Abstract: In one embodiment, a hard disk drive includes a magnetic disk medium, a magnetic head adapted for writing data to the magnetic disk medium, a mechanism (such as a detection circuit) adapted for detecting at least one recording condition of drive current provided to the magnetic head during writing operations, and an energy conversion element for controlling at least one recording characteristic of the magnetic head in response to the at least one detected recording condition. According to another embodiment, a method includes writing data to a magnetic medium using a magnetic head, detecting at least one recording condition of drive current provided to the magnetic head during the writing, and controlling at least one recording characteristic of the magnetic head during the writing using an energy conversion element in response to the at least one detected recording condition.

Abstract: A magnetic head is arranged between two reels around which a magnetic tape is wound and contacts one side of the magnetic tape spanned between the two reels. A driver moves the magnetic head. A controller causes the driver to generate a driving force for pressing the magnetic head against the one side of the magnetic tape while keeping the magnetic head in contact with the magnetic tape. It is possible to cause the magnetic head to stably contact the magnetic tape even when the running position of the magnetic tape varies in accordance with the winding state of the magnetic tape around the reel.

Abstract: A suspension is configured to support a magnetic head slider having a recording head element for recording to a magnetic recording medium and a microwave generating element that applies a high-frequency magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium when recording to the magnetic recording medium is conducted by the recording head element. The suspension includes a flexure that supports the magnetic head slider, and a microwave signal transmission line and a recording signal transmission line that are supported by the flexure. The microwave signal transmission line is connected to the microwave generating element and configured to transmit microwave signals for generating the high-frequency magnetic field, the recording signal transmission line being connected to the recording head element and configured to transmit recording signals. The flexure has a main body part, a support part for the magnetic head slider, and a pair of arm parts that links the main body part and the support part.

Abstract: There is provided a base for a hard disk drive formed by press processing, the base including: coupling parts corresponding to coupling units to be coupled to components for operating the hard disk drive and formed by depressing a predetermined region of one surface of the base to thereby protrude the predetermined region outward from the other surface thereof, wherein the coupling parts are closed by a cap member.

Abstract: A suspension is configured to support a magnetic head slider having a recording head element for recording to a magnetic recording medium and a microwave generating element that applies a high-frequency magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium when recording is conducted by the recording head element. The suspension has a flexure that supports the magnetic head slider, a microwave signal transmission line and a recording signal transmission line. The microwave signal transmission line is connected to the microwave generating element and configured to transmit microwave signals for generating the high-frequency magnetic field. The microwave signal transmission line and the recording signal transmission line are supported between the main body part and the support part, a portion of which has a first lamination structure where a first ground layer is conductive and a first insulating layer supports the microwave signal transmission.

Abstract: In certain embodiments, a method includes sensing a mode of a motor-base assembly's response to vibration. Based on the sensed response, the method includes adjusting a head-suspension assembly to compensate for off-track motion caused by the vibration. In certain embodiments, an apparatus includes a sensor positioned on a basedeck such that the sensor senses a mode of the motor-base assembly's response to linear vibration.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a lower shield layer, a sensor stack positioned above the lower shield layer, the sensor stack including a free layer, a layered hard bias magnet positioned above the lower shield layer and on both sides of the sensor stack in a track width direction, and an upper shield layer positioned above the hard bias magnet and the sensor stack. The hard bias magnet includes a perpendicular anisotropy film positioned above the lower shield layer and aligned with both sides of the sensor stack in the track width direction, wherein the perpendicular anisotropy film directs magnetic fields in a direction perpendicular to planes of formation thereof, and an in-plane anisotropy film positioned above the perpendicular anisotropy film, wherein the in-plane anisotropy film directs magnetic fields in a direction of planes of formation thereof.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a main pole configured to produce a magnetic writing field applied to a magnetic medium at an overall angle with respect to a magnetic anisotropy axis which is oriented in a direction perpendicular to a plane of a surface of the magnetic medium, and at least one current carrying element positioned near a media facing surface of the main pole configured to produce an assisting magnetic field applied in a cross-track direction parallel to the plane of the surface of the magnetic medium. In another embodiment, a method includes applying a writing magnetic field to write data to a magnetic medium and applying an assisting magnetic field to the magnetic medium for assisting the writing magnetic field, the assisting magnetic field being applied in a cross-track direction of the magnetic medium and parallel to a plane of a surface of the magnetic medium.

