International Business Machines Corporation

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Ullal Vasant Nayak

Karl Arthur Flechsig

Timothy C O'Sullivan

Toshiki Hirano

Chih-Kung Lee

Bruno Jean Marchon

Andrew Ching Tam

Peter Michael Baumgart

Thao Anh Nguyen

Robert Nolan Payne

Wing P Leung

Sylvia Lui Lee

Michael F Lee

Qinghua Zeng

Francis Chee-Shuen Lee

Hang Fai Ngo

Michael Lee McGhee

Salvador Navarro

Christopher Ramm

Charles Chung Lee

Wayne Isami Imaino

Donald Ray Gillis

Ferdinand Hendriks

Bernhard E Knigge

Henry Hung Yang

Qing Dai

Randall George Simmons

Lee K Dorius

Shanlin Duan

Wing Chun Shum

James Aloysius Hagan

Thomas Edward Karis

Francis C Lee

Kris Victor Schouterden

Douglas Howard Piltingsrud

Reinhard Ferdinand Wolter

Steven Harry Voss

Hong S Seing

Wesley LeRoy Hillman

Douglas Allan Kuchta

Jizhong He

Bob Clyde Robinson

Malika Dothresa Carter

Stephen Arnold Olson

Li-Chung Lee

Yun-Lin Hsiao

Carl Robert Mendel

Tony Mello

Parul Agrawal

Janice Blue Ostrom

Josef Walian

Mike L McGhee

Tzong S Pan

Wong K Richard

A polishing system and associated methods are described for polishing a magnetic disk used in a disk drive system. The polishing system includes a polishing film that is used to polish the magnetic disk. The polishing system also includes an actuator operable to move the polishing film across a surface of the magnetic disk to polish the magnetic disk. The polishing system also includes a pad having at least one protrusion extending from a surface of the pad. The protrusion is configured to contact the polishing film and press the polishing film against the magnetic disk. The protrusion is operable to compress to about the surface of the pad when in contact with the polishing film. Once polishing is complete, the pad retracts from the polishing film and the protrusion extends from the pad, reducing the adhesion force between the pad and the polishing film.

Systems and methods for polishing a magnetic disk

Glide test systems and associated methods are described. A glide test system includes a glide test head that is flown over the surface of a recording disk to detect asperities on the recording disk. The glide test head includes a detection pad on the trailing end of the head. Heating elements are fabricated proximate to the detection pad. The heating elements are independently controllable to control the amount of protrusion of different regions of the detection pad. The heating elements thus provide a way to substantially flatten the detection surface of the detection pad, and compensate for an uneven topography on a detection surface.

Glide test heads using heating elements to form a planar detection surface

A method for improving the magnetic performance of at least one magnetic transducer operating within a hard disk drive. The method comprises flying the magnetic transducer at a distance of separation from a magnetic recording media. The magnetic transducer is coupled with a highly damped air bearing surface and a fly height control device. At least one operating parameter of the hard disk drive is measured. The magnetic transducer is moved with the fly height control device into contact with the magnetic recording media, in accordance with at least one operating parameter of the hard disk drive. The magnetic transducer is operated while the magnetic transducer is in contact with the magnetic recording media, thereby improving the magnetic performance of the magnetic transducer.

Magnetic performance of a magnetic transducer operating within a hard disk drive

A method and apparatus for detecting slider/disk fly-height modulation in a hard disk drive is provided. A slider is electrically isolating from an electrically grounded suspension. A signal line is coupled to the slider, the signal line for providing an alert signal when a modulation in fly-height between the slider and an electrically grounded disk of the hard disk drive occurs.

Method and apparatus for detecting slider/disk fly-height modulation in a hard disk drive

A Hard Disk Drive (HDD) includes a write-inhibit signal that is generated by a head-disk interaction sensor during a write process that is integrated with a suspension of the HDD when fly-height modulation of the slider is detected during a write process. The suspension load beam includes a dimple and a laminated flexure. The laminated flexure includes a surface that is adapted to receive a slider and a surface that is adapted to contact the dimple. The head-disk interaction sensor is fabricated as part of the laminations of the flexure. The head-disk interaction sensor can be an accelerometer that senses an acceleration of the flexure when the slider contacts the disk of the disk drive and/or a pressure sensor that senses a pressure between the flexure and the dimple when the slider contacts the disk. A write-inhibit circuit is responsive to the sensor signal by inhibiting the write process.

