Abstract: An air bearing burnish slider burnishes very small asperities and cleans the loose particles that adhere to the magnetic recording media. The slider applies a controllable contact force to effectively burnish disk asperities or partially attached particles. In addition, the slider cleans the loose particles effectively while flying in a stable fashion. In a low pitch design, diagonal rails push particles away from the disk surface and trailing edge pads contact the disk at lower linear velocities. Rail pads retain loose contamination and debris in their pockets and burnish asperities. Another design provides a milder burnish force and flies in a high pitch configuration. The trailing edge pads provide stable contacts and the rails help in sweeping away debris. In both designs, the contact forces can be controlled by adjusting linear velocities. A step taper at the leading edge provides a pitch-producing lift force.

Abstract: A glide head calibration technique uses two fly height calibrations on a disk media certifier. The first calibration point uses a spin down on bump technique at a first height, and the second calibration point uses a spin down on disk media roughness at a second lower height. With two height data points, a fly height curve of each glide head is approximated very accurately. Once the fly height curve is derived for each head, any fly height can be dialed-in by the disk media certifier for glide testing. This technique achieves glide fly heights between about 4 nm and 8 nm and does so with improved tolerances.

Abstract: A method is presented for glide testing a disk which tests the glide head fly-height by inducing a collision between the glide head and a disk under test. The glide test system is initially calibrated using calibration disks. The method of the invention periodically tests the calibration without interrupting the production testing by lowering the rotation rate until the glide head collides with the rotating disk surface. The rotation rate at which the collision occurs is then compared with the value expected based on knowledge of disk samples and the initial calibration. Parameters for acceptable high and low values are established to detect changes in the glide test system performance to trigger automatic or manual recalibration.

Abstract: A calibration method for determining the flying height of a glide slider for disk glide height testing is disclosed. The method utilizes a disk with bumps in situ on a disk glide height tester. The method automatically takes into account disk topography, mounting tolerances, and slider roll.

Abstract: A disk for calibrating glide heads utilizes a dual-zone configuration of multiple laser melt bumps having selected heights. Averaging the PZT response over many bumps significantly narrows the response distribution, resulting in greater certainty and correlation of the PZT amplitude to bump height. The multiple calibration bumps are circumferentially arranged on a disk surface at a selected radius in a ring-like manner. A second head cleaning zone is provided near the inner diameter of the disk to provide for increased reproducibility of the PZT calibration response. The second zone is densely textured and serves to clean the glide head prior to its use in the calibration zone.

Abstract: A disk for a disk drive uses a circular platter having first and second sides and a circumferential edge. The circumferential edge of the disk has four symmetrically spaced apart shadows and a fifth or additional shadow that gives the disk an asymmetrical shadow signature. The fifth shadow is offset relative to the other shadows, which have congruent arcuate lengths and separation. The fifth shadow has an arcuate length that is about half as long as those of the other shadows, and is closely spaced adjacent to one of the other shadows. The asymmetric shadow signatures of the disk is used to precisely determine both the circumferential position of the platters and their planar orientation (i.e., A-side or B-side). For example, when the disk is mounted on a tool spindle and rotated, an optical detector detects the pattern of the shadows and feeds the data to a computer system. The rotational position of the spindle also is relayed to the computer for coordinating the processing of the rotating disk.

Abstract: A calibration method for determining the flying height of a glide slider for disk glide height testing is disclosed. The method utilizes a disk with bumps in situ on a disk glide height tester. The method automatically takes into account disk topography, mounting tolerances, and slider roll.

Abstract: A disk for calibrating glide heads utilizes a dual-zone configuration of multiple laser melt bumps having selected heights. Averaging the PZT response over many bumps significantly narrows the response distribution, resulting in greater certainty and correlation of the PZT amplitude to bump height. The multiple calibration bumps are circumferentially arranged on a disk surface at a selected radius in a ring-like manner. A second head cleaning zone is provided near the inner diameter of the disk to provide for increased reproducibility of the PZT calibration response. The second zone is densely textured and serves to clean the glide head prior to its use in the calibration zone.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a low cost contact burnish slider is disclosed that can remain in contact or at the initial low flying heights even as the pad surfaces and leading edges wear. The burnish slider includes a body having a leading edge and a trailing edge and an air bearing surface being configured at the leading edge of the body to cut disk asperities as the slider flies and configured away from the leading edge to maintain a flying attitude wherein the leading edge is near the data recording surface and to provide restoring forces to maintain the flying attitude. The air bearing surface may include a front pad proximal to the leading edge and a rear pad distal to the leading edge. Alternatively, the air bearing surface may include two front pads proximal to the leading edge on opposite sides of the body and two rear pads distal to the leading edge and disposed on opposite sides of the body. The front and rear pad(s) extends substantially across the body of the slider.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a low cost contact burnish slider is disclosed that can remain in contact or at the initial low flying heights even as the pad surfaces and leading edges wear. The burnish slider includes a body having a leading edge and a trailing edge and an air bearing surface being configured at the leading edge of the body to cut disk asperities as the slider flies and configured away from the leading edge to maintain a flying attitude wherein the leading edge is near the data recording surface and to provide restoring forces to maintain the flying attitude. The air bearing surface may include a front pad proximal to the leading edge and a rear pad distal to the leading edge. Alternatively, the air bearing surface may include two front pads proximal to the leading edge on opposite sides of the body and two rear pads distal to the leading edge and disposed on opposite sides of the body. The front and rear pad(s) extends substantially across the body of the slider.

Abstract: A disk for a disk drive uses a circular platter having first and second sides and a circumferential edge. The circumferential edge of the disk has four symmetrically spaced apart shadows and a fifth or additional shadow that gives the disk an asymmetrical shadow signature. The fifth shadow is offset relative to the other shadows, which have congruent arcuate lengths and separation. The fifth shadow has an arcuate length that is about half as long as those of the other shadows, and is closely spaced adjacent to one of the other shadows. The asymmetric shadow signatures of the disk is used to precisely determine both the circumferential position of the platters and their planar orientation (i.e., A-side or B-side). For example, when the disk is mounted on a tool spindle and rotated, an optical detector detects the pattern of the shadows and feeds the data to a computer system. The rotational position of the spindle also is relayed to the computer for coordinating the processing of the rotating disk.