Abstract: There is provided a base assembly for a motor, the base assembly including: a base body having a disk disposed thereon; an outer wall part defining an outer side of the base body; one or more ribs depressed from one surface of the base body and protruded toward the other surface thereof to thereby improve rigidity of the base body; and one or more blocking parts provided in the ribs to thereby block abnormal air flow due to the ribs at a time of rotation of the disk.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk, a head, and control circuitry comprising a servo control system operable to actuate the head over the disk. A plurality of disturbance signals is generated in response to a vibration. A plurality of correlations is generated in response to each disturbance signal and an error signal of the servo control system. At least one of the disturbance signals is selected in response to the correlations. A feed-forward compensation value is generated in response to the selected disturbance signal, and the feed-forward compensation value is applied to the servo control system to compensate for the vibration.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk including a plurality of servo tracks, wherein each servo track comprises a plurality of servo sectors. The disk drive further comprises an actuator for actuating a head over the disk in response to an actuator control signal. The servo sectors are read to generate a first sequence of control samples x[k] at a sample rate corresponding to a frequency of the servo sectors. The first sequence of control samples x[k] is upsampled by a factor of N to generate a second sequence of control samples y[ki] according to: y ? [ k i ? | i = 1 : N ] = ( 1 - i N - ? ) ? u ? [ k - 1 ] + ( i N + ? ) ? u ? [ k ] where ? is a scalar greater than or equal to zero and less than one. The actuator control signal is generated in response to the second sequence of control samples y[ki].

Abstract: There is provided a base for a motor, the base including: a base body formed by performing press processing on a steel plate, a base material; an outer wall part defining an outer edge of the base body and formed by being bent from an end portion of the base body; and at least one weight reducing part formed by removing a predetermined region of the outer wall part.

Abstract: A magnetic head according to an embodiment includes: a spin-torque oscillator comprising a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, a third ferromagnetic layer provided on the opposite side of the second ferromagnetic layer from the first ferromagnetic layer, a first nonmagnetic layer provided between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer, a second nonmagnetic layer provided between the second ferromagnetic layer and the third ferromagnetic layer, a first electrode provided on a surface on the opposite side of the first ferromagnetic layer from the first nonmagnetic layer, and a second electrode provided on a surface on the opposite side of the third ferromagnetic layer from the second nonmagnetic layer. Magnetization precession is induced in each of the first through third ferromagnetic layers when current is applied between the first and second electrodes.

Abstract: Implementations described and claimed herein address the foregoing problems by providing a suspension assembly used in a storage device to support a transducer head, wherein the suspension assembly comprises a base plate for attaching to an actuator arm and a moving portion movably attached to the base plate. The base plate is fixed and/or clamped to the actuator arm and the moving portion adapted to rotate about a center of rotation. The moving portion is adapted to have a center of mass of its moving mass substantially close to its center of rotation. In one implementation, a counter-weight is attached to the moving portion to move the center of mass of its moving mass substantially close to its center of rotation to minimize inertial loads to the system during suspension actuation.

Abstract: A magnetic storage apparatus includes a magnetic recording medium, a microwave assisted magnetic recording head at least equipped with a magnetic recording pole that generates a recording magnetic field for writing to the magnetic recording medium and a high-frequency oscillator that generates a high-frequency field, a magnetic reproducing head that reads information from the magnetic recording medium, a signal processing unit that processes a signal written by the magnetic recording head and a signal read by the magnetic reproducing head and a unit that controls clearance between the high-frequency oscillator and the magnetic recording medium. The magnetic storage apparatus has a characteristic that the high-frequency oscillator is not operated except in recording.

Abstract: A magnetic disk device includes a magnetic disk on which servo information is recorded, a head to read the servo information of the magnetic disk, and a position control module. When carrying out positioning control of the head, the position control module estimates frequency components of noise in a head positioning control process, using a high-order digital filter that includes first and second variable coefficients that are each based on position error information generated from the servo information read by the head.

