Abstract: Since structural portions of a device made of a plurality of materials are different from one another in mechanical hardness, it is very difficult to uniformly lap the structural portions. This is attributable to generation of machining recessions due to differences in lapped amount when large fixed abrasive grains are used, and generation of lapping marks caused by that the dropped abrasive grains rotate. Accordingly, in order to cope with the disadvantage, it is essential to surely grip abrasive grains of small size to a surface of a surface plate.

Abstract: A magnetic head slider having an air bearing surface overcoat that has excellent corrosion resistance and wear resistance despite its very small thickness is provided. In one embodiment, a method of producing a magnetic head slider comprises the steps of forming, on the air bearing surface of the slider, an air bearing surface overcoat which is a film stack of an amorphous silicon film and a hard amorphous carbon film, removing the surface region from the hard amorphous carbon film by the irradiation with an ion beam which is tilted with respect to a normal to the air bearing surface, and forming a rail in the air bearing surface on which the air bearing surface overcoat has been formed. The amount of the diamond component in the hard amorphous carbon film must not be smaller than about 45% and, desirably, in a range of about 60% to 85%.

Abstract: A host system used in combination with a driving apparatus for recording information on an information recording medium and reading information recorded on the information recording medium. The host system includes an instruction generation section for generating an instruction including designation information designating an operation type of an operation to be performed by the driving apparatus, and advanced notice information indicating whether the operation type of an operation immediately subsequent to the operation designated by the designation information is the same as the operation type of the operation designated by the designation information; and an output section for outputting the instruction to the driving apparatus. The operation type is either one of a recording operation of recording information on the information recording medium or a reading operation of reading information recorded on the information recording medium.

Abstract: In a multimedia information sharing system, multimedia information is shared between multiple devices over a network to which a server is connected. The server includes: a management table for managing identifiers to identify terminal devices and the addresses of the devices on the network; a server receiving section receiving the identifier from a first terminal device; a processing section for getting the address of the first terminal device by reference to the identifier received and the address of a second terminal device, identified by another identifier received, by reference to the identifier and the management table; and a server transmitting section for sending the address of the second terminal device to the first terminal device if the first terminal device retains the multimedia information and sending the address of the first terminal device to the second terminal device if the second terminal device retains the multimedia information.

Abstract: The present invention provides an information update count managing method, including: a write step of writing pieces of information in a predetermined order in an information storage area including at least one WORD of a non-volatile memory, wherein information can be written to the non-volatile memory in a unit of WORDs, each WORD including a plurality of bits, and information can be erased from the non-volatile memory in a unit of sectors, each sector including a plurality of WORDS; and a read step of reading out the last piece of information which has been written in the information storage area within a predetermined permitted update count.

Abstract: An information recording medium comprises a user area, and a spare area including a replacement area, wherein the replacement area may be used instead of a defective area in the user area. The user area and the spare area include a plurality of sectors. Each of the plurality of sectors includes a user data area for recording user data, and an attribute data area for recording defect replacement allowance attribute data. The defect replacement allowance attribute data indicates whether recording of the user data has been executed in a state that the execution of a defect replacement process is allowed. In the defect replacement process, the defective area in the user area is replaced with the replacement area in the spare area.

Abstract: An information recording medium comprises a user area, and a spare area including a replacement area, wherein the replacement area may be used instead of a defective area in the user area. The user area and the spare area include a plurality of sectors. Each of the plurality of sectors includes a user data area for recording user data, and an attribute data area for recording defect replacement allowance attribute data. The defect replacement allowance attribute data indicates whether recording of the user data has been executed in a state that the execution of a defect replacement process is allowed. In the defect replacement process, the defective area in the user area is replaced with the replacement area in the spare area.

Abstract: A recording and replaying apparatus includes a drive controller which is connected to an optical disk drive and a disk information storage buffer which stores use conditions for an optical disk. When use conditions corresponding to identification information of the optical disk are stored in the disk information storage buffer, the drive controller instructs the optical disk drive to execute first adjustment processing. Whereas when use conditions corresponding to the identification information of the optical disk are not stored in the disk information storage buffer, the drive controller instructs the optical disk drive to execute second adjustment processing.

Abstract: In a cluster ion beam irradiation apparatus including an apparatus for measuring size and energy distribution of gas cluster ions by using the time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometry, a unit for applying a retarding voltage is disposed in a stage preceding a TOF measuring instrument including a drift tube and a current measuring instrument. By measuring the size and energy distribution of the gas cluster ions and adjusting ionization conditions, cluster ions having predetermined energy and size are supplied to a work surface. In addition, a product of a pressure in an ion transportation device and an ion transportation length is controlled so as to satisfy the relation P×L?30/N2/3/E1/2 Pa.m, where N is the size of gas cluster ions used for irradiation, and E is kinetic energy (eV) of the gas cluster ions.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide an air bearing surface protection film having good corrosive resistance, electrical insulative property and mechanical wear resistance in the state of an extremely thin film. In one embodiment, an air bearing surface protection film having good corrosive resistance, electrical insulative property and mechanical wear resistance in a state of an extremely thin film is obtained by disposing a thin silicon nitride film having high density, high electric resistance, chemical stability and high adhesion with a substrate as a lowermost air bearing surface protection film and disposing a film comprising tetrahedral amorphous carbon and nitrogen as an uppermost air bearing surface protection film.