Disk drive with head-disk interaction sensor integrated with suspension

A micro-fabricated chip having a stationary structure and a movable structure with a gimbal structure allows pitch and roll motion of the movable structure with respect to the stationary structure. One embodiment of the gimbal structure includes a dimple surface making a rolling-type contact with the stationary structure, and a center bar and a plurality of bar members. An alternative embodiment of the gimbal structure includes a plurality of torsion bar members. Another alternative embodiment of the gimbal structure includes a plurality of flexible members. The micro-fabricated chip can be a passive chip structure or, alternatively, a microactuator having a movable structure that moves in a rotational direction or a translational direction with respect to the stationary structure.

Microactuator for a hard disk drive with an integrated gimbal function

An air bearing burnish slider burnishes very small asperities and cleans the loose particles that adhere to the magnetic recording media. The slider applies a controllable contact force to effectively burnish disk asperities or partially attached particles. In addition, the slider cleans the loose particles effectively while flying in a stable fashion. In a low pitch design, diagonal rails push particles away from the disk surface and trailing edge pads contact the disk at lower linear velocities. Rail pads retain loose contamination and debris in their pockets and burnish asperities. Another design provides a milder burnish force and flies in a high pitch configuration. The trailing edge pads provide stable contacts and the rails help in sweeping away debris. In both designs, the contact forces can be controlled by adjusting linear velocities. A step taper at the leading edge provides a pitch-producing lift force.

Apparatus for burnishing small asperities and cleaning loose particles from magnetic recording media

A disk drive having a layer of lubricant on a disk surface, where an undesirable lubricant layer thickness modulation is reduced by varying &#x3c9;/f during operation of the disk drive. Here &#x3c9; is the angular velocity of the disk and f is a resonant frequency of a head assembly containing the head. In this manner, the amplitude of the lubricant thickness modulation is decreased, improving disk drive performance. The ratio &#x3c9;/f is preferably varied by varying the disk angular velocity &#x3c9;.

Disk drive having reduced variation of disk surface lubricant layer thickness

A write-inhibit signal is generated by a head-disk interaction sensor during a write process that is integrated with a suspension of a hard disk drive (HDD) when fly-height modulation of the slider is detected during a write process The suspension load beam includes a dimple and a laminated flexure. The laminated flexure includes a surface that is adapted to receive a slider and a surface that is adapted to contact the dimple. The head-disk interaction sensor is fabricated as part of the laminations of the flexure. The head-disk interaction sensor can be an accelerometer that senses an acceleration of the flexure when the slider contacts the disk of the disk drive and/or a pressure sensor that senses a pressure between the flexure and the dimple when the slider contacts the disk. A write-inhibit circuit is responsive to the sensor signal by inhibiting the write process.

Head-disk interaction sensor integrated with suspension

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for dynamic fly height and roll adjustment of a physical asperity sensor (PAS) head. The PAS head is used to test disk asperity heights and mechanical interference (commonly known as glide height and take off height). The PAS may be adjusted through a pivoting device such as a joystick coupled through one or more actuators to the pivoting device by actuator arms. In one embodiment, the actuator is a piezoelectric motor. The PAS head may utilize a detector to indicate the distance of the disk asperity from the PAS head. The method comprises receiving the signal and in response, operating the actuators to adjust the position of the pivoting device to obtain a selected positioning of either the fly height or the roll of the PAS.