Abstract: A head rotator assembly (22) for positioning a head (20) of a tape drive (10) relative to a storage tape includes a head supporter (230) and a supporter mover assembly (232). The head supporter (230) is coupled to and supports the head (20). The supporter mover assembly (232) rotates a portion of the head supporter (230) about an axis (241) to move the head (20) in an azimuth direction relative to the storage tape as the storage tape moves over the head (20). The head rotator assembly (22) includes a controller (16) that controls movement of the supporter mover assembly (232) based on a positioning signal. The supporter mover assembly (232) can include a first actuator (234A) that moves a first lever (236A) to rotate the head supporter (230) to move the head (20) in the azimuth direction. The first actuator (234A) biases the first lever (236A) to rotate part of the head supporter (230) to move the head in the azimuth direction.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a magnetic disk medium includes a nonmagnetic substrate, a magnetic recording layer above the nonmagnetic substrate, a protective layer above the magnetic recording layer, and a lubricant layer above the protective layer, the lubricant layer including a mixture of a compound having one or more cyclophosphazene groups and a lubricant formulated R1-OCH2CF2CF2O(CF2CF2CF2O)mCF2CF2CH2O—R2, wherein R1 and R2 are alkyl chains having at least two hydroxyl groups each, and m is an integer indicating a number of repeating units. According to another embodiment, a magnetic disk medium lubricant includes a mixture of a compound having one or more cyclophosphazene groups and a lubricant formulated as above, such that a magnetic head is provided stable flight above the lubricant layer in conditions having relative humidity of greater than about 40%.

Abstract: A magnetic disk device includes a head, a coil, a drive circuit, a detector, a first calculation unit, a generation unit, a first estimation unit, and a control unit. The detector detects an inter-terminal voltage across the coil. The first calculation unit calculates a back electromotive force across the coil by the use of the inter-terminal voltage. The generation unit generates a target velocity as a reference value of a velocity of the head. The first estimation unit estimates a first velocity of the head and an error of the first velocity by the use of the back electromotive force. The first estimation unit estimates a second velocity for decreasing the error. The control unit calculates a control instruction to bring the second velocity close to the target velocity.

Abstract: A spin torque oscillator for microwave assisted recording includes a perpendicular free layer having a magnetic anisotropy axis in a direction perpendicular to a film surface, and an in-plane free layer composed of a magnetic film effectively having a magnetization easy plane on a film surface. When electric currents flows from the in-plane free layer side to the perpendicular free layer side, both free layers exchange spin information and thereby rotate their respective magnetizations almost antiparallel to each other and along a boundary surface with high-speed. Preferably, the perpendicular free layer is thinner than the in-plane free layer. It is also preferable that a magnetic anisotropy field of the perpendicular free layer attributable to materials should balance, in reverse directions, with an effective demagnetizing field in the perpendicular direction. Furthermore, the perpendicular free layer is preferably placed on the main pole side.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method for manufacturing a magnetic device includes forming a protective film above a structure, wherein at least one of hydrogen and water vapor are introduced into a formation chamber during formation of the protective film. In-another embodiment, a magnetic head includes at least one of: a read element, a write element, a heater element, and a resistance detector element above a substrate, conductive terminals for each of the at least one of: the read element, the write element, and the heater element, and a protective film above the at least one of: the read element, the write element, and the heater element, wherein the protective film comprises at least one of hydrogen and water vapor.

Abstract: A magnetic recording head used for microwave-assisted magnetic recording includes: a main pole; a spin torque oscillator provided on the main pole, including a high-speed rotating magnetization layer in which the magnetization is rapidly rotated by a spin torque; a trailing shield provided on the spin torque oscillator; and a sub pole magnetically coupled to the trailing shield provided in a medium-facing surface, extending in a vertical direction to the medium-facing surface. Then, a non-magnetic electrode is provided on the outside of a trailing gap in which the spin torque oscillator is provided with respect to a magnetic material of the main pole, the trailing shield, or the sub pole, to prevent the line resistance variation due to the AMR effect or the eddy current. Thus, the variation of the current flowing to the spin torque oscillator can be controlled to achieve stable oscillation.

Abstract: In an information recording area of a disc-shaped magnetic recording medium, recording columns adjacent to each other relative to a radial direction are formed so as to partially overlap with each other in the radial direction. Each recording column has an overlapping portion which partially overlaps with either of the adjacent recording columns in the radial direction, and a non-overlapping portion which does not overlap with any of the recording columns in the radial direction.

