International Business Machines Corporation

Vlad J Novotny

Timothy C Reiley

Robert Fontana

Cherngye Hwang

Benjamin V Fasano

Andrew Ching Tam

Donald Stimson Bethune

Clinton David Snyder

Anthony W Wu

Timothy C O'Sullivan

Lawrence B Schein

Celia E Yeack-Scranton

Matthias C Krantz

Gerard Meijer

Mattanjah Sjim'on De Vries

A contact recording disk file uses an integrated head-suspension assembly having a head carrier with a dual-layer wear pad for contacting the disk during read and write operations. The outer wear layer of the pad is relatively soft and wear prone compared to a harder and more wear-resistant inner layer. The outer wear layer wears away at a relatively rapid rate during initial wear-in of the head carrier. In this manner the head pole pieces, which extend into the wear pad, are rapidly put into contact with the disk, thereby compensating for initial misalignment of the wear pad with the surface of the disk. The inner wear layer then provides wear resistance over the life of the disk file. In the preferred embodiment, both the outer and inner wear layers are formed of essentially amorphous carbon doped with different amounts of hydrogen.

Contact magnetic recording disk file with improved head assembly

A film comprising fullerene molecules or their derivatives, preferably C.sub.60 or C.sub.70 fullerene molecules, is used as a lubricating film between two bearing surfaces. In a particular embodiment, a data recording disk file with the film deposited on the disk surface has improved properties of static friction and wear resistance at the head-disk interface.

Magnetic recording disk having a contiguous fullerene film and a

Slider disk stiction is reduced in a disk-based storage device by providing one or more step projections on the air bearing surface of a slider. The rear part of the step projections which rest on the disk surface projections are forward of the slider pivot point. When the slider rests on a disk surface, the step projections elevate the leading edge of the slider, which imposes a static pitch angle on the slider, reducing the slider/disk contact area. Provision is also made for contouring the slider air bearing surface adjacent to the slider leading edge, using a taper or the step projection leading face, to compress the airflow and provide a stable slider air bearing during disk file operation.

Step projection air bearing slider with improved stiction performance

Conductive patterns are formed on a surface and via connections through a lamina or substrate are formed by directly writing an electrostatic charge pattern on a surface of the lamina and developing the written pattern by application of conductive particles thereto, preferably in a liquid suspension of particulate material including a binder and/or a charge control agent. High resolution patterns are obtained with conductive powders having particle sizes in the range of 0.5 to 2.5 microns. Vias are formed by developing the charged pattern with conductive bodies such as spheres having a dimension similar to the finished thickness of the lamina or substrate. After development, the conductive bodies may be embedded within the lamina or substrate, possibly facilitated through the use of heat and lamination techniques. Insulative particulate material may also be used to form insulating patterns. A sequence of direct electrostatic writing and development operations enable the production of microstructures such as capacitors and multiple wiring layers on a single lamina or substrate.

Electrostatic patterning of multi-layer module lamina

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Vlad J Novotny