Abstract: An information recording disc has a burst cutting area (BCA) for recording control information for a reproducing apparatus by removing a reflective layer of the disc in a striped shape and a data recording area for recording user data. The burst cutting area includes at least one BCA control information area. The BCA control information area has an application identifier area for identifying applications of control data, a data length area for indicating data length of the control data, and an application specific data area for recording the control data. Also, an information reproducing drive reproduces data from the information recording disc.

Abstract: An information recording disc has a burst cutting area (BCA) for recording control information for a reproducing apparatus be removing a reflective layer of the disc in a striped shape and a data recording area for recording user data. The burst cutting area includes at least one BCA control information area. The BCA control information area has an application identifier area for identifying applications of control data, a data length area for indication data length of the control data, and an application specific data area data area recording the control data. Also, an information reproducing drive reproduces data from the information recording disc.

Abstract: An information recording medium includes a data recording area for recording data; a first drive information area for recording first drive information: and a second drive information area for recording second drive information. The first drive information and the second drive information each include a plurality of recording and reproduction conditions, and the plurality of recording and reproduction conditions each define an operation condition of an information recording and reproduction apparatus, which can have the information recording medium mounted thereon, for recording and reproducing the data. The plurality of recording and reproduction conditions are arranged in the order of time at which the plurality of recording and reproduction conditions are recorded.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head includes a three-step configuration including deep and shallow groove surfaces, a super shallow groove surface, and an air bearing surface, and also, island-shaped center rail is provided in the center of the air outflow end of the disk-facing air bearing surface having a boundary on the surface of base alumina between a head element portion and a substrate, without including the surface of the substrate. Further, by providing in the surface of the substrate the super shallow groove surface shallower than a shallow groove surface, an alumina recession between the surface of the substrate and the head element portion, produced in a shallow dual step sub ambient slider, can be eliminated. Magnetic spacing between the head of the head element portion and the magnetic layer of the disk can be thereby reduced.

Abstract: In an information recording medium for recording and reproducing data thereon on a sector-by-sector basis, the recorded data being managed as at least one file by using a file structure, the file structure includes unused space management information for identifying a used region and an unused region. At least one defective region is registered as an unused region in the unused space management information, the at least one defective region being a region on the information recording medium which is incapable of proper reproduction of the recorded data.

Abstract: A plasma processing device include a plasma generation unit for generating plasma by using a cathodic arc discharge, first and second magnetic field ducts arranged in a row for transporting the plasma with one end of the row being connected to the plasma generation unit and a processing chamber connected to the other end of the row unit and having a stage for holding a substrate to be processed. A shutter is provided for covering the plasma during a period of a predetermined time after start of arc discharge or during a period of predetermined time before end of arc discharge. The shutter is disposed between the first magnetic field duct and the substrate to be processed, and is movable. The shutter is capable of being supplied with a voltage, and is kept in a state so as to be electrically insulated from the processing chamber.

Abstract: In an information recording medium for recording and reproducing data thereon on a sector-by-sector basis, the recorded data being managed as at least one file by using a file structure, the file structure includes unused space management information for identifying a used region and an unused region. At least one defective region is registered as an unused region in the unused space management information, the at least one defective region being a region on the information recording medium which is incapable of proper reproduction of the recorded data.

Abstract: An information recording medium comprises a user area, and a spare area including a replacement area, wherein the replacement area may be used instead of a defective area in the user area. The user area and the spare area include a plurality of sectors. Each of the plurality of sectors includes a user data area for recording user data, and an attribute data area for recording defect replacement allowance attribute data. The defect replacement allowance attribute data indicates whether recording of the user data has been executed in a state that the execution of a defect replacement process is allowed. In the defect replacement process, the defective area in the user area is replaced with the replacement area in the spare area.

Abstract: An information recording medium includes a disk information area; a user area including a plurality of sectors; and a spare area including at least one sector which, when at least one of the plurality of sectors included in the user area is a defective sector, is usable instead of the at least one defective sector. The spare area is located radially inward from the user area. A physical sector number of a sector to which a logical sector number “0” is assigned, among the plurality of sectors included in the user area and the at least one sector included in the spare area, is recorded in the disk information area.

Abstract: An information recording medium includes a disk information area; a user area including a plurality of sectors; and a spare area including at least one sector which, when at least one of the plurality of sectors included in the user area is a defective sector, is usable instead of the at least one defective sector. The spare area is located radially inward from the user area. A physical sector number of a sector to which a logical sector number “0” is assigned, among the plurality of sectors included in the user area and the at least one sector included in the spare area, is recorded in the disk information area.