Seagate Technology Incorporated

Vijay Kumar

Narayanan Ramakrishnan

Razman Zambri

Ravishankar Ajjanagadde Shivarama

Bradley Jay Ver Meer

Taiho Yeom

Apparatus and method contemplating an in-situ test method for a head gimbal assembly (HGA). The method includes individually exciting a pair of opposing-effect microactuators supporting the read/write head adjacent a data storage media; summing the outputs from the microactuators to derive a spectral frequency response of the HGA; determining a resonant frequency from the spectral frequency response; driving the microactuators at the resonant frequency; and varying the read/write fly height apart from the data storage media to correlate contact with a maximum response of the microactuators.

Bimodal modulation

A data storage device may employ a suspension that positions a transducing head proximal a data storage medium. The suspension can consist of an active fiber composite that spans a portion of a loadbeam. The active fiber composite can be configured with at least one active fiber contacting a supporting layer.

Active fiber composite data storage device suspension

A data storage device can have a suspension with a loadbeam. The loadbeam can be configured with one or more a stiffening features. The loadbeam and stiffening feature may be constructed as products of a single piece of material. The stiffening feature can be defined by a varying thickness of the loadbeam.

Data storage loadbeam stiffening feature

A gimbal assembly includes a flex circuit with a first end extending along a loadbeam and second end having bond pads configured to be electrically coupled to a slider. The gimbal assembly includes a metallic layer with a fixed portion fixably attached to the loadbeam and a movable portion fixably attachable to the slider. The movable portion has at least one extension arm coupled to and providing support to the second end of the flex circuit. First and second linear actuators are coupled between the fixed portion and the movable portion. The first and second linear actuators cause a rotation of the slider in response to an electric signal.

Gimbal assembly with linear actuators that cause rotation of a slider

An apparatus and associated method contemplating a head gimbal assembly (HGA) and a bridge circuit including first and second microactuators attached to the HGA. Computation logic is connected to the bridge circuit and configured to independently measure an electrical output of each microactuator and to sum the electrical outputs to derive a value related to a vertically dominant modulation mode of the HGA.

An apparatus and associated method employing a bridge circuit having first and second microactuators attached to the apparatus. An excitation source is configured to independently drive each of the microactuators. A computation module is connected to the bridge circuit and is configured to independently measure an electrical output of each microactuator. The computation module uses the electrical outputs to characterize a bimodal modulation of the apparatus.

Various embodiments of a method of detecting a contact event between a head and a storage medium, and a storage device that utilizes such method are disclosed. In one or more embodiments, the method includes applying an input signal to an actuator of a head of a storage device; identifying a frequency of the input signal; detecting an output signal in response to the input signal; and detecting a contact event between the head and a storage medium of the storage device if the output signal includes an even harmonic frequency and an odd harmonic frequency of the frequency of the input signal.

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Edina, MN, United States of America

Vijay Kumar