Abstract: To reduce vibration in the rotation direction acting on the hard disk drive with a part of the hard disk drive as the rotation center. The disk unit comprises a hard disk drive comprising a drive mechanism which rotates and drives a plurality of disk media, an arm rotatably supported on a pivot and placed as movable in the rotation area of the disk media, and an actuator which performs positioning control of the magnetic head fixed to the arm to a target position on the disk media, a frame supporting the hard disk drive, and a dynamic absorber placed in the hard disk drive or in the frame, wherein the dynamic absorber absorbs vibration in the rotation direction acting on the hard disk drive with a part of the hard disk drive as the rotation center.

Abstract: In information recording areas of a disc-shaped magnetic recording medium, recording columns adjacent to each other relative to a radial direction are formed to partially overlap with each other in the radial direction. A first recording and a second recording are selectively performed. In the first recording, a first recording column, a second recording column (the outer adjacent recording column of the first recording column) and a third recording column (the outer adjacent recording column of the second recording column) are formed so that the radial positions of the inner and outer circumferential edges of the first recording column, those of a second recording column, and those of a third recording column satisfy R1in<R2in<R3in<R1out<R2out<R3out. In the second recording, a non-overlapping portion which does not overlap with any of the recording columns in the radial direction is formed on each of the recording columns.

Abstract: A magnetic head includes a medium facing surface that faces a surface of a recording medium, a write head section, a contact sensor that detects contact of the medium facing surface with the surface of the recording medium, and a heat sink adjacent to the contact sensor. The write head section has a magnetic pole that produces a write magnetic field for writing data on the recording medium. The contact sensor and the heat sink have respective end faces located in the medium facing surface. The contact sensor varies in resistance in response to temperature variations, and is to be energized. The heat sink includes an intermediate layer made of a nonmagnetic metal material, and two ferromagnetic layers made of a metal-based magnetic material, the two ferromagnetic layers being disposed with the intermediate layer therebetween, and being antiferromagnetically exchange-coupled to each other via the intermediate layer.

Abstract: In high frequency magnetic assisted recording technique, a spin torque oscillator that stably oscillates at a low current and a magnetic recording head with high recording density are provided. In a magnetic recording head including an oscillator that generates a high frequency magnetic field, a spin injection layer structure of two laminated magnetic layers which are coupled to be anti-parallel is adopted. A product Ms×t of the saturated magnetization Ms and the film thickness t of the first magnetic layer close to a field generation layer is smaller than a product Ms×t of the second magnetic layer remote from the field generation layer.

Abstract: Methods and systems for measuring variations in head-disk clearance in a hard disk drive. User generated data is randomly selected at a controller of the hard disk drive wherein the user generated data is stored on a disk associated with the hard disk drive. A reference point associated with the user generated data is stored on a storage medium associated with the hard disk drive. The user generated data is read at the controller. The user generated data is analyzed with the reference point using more than two frequencies, at the controller, to obtain a variation in measurement of the head-disk clearance.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes spiral writing a DC pattern onto a magnetic disk medium using a writer of a magnetic head while moving the magnetic head in a direction about parallel to a radial direction of the magnetic disk medium while rotating the magnetic disk medium, reading the magnetic disk medium while moving the magnetic head in the direction about parallel to the radial direction of the magnetic disk medium while rotating the magnetic disk medium, and calculating a track pitch interval between data tracks of the magnetic disk medium based on the reading of the magnetic disk medium. In another embodiment, a magnetic disk medium includes a DC spiral pattern in a radial region further outward and/or a radial region further inward than a radial region where data is recorded.

Abstract: There are provided a spindle motor and a hard disk drive including the same. The spindle motor includes: a shaft; a sleeve rotatably supporting the shaft by fluid dynamic pressure; a holder provided outwardly of the sleeve and at least partially formed of a magnetic material; a stator core mounted on an outer surface of the holder; and a base member including a mounting part protruding upwardly in an axial direction and fixed to the holder.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes at least one magnetic head element for reading from and/or writing to a magnetic medium, the element having an air bearing surface (ABS) facing toward a magnetic medium, an adhesive film including silicon nitride above the ABS having a characteristic of being formed under a water vapor partial pressure, and a protective film above the adhesive film, the protective film including carbon. Also, in another embodiment, a method includes forming an ABS of a magnetic head, the ABS being a surface of the magnetic head which is closest to a magnetic medium when in use, forming an adhesive film above the ABS of the magnetic head, the adhesive film being formed under a water vapor partial pressure, and forming a protective film above the adhesive film, the protective film including carbon.

