Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

International Business Machines Corporation

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

Wing Tsang Tang

Qing Dai

Paul Haruo Kasai

Norbert A Feliss

Jennifer Lu

Yiyun Huang

Gordon James Smith

Randall George Simmons

Robert J Twieg

William D Hinsberg, Iii

Youping Deng

Huiping Yang

Kathleen M Betterton

Huu T Nguyen

Robert Michael Crone

A method and apparatus for detecting predetermined surface characteristics in head gimbal assemblies to improve hard disk drive reliability. The predetermined surface characteristics include head slider protrusions such as scratches or contamination that can cause damage to the head or disk in hard drives. By detecting these protrusions, those drives with an increased chance of failure can be removed from a test group, thereby increasing the quality and reliability of the remaining disk drives. The invention provides a method of detecting these protrusions that is a more practical option than using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to inspect each head slider.

Methods and apparatus to detect surface characteristics on magnetic read/write heads

A slider in a disk drive is shock-protected with an overcoat layer of either metal or polymer directly on the areas of the slider that are prone to contact the disk when the slider is loaded off the platform, or when the slider is shocked while in operation over the data zone of the disk. The material used to form the layer absorbs shock and reduces wear, and is bonded or sputtered to the head in a region other than the pads of the air bearing surface. This region is typically the reactive ion etched (RIE) surface area and is slightly below the pads of the air bearing surface of the head. In an alternate version of the invention, the slider is protected by covering only the edges of the slider with a suitable material. Finally, the entire slider may be encased with the overcoating except for the pads of the air bearing surface.

Head shock resistance and head load/unload protection for reducing disk errors and defects, and enhancing data integrity of disk drives

A slider for a disk drive has an air bearing surface that opposes a rotatable disk of recordable media. The air bearing surface includes one or more interior cavities to reduce van der Waals and electrostatic forces that attract the slider to the disk.

Air bearing designs to reduce external van der waals and electrostatic forces

A process is provided for synthesizing metal salts of perfluorinated polyethers containing at least one carboxylic acid group. The polymeric salts so provided are effective as anti-wetting and corrosion-protective agents. The metal salts of perfluorinated polyether acids may be used to prepare corrosion-protected substrates, including magnetic recording disks and magnetic recording heads.

Magnetic recording head having a corrosion-protective layer of a metal salt of a perfluorinated polyether acid

Method for making a magnetic recording disk having a corrosion-protective layer of a perfluorinated polyether acid

Process for synthesizing perfluorinated polyethers with metal carboxylate end groups

Perfluorinated polyethers with metal carboxylate end groups as anti-wetting and corrosion-protective agents

Disclosed are compounds of the general formula:

Ferroelectric liquid crystals

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Wing Tsang Tang