Apparatus and method for dynamic fly height adjustment

A method for texturing substrate surfaces and a substrate product, such as for computer disk drives. Microbump textured substrates are produced having a Rp value of about 20-200 &angst; and a ratio of Rmax:Rp of about 1.4 or less. In an exemplary embodiment, a microbump textured substrate is produced having colloidal particles on a surface thereof at a density of at least about 25 particles per 25 &mgr;m , wherein the surface topography includes a Rp value of about 20-200 &angst;, a micro-roughness Rq of about 10 &angst; or less, and a ratio of Rmax:Rp of about 1.4 or less. An exemplary method includes first providing a substrate surface having a surface micro-roughness Rq of about 10 &angst; or less and depositing colloidal particles on the surface to provide a Rp value of about 20-200 &angst; and a ratio of Rmax:Rp of about 1.4 or less. In a further exemplary embodiment, the method increases the micro-roughness Rq, but to a value that is still less than about 10 &angst; with Rmax:Rp still of about 1.4 or less.

Disk substrate with monosized microbumps

A method and apparatus for providing a low cost contact burnish slider is disclosed that can remain in contact or at the initial low flying heights even as the pad surfaces and leading edges wear. The burnish slider includes a body having a leading edge and a trailing edge and an air bearing surface being configured at the leading edge of the body to cut disk asperities as the slider flies and configured away from the leading edge to maintain a flying attitude wherein the leading edge is near the data recording surface and to provide restoring forces to maintain the flying attitude. The air bearing surface may include a front pad proximal to the leading edge and a rear pad distal to the leading edge. Alternatively, the air bearing surface may include two front pads proximal to the leading edge on opposite sides of the body and two rear pads distal to the leading edge and disposed on opposite sides of the body. The front and rear pad(s) extends substantially across the body of the slider. An offset pivot is provided for constraining the moment balance of the slider to provide a low pitch flying attitude. The rear pad(s) further includes a mechanical taper proximal to the trailing edge to minimize load/unload damage. The air bearing surface configuration away from the leading edge provides a force that restores the flying attitude to the slider when an impulse lifting the leading edge is encountered.

Method and apparatus for providing a low cost contact burnish slider

The present invention provides an optimized pad design for a slider that minimizes the effect of mask alignment tolerances to allow for a more consistent N58 pad area and hence a more controllable burnish rate of the protruding pad. The protruding pad includes a first portion and a second portion formed by processing material to form the first and second portion wherein at least a quantity of the first portion comprises a first material type and the second portion comprises a second material type, the protruding pad further comprising a boundary interface separating the first material type from the second material type, the boundary interface having a position on the first portion that is dependent upon an alignment tolerance for the processing and that defines a surface area for the material of the second type, wherein the surface area of the material of the second type is negligibly affected by the position of the boundary interface.

Optimized pad design for slider and method for making the same

A computer system hard disk drive contains magnetic heads for reading data to and writing data from storage media disks. The heads are coupled to an electrical source that thermally excites the heads during non-operation of the disk drive in order to raise the temperature of the heads. The temperature increase induces a mechanism such as a local, low humidity barrier at each of the heads. When the disk drive is stored in harsh environmental atmospheres, such as high temperatures and high humidity, the mechanism or low humidity barrier is sufficient to overcome the ambient conditions and reduce environmental corrosion of the heads.

Environmental corrosion protection for hard disk drive elements by thermal activation

An air bearing slider for supporting a magnetic read/write head on a moving disk includes at least one front force carrying pad located in front of a suspension pivot point of an air bearing slider, at least one rear force-carrying pad located behind the suspension pivot point of the air bearing slider, and a trailing-edge pad having a magnetic read/write head embedded in a rear portion of the trailing-edge pad. Each front force-carrying pad carries a front air bearing force that is generated by a relative motion between a surface of the disk and the slider when the surface of the disk has a predetermined disk velocity with respect to the slider. Each rear force-carrying pad carries a rear air bearing force that is generated by the relative motion between the surface of the disk and the slider. The trailing edge pad carries substantially no air bearing force. According to the invention, as an atmospheric pressure associated with the air bearing slider decreases, a flying height associated with each front force-carrying pad and each rear force-carrying pad decreases so that a pitch angle of the air bearing slider decreases and a flying height associated with the trailing-edge pad at the magnetic read/write head changes by less than 5 nm at a predetermined disk velocity.

Altitude insensitive air bearing using pitch compensation for data

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Ullal Vasant Nayak