portion of both sides of a hardfile disk. Disks are moved into and out of the texturing process in cassettes, through two disk-handling stations. Control of the tool is achieved using a right-side disk handling and processing controller, a right-side cassette handling controller, a left-side disk handling and processing controller, and a left side cassette handling controller. The two disk handling and processing controllers share hardware resources performing the texturing process.

Controlling a laser texturing tool having two handling stations for

A disk texturing tool is used, for example, to provide textured spots in an annular portion of both sides of a hardfile disk. Disks are moved into and out of the texturing process in cassettes, through two disk-handling stations. Texturing occurs as the annular portions are exposed to a train of pulses from a Q-switched laser. The Q-switch within the laser is driven by a radio-frequency signal form an oscillator, which is in turn driven by a signal from a pulse generator, which can be adjusted to leave the radio-frequency signal on for a variable time between pulses without changing pulse frequency. The laser may be equipped with a shutter and with an electronic gate selectively preventing the production of laser pulses.

Controlling pulses in a laser texturing tool

A disk texturing process uses a single pulsed laser to texture disks within a first group, which are carried through the texturing process on a first spindle assembly, and from a second group, which are carried through the texturing process on a second spindle assembly. Preferably, disks from the first group are textured alternately with disks in the second group. A first level of least one texturing parameter is stored for use only as the process is applied to disks from the first group, while a second level of the same texturing parameter is stored for use only as the process is applied to disks from the second group. These levels may be derived from measurements of textured spots made with interferometric devices forming portions of a texturing station.

Laser texturing apparatus with dual laser paths having an independently

A disk texturing tool is used, for example, to provide textured spots in an annular portion of both sides of a disk for a hard disk drive. Disks are moved into and out of the texturing process in cassettes, through two disk-handling stations. An optical system includes a laser directed at a beamsplitter to split the laser beam into two beams having approximately power, which are directed along parallel paths through a power control optics block to expose simultaneously opposite sides of a disk to be textured. The power level of each of these two beams is controlled by a program which operates in a teach mode to develop a look up table describing laser beam power as a function of a signal driving an attenuator, in a set point mode setting this drive signal to provide a certain laser beam power, in a run mode controlling this power through a feedback loop, and in a display mode showing laser beam power as a function of time.

Method for controlling laser power in a texturing process

Inspection apparatus for determining the profile of textured spots extending in a pattern along a surface of a magnetic disk includes an interferometer which illuminates first and second, adjacently disposed test spots on the surface. The disk and the interferometer are moved, relative to one another, so that one of the test spots traverses the textured spots in the pattern while the other test spot is moved along a flat portion of the disk surface. In one embodiment, the inspection apparatus is built into the device forming the textured spots, providing feedback controlling the texturing process.

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Boynton Beach, FL, United States of America

Peter P Chrusch