The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 17, 2001
Filed:
May. 13, 1997
Luis Padilla Franco, Gilroy, CA (US);
Erich Sawatzky, San Jose, CA (US);
Roland Eugene Imboden, Milpitas, CA (US);
Seagate Technology LLC, Scotts Valley, CA (US);
Abstract
An improved media defect glide test head assembly which incorporates a wide thermo-resistive (TR) element suitable for detection of thermal asperities on the surfaces of magnetic recording discs. The TR element of the inventive glide test head assembly is very wide when compared to magneto-resistive (MR) elements in normal MR read/write heads. In the currently preferred embodiment, the TR element is envisioned to be as wide as is possible to fabricate on the trailing edge of an air bearing element of the glide test head assembly, to enable detection of thermal asperities across a relatively wide band of disc surface during each disc rotation, thus enabling rapid testing of the media surface. In a second aspect of the invention, the wide TR element is envisioned to be formed of nickel or other material having a large thermal resistance coefficient. In a third aspect of the invention, the wide TR element is envisioned to include intermediary taps which permit more precise mapping of the location of thermal asperities. Control logic for implementing mapping of TR-detected disc defects is also disclosed.