Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

R Paul Thicke

James Aloysius Hagan

Steven F Starcke

Douglas Howard Piltingsrud

Dennis Leonard Fox

John Patrick Hagen

Janice Blue Ostrom

Paul Henry Hanson

Theresa Marie Lewis

An apparatus and method of reclaiming a disk substrate. The cost of reclaiming a disk substrate can be lower, and the quality higher, than making a new one from a blank. A layer of a data storage disk is stripped, e.g., by acid/oxidizing bath immersion. The stripped disk is polished in a carrier between polishing pads, with the relative velocity of the polishing pads as seen by the disk being precisely controlled so that an equal amount of stock is removed from each side. Preferably, several stripped disks are sorted into groups based on disk thickness, and disks from one of the groups are simultaneously polished in the carrier. Sorting improves stock removal uniformity from disk to disk. The polished disks are cleaned and, preferably, ordered in a cassette for stacking in a storage device based on disk thickness to more easily meet a mean center specification.

Apparatus and method for reclaiming a disk substrate for use in a data storage device

Growing community of inventors

Stewartville, MN, United States of America

R Paul Thicke