Abstract: The thin film magnetic head has stable recording characteristics. The thin film magnetic head of the present invention comprises: lower and upper magnetic poles; an insulating layer formed between the magnetic poles, the insulating layer having a apex part; a coil formed in the insulating layer; and a gap layer formed between the magnetic poles faced each other. The coil is provided in a concave part of the lower magnetic pole. The concave part is filled with a first insulating layer. A high magnetic permeability layer is formed on the lower magnetic pole which faces the upper magnetic pole. The gap layer is formed on the high magnetic permeability layer. A second insulating layer is formed on the first insulating layer. A third insulating layer is formed on the second insulating layer and has the apex part.

Abstract: A disc player for containing a plurality of discs and playing back a disc selected therefrom, comprises a disc holding/separating mechanism which holds the plurality of discs concentrically and which separates the selected disc from the remaining discs to form a first space below the selected disc; a turntable; an optical pickup; a turntable support mechanism which supports the turntable and which moves between an outside of the discs held by the disc holding/separating mechanism and the first space; a disc carrier mechanism which holds and conveys the selected disc between the disc holding/separating mechanism and the turntable; a clamper which secures the selected disc to the turntable; a clamper support mechanism which supports the clamper and which moves between an outside of the discs held by the disc holding/separating mechanism and a second space formed above the selected disc; and a control mechanism which controls motions of the turntable support mechanism and the clamper support mechanism.

Abstract: A tray cover for retaining optical discs within an optical disc drive capable of being vertically oriented is comprised of a cover attachable to the tray of the optical disc drive. The cover forms a pocket against the tray for receiving the optical disc so that the optical disc is generally retained against the tray as the tray is extended and retracted.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head includes a recording pole layer that is divided into a tip portion, a wide rear portion, a flare portion, and a yoke portion as viewed from the air bearing surface (ABS). The tip portion and the wide rear portion directly contact a write gap layer. Part of the wide rear portion has a greater width that the tip portion. The wide rear portion is provided between the tip portion and the flare portion to reduce magnetic reluctance. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the pattern accuracy of the tip portion width by providing the flare portion, which reflects a large quantity of light, far from the ABS, while preventing an increase of the magnetic reluctance.

Abstract: A magnetic head device which can accommodate higher data transfer rates can be implemented by using lead wires. A magnetic head device 1 according to the present invention includes a head slider 3 having a magnetic head 2 having a data reading element and a data writing element, a reading lead RL for transferring data between the data reading element and external devices, the reading lead configured by a pair of lead wires which are twisted together, and a writing lead WL for transferring data between the data writing element and external devices, the writing lead configured by a pair of lead wires which are untwisted but arranged in parallel to each other. Thus, the magnetic head device can accommodate higher data transfer rates by using the writing lead WL configured by a pair of lead wires which are untwisted but arranged in parallel to each other.

Abstract: A dual-stripe current-pinned spin valve magnetoresistive read sensor includes a first soft ferromagnetic (FM) layer separated from a second soft FM layer by a first spacer layer formed of conductive material. The first spacer layer is also configured to receive a first biasing current for generating a first magnetic field of sufficient strength to saturate the first soft FM layer. The read sensor further includes a third soft FM layer and a fourth soft FM layer separated by a second spacer layer formed of conductive material. The second spacer layer is configured to receive a second biasing current for generating a second magnetic field of sufficient strength to saturate the fourth soft FM layer. An insulation layer also is disposed between the second soft FM layer and the third FM layer.

Abstract: A read head shield having improved stability includes a ferromagnetic (FM) layer and an anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) layer adjacent the FM layer. The FM layer has a patterned shape and a domain configuration that is defined by a plurality of local magnetic domains that are stabilized in accordance with the patterned shape. The AFM layer is annealed to imprint thereon the stabilized local magnetic domains of the FM layer. The AFM layer operates to increase the stability of the domain configuration of the FM layer thereby providing improved resistance to domain configuration shift caused by the application of a strong magnetic field.

Abstract: A disk loading device for loading a disk into a disk loading device frame and unloading the inserted disk from the disk loading device frame has a first arm having a contacting part for contacting an edge of the disk in a direction of insertion of the disk and moving through a first plane parallel to a plane of movement of the disk; a second arm having a contacting part for contacting an edge of the disk in a direction opposite the direction of insertion of the disk and moving through a second plane parallel to the plane of movement of the disk; a motor that rotates the first arm and the second arm; and a control mechanism that causes the motor to rotate the second arm so that the contacting part of the second arm pushes the disk into the disk loading device when the disk is manually partially inserted in the disk loading device during a loading operation, and causes the motor to rotate the second arm so that the contacting part of the second arm pushes the disk out from the disk loading device during an unlo

Abstract: A disk drive write head having in consecutive layers a bottom pole, a write gap layer, a first insulation layer, a coil, a second insulation layer having an insulation layer boundary, and a top pole on the second insulation layer. The top pole includes a main body portion and a nose portion and has a flare line at the location where the nose portion expands to become the main body portion. The top pole further includes a curved contour portion having a contour boundary, a tip which terminates in an air bearing surface, and a flat portion on the top surface of the nose extending between the tip and the contour boundary. The insulation layer boundary is recessed from the air bearing surface such that the top pole contour boundary lies substantially close to the flare line, thus producing a top pole top surface which is substantially flat.