Abstract: There is provided a base for a motor, the base including: a base body having a disk disposed thereon; an outer wall part formed on the base body to thereby define an outer edge of the base body; and a fixing part formed in at least one of the base body and the outer wall part in order to fix the base body and a substrate, to which power is applied, to each other, thereby supporting upper and lower surfaces of the substrate.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a main magnetic pole, a first MAMR element positioned above and wider than the main magnetic pole that is positioned to extend beyond sides of the main magnetic pole in a track width direction, a spin-rectifying-current-pinned-magnetic layer, a magnetic interlayer, a FGL, a magnetic-zone-control layer, and a second MAMR element that is wider than the main magnetic pole and is positioned to extend beyond sides of the main magnetic pole in the track width direction positioned above the first MAMR element, and a trailing shield positioned above the second MAMR element, wherein the main magnetic pole is adapted for producing a high-frequency magnetic field comprising oscillating microwaves, wherein during a writing operation, current is applied to the first and second MAMR elements to produce magnetic fields which oppose bit-switching in the magnetic medium to avoid adjacent track bit reversal.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for generating and using servo correction data are disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a data storage medium having a first track and a second track, servo correction data for the first track and the second track stored on the first track, and no servo correction data stored on the second track, and a controller configured to correct servo errors based on the servo correction data. In another embodiment a method may comprise receiving servo information related to a first data storage medium having a first track and a second track, generating one or more position error signals (PES) based on the servo information, generating servo correction data based on the one or more PES, and storing the servo correction data for the first track and the second track on the first track.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a recording head includes a main pole, a trailing shield including a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion, and configured to form together with the main pole a first magnetic core, a leading shield including a first connecting portion connected to the main pole through a magnetic material and an end portion opposing to the end portion of the main pole through a non-magnetic material, and configured to form together with the main pole a second magnetic core, and first and second coils wound around the first and second magnetic cores, and a connection terminal configured to flow a current through the main pole, non-magnetic conductive layer, and trailing shield.

Abstract: There is provided a base for a motor, the base including: a base body having a disk disposed thereon; and an outer wall part formed on the base body to thereby define an outer edge thereof, wherein the outer wall part includes at least one cut wall part formed by cutting a predetermined region and an outer side wall part formed by bending a region other than the cut wall part.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for controlling a fly height of a transducer adjacent a recording surface by adjusting a write voltage magnitude. In accordance with some embodiments, a write voltage with an initial magnitude is applied to a transducer. A write voltage change interval and a write voltage change amount are selected. The magnitude of the applied write voltage is thereafter successively reduced by the write voltage change amount over each of a plurality of successive write voltage change intervals.

Abstract: A plurality of sensors are used to sense disturbances in a data storage system. An adaptive gain component is associated with each of the sensors and provides a gain for each of the sensor signals. The gain of each sensor signal is adapted, individually, based on a correlation of each given sensor signal to the position error signal. This adaptation produces a position correction signal. The position correction signal is applied to a position signal that is used to position the reading and writing components and the storage medium relative to one another. This compensates for both rotary and linear vibration disturbances at the same time.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a perpendicular magnetic head includes a main magnetic pole, a side shield disposed on both sides of the main magnetic pole in a track width direction, the side shield including a material having a saturation magnetic flux density of no greater than about 1.0 T, and a trailing shield disposed on a trailing side of the main magnetic pole, wherein the trailing shield and the side shield are physically separated from one another. In another embodiment, the side shield includes a first magnetic film, and the trailing shield includes a second magnetic film, wherein a magnetic permeability of the first magnetic film is lower than a magnetic permeability of the second magnetic film.

Abstract: A magnetic head in one embodiment includes a pole; a first write gap in the pole; a first coil for generating a magnetic flux across the first write gap; a second write gap in the pole having at least a portion thereof aligned with the first write gap in a direction parallel to a direction of media travel thereover; and a second coil for generating a magnetic flux across the second write gap, the second coil being addressable independently of the first coil. A method in one embodiment includes forming a first write coil; forming a first write gap; forming a second write gap; forming a second coil for generating a magnetic flux across the second write gap, the second coil being addressable independently of the first coil; and forming one or more write poles, wherein a write pole region adjacent the first and second write gaps is formed concurrently.

