Seagate Technology Incorporated

William Omar Liners

Mark James Schaenzer

Zine-Eddine Boutaghou

Joel William Hoehn

Daniel Paul Burbank

Andreas Argyros Polycarpou

Zuxuan Lin

Gavin Lee Brinkley

Mallika Roy

Robert Paul Ekstrum

Laurie J Schulz

Francis Anthony McGinnity

A glide head with a slider body that has a leading edge, a trailing edge and an air bearing surface is disclosed. The glide head also has an array of thermal proximity sensing elements connected in a bridge circuit that are adjacent both the trailing edge and the air bearing surface, a heating element mounted to the glide body for elevating the temperature of the thermal proximity sensing elements in relation to the temperature of an inspected surface, and a controller coupled to the array of thermal proximity sensing elements. The controller receives signals from the thermal proximity sensing elements, and determines the existence of a surface variation in the inspected surface based upon differences in the signals received from the thermal proximity sensing elements.

Media certification device design

A disc burnishing system configured to contact and level irregularities located on a surface of a disc is provided. The system includes a motor to rotate the disc and an armature. A slider is carried on the armature over the surface of the disc. The slider includes at least one raised air bearing rail disposed on and extending from a bottom surface that faces the disc. At least one burnish pad is disposed on the bottom surface and extends towards the disc. Each burnish pad is spaced apart from each raised air bearing rail. In accordance with one embodiment of the system, a defect detection apparatus is operably disposed relative the slider and is utilized to first detect an irregularity before it is burnished.

Hybrid burnish/glide head with advanced air bearing fly height control rails

A honing head for microburnishing surface of a recording/reproducing disc to a smoothness at which asperities are limited to submicron heights including a hardened contact bearing surface having an array of depressions with abrupt trailing edges interconnected by recessed channels leading outwardly from the honing head. The array of channels span a band in which an asperity may be present, and the sharp edges shear off the asperities within the band which extend above the chosen submicroinch height, with the separated particulates being passed through the recesses and channel system to the outer edge of the honing head. The trailing edges act to shear off the unwanted heights of the asperities, while the recesses enable pressure differentials and air flows to direct the separated particulates outwardly relative to the disc, centripetal forces of rotation bearing the particulates from the disc. A diamond-like coating on the entire contact bearing surface and the recesses aids in reducing wear and the stiction of the smooth surfaces to the disc that is being burnished. This arrangement has the further advantage that the honing head may be prepared by photomicrolithographic techniques to generate the array of recesses on a production basis, with the recesses having precisely determined depths and perpendicular trailing edge walls. Ion milling and other known techniques can be used to remove the materials in the chose patterns quickly and efficiently.

Apparatus and method for reducing disc surface asperities to sub-microinch height

A burnishing head configured to provide extremely close control of the burnishing height, to aerodynamically eject particles generated by the burnishing process from beneath the burnishing head onto the disc surface, whence they can be swept from the disc by centripetal force, and to optimize the tribological relationship between the burnishing head and a disc being burnished. The burnishing head includes a plurality of burnishing pads arranged in an elliptical pattern, with the actual burnishing surface of the burnishing pads being either ion milled to provide a closely controlled surface texture, or lapped to a extremely smooth surface. The shape of the individual burnishing pads is also formed by the process of ion milling, and is either elliptical, or, preferably, an aerodynamic teardrop shape, which acts to aerodynamically displace generated particles from beneath the burnishing head. The burnishing surface of the burnishing pads is coated with a diamond-like coating to improve the tribological relationship between the burnishing head and the disc.

Burnish head with ion milled aerodynamic pads configured in an elliptical pattern

A burnishing head configured to provide extremely close control of the burnishing height, to minimize stiction between the burnishing head and a disc being burnished, and to optimize the tribological relationship between the burnishing head and a disc being burnished. The burnishing head includes one or more spacer pads, associated with selected ones of the burnishing pads on the burnishing head, which remain in contact with the surface of a disc being burnished. The height from the contact surface of the spacer pad to the contact surface of the burnishing pad determines the effective burnishing height. The burnishing head also includes moats, or recessed areas, surrounding the burnishing pads to minimize the stiction caused by generation of a liquid meniscus between the disc and contacting elements of the burnishing head, and which act as collection points for particulates generated by the burnishing process. The spacer pads preferably include microtextured contact surfaces to minimize stiction and wear and further include a diamond-like carbon coating to further improve wear characteristics.

Growing community of inventors

Minnetonka, MN, United States of America

William Omar Liners