Abstract: A read/write head and method of making the same, are used in a data storage system, such as a disk drive, for perpendicular magnetic recording of data. The head employs a two-layer pole design with a main pole made of sputtered high moment magnetic material, and an adjunct pole made of electroplated soft magnetic film. The adjunct pole is substantially recessed from the air bearing surface. The present head design significantly enhances the magnetic write field, and substantially reduces side-writing that result in accidental erasure of data in adjacent tracks on the magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: In a hard disk drive, at least one groove is formed in any of the base plate and the cover plate to pump air toward an outer side of the disk. An outer end of the groove is located at a position inwardly separated from an edge of the disk such that an air journal zone of predetermined width is formed along a circumferential direction of the disk between the outer end of the groove and the edge of the disk. The groove is formed in multiple numbers in a circumferential direction of the disk at a predetermined interval and is extended in a radial direction from an inner side of the disk and curved in a direction in which the disk rotates. Thus, vibration of the disk is reduced by a damping operation of air pumped by the groove having a high pressure in the air journal zone.

Abstract: An optical information recording medium recordable at a high density two times or more higher than that of currently-used CD-Rs by devising the shape of a pregroove is provided. It is provided with a recording layer formed on a transparent substrate having a spiral pregroove formed thereon, wherein a track pitch Tp of the pregroove is 1.0 &mgr;m≦Tp≦1.2 &mgr;m and an inclination angle Ga of sidewalls of the pregroove is 30°≦Ga≦70°.

Abstract: A system having a simple structure and highly precise data reproduction in which a disk tray is attached to a tray ascending/descending unit driven to be ascended or descended within a mechanical deck such that it can be loaded or unloaded in a horizontal direction, and one motor-type loading drive mechanism installed in the tray ascending/descending unit performs a pulling-in drive of the disk tray, a descending drive of the tray ascending/descending unit, a ascending drive of the tray ascending/descending unit and a pulling-out drive of the disk tray, respectively.

Abstract: A gimbal and load beam apparatus for a head suspension for a disk drive having lateral arms with dielectric and conductor layers without metal backing to provide for low pitch and roll stiffness while also having a structural layer attached to the gimbal at proximal and distal locations for high lateral stiffness. The structural layer may be formed of stainless steel and can serve as the load beam and spring region for the head suspension.

Abstract: An optical recording method which comprises making a recording with near field light on an optical recording medium comprising a substrate having provided thereon a particle layer containing particles having an average particle size ranging from 1 to 50 nm.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive is provided with clamping rings that whenever nested will form an annular chamber to accommodate a toroidal ring which is deformable. As the clamping rings are progressively forcefully engaged by the clamping rings, the chamber is reduced in height and transmits the force of the top clamping ring to the bottom clamping ring in a uniform distribution and prevents the force of the bottom clamping ring from having non-uniformity of distribution. This action prevents magnetically recordable disks of the disk drive from being subjected to point loading and consequential warping. The uniform distribution exerted on glass disks also prevents cracking or shattering of the glass disk and prevents warping of non-glass disks.

Abstract: A magnetic tunnel junction sensor is provided having a laminated free layer comprising a first sublayer formed of Co—Fe in contact with a spacer layer and a second sublayer formed of Ni—Fe—Mo. The Ni—Fe—Mo material of the second sublayer has a magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant, k, that is much smaller than that of Ni—Fe. Due to the small value of k of the Ni—Fe—Mo material used to fabricate the second sublayer of the free layer, the thickness of the Co—Fe first sublayer may be increased to improve manufacturability while retaining a low net stiffness of the free layer for high sensitivity of the MTJ sensor in response to signal fields from data magnetically recorded on a disk. The thicker Co—Fe first sublayer results in a higher magnetoresistance coefficient of the improved MTJ sensor.

Abstract: The first and second side surfaces of either a bottom spin valve sensor or a top spin valve sensor are notched so as to enable a reduction in the magnetoresistive coefficient of side portions of the sensor beyond the track width region thereby minimizing side reading by the sensor. The first and second notches of the spin valve sensor are then filled with layers in various embodiments of the invention to complete the spin valve sensor.

Abstract: An optical disk adjusting assembly for an optical disk reading device. The optical disk adjusting assembly includes a chassis, a first guide rod, a second guide rod, an adjustable positioning element, a clamping plate, a disk rotating module and a disk reading module. The first guide rod and the second guide rod are respectively disposed on the chassis. The adjustable positioning element constrains two ends of the first guide rod and one end of the second guide rod. The clamping plate is secured to the chassis by screws and used to restrain a portion of the adjustable positioning element. Thus, the adjustable positioning element can constrain and adjust the two guide rods efficiently.

Abstract: A disc cartridge having a single case member which covers most of the base surface of the disc cartridge and is disposed on the recording side of a recording medium is described. An access window for a recording/playback device to access the recording medium is opened and closed by a shutter.