Abstract: An implementation of a circuit disclose herein comprises a vibration sensor circuit that generates a sensor signal from a disturbance signal, a lattice filter circuit that decorrelates the sensor signal to generate orthogonal backward prediction errors, and a multiple regression filter that estimates a disturbance correction signal using the orthogonal backward prediction errors.

Abstract: A magnetic head according to one embodiment includes a substrate; an array of transducers formed on the substrate, wherein the transducers and substrate form portions of a magnetic media facing surface; and an at least partially polycrystalline dielectric layer on the media facing surface, wherein the at least partially polycrystalline dielectric layer is on a magnetic film of at least one of the transducers in the array. A method for forming an at least partially polycrystalline dielectric layer on a media facing surface of a magnetic head according to one embodiment includes forming an at least partially polycrystalline dielectric layer on an array of transducers of a magnetic head, wherein an oxide layer is formed above at least some of the magnetic layers before and/or during the forming of the at least partially polycrystalline dielectric layer.

Abstract: Certain embodiments of the present invention are directed to magnetic-tape drives that employ data-set-multiplexing magnetic-tape formats in order to achieve compatibility in magnetic-tape formats with respect to a variety of different magnetic-tape-drive tape-head configurations and dimensions. While previous and current magnetic-tape drives employ magnetic-tape formats that feature linear sequences of data sets along the tracks that are read or written during a single pass, or wrap, magnetic-tape drives of the present invention feature magnetic tape that contains data formatted according to a data-set-multiplexing magnetic-tape format, the data-set-multiplexing magnetic-tape format including, for each multiple-track wrap within a band, two or more parallel sequences of data sets written to the multiple tracks of the multiple-track wrap.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a perpendicular magnetic recording medium includes a first granular recording layer characterized by a magnetic anisotropy Ku1, a second granular recording layer above the first granular recording layer characterized by a magnetic anisotropy Ku2, and a third granular recording layer above the second granular recording layer characterized by a magnetic anisotropy Ku3, wherein Ku3<Ku2>Ku1. In another embodiment, a magnetic medium includes a first recording layer with a first CoCrPt alloy in a first ratio X1, a second recording layer above the first recording layer and having a second CoCrPt alloy in a second ratio X2, and a third recording layer above the second recording layer having a third CoCrPt alloy in a third ratio X3 with each ratio defined as a concentration of Pt divided by a concentration of Cr in the respective CoCrPt alloy, wherein X3<X2>X1.

Abstract: Disclosed is a thermally assisted magnetic recording medium comprising a substrate, a plurality of underlayers formed on the substrate, and a magnetic layer which is formed on the underlayers and predominantly comprised of an alloy having a L10 structure, characterized in that at least one of the underlayers is predominantly comprised of MgO and comprises at least one oxide selected from SiO2, TiO2, Cr2O3, Al2O3, Ta2O5, ZrO2, Y2O3, CeO2, MnO, TiO and ZnO. The thermally assisted magnetic recording medium has a magnetic layer comprised of fine magnetic crystal grains, exhibiting a sufficiently weak exchange coupling between magnetic grains, and having a minimized coercive force dispersion.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a magnetic recording medium is provided including a disk-shaped non-magnetic substrate and at least a perpendicular magnetic layer formed on the disk-shaped non-magnetic substrate, wherein the perpendicular magnetic layer has a structure in which an FePt or CoPt nanoparticle array is formed on a formation surface, on which a plurality of striations each having a circumferential directional component are formed, by a texturing treatment; a manufacturing method thereof; and a magnetic record/reproduction apparatus including the magnetic recording medium or a magnetic recording medium manufactured according to the manufacturing method.

Abstract: Disclosed is an information processing apparatus comprising a housing (4), a magnetic disk drive unit (6), a sensor (8) and a control unit (10). The sensor (8), which is installed between the housing and the magnetic disk drive unit, detects an external force acting on the housing or a distortion caused in the housing by dint of the external force. The control unit (10) retreats a magnetic head (14) of the magnetic disk drive unit to a retreat area when the external force or the distortion, detected by the sensor, exceeds a predetermined level.

Abstract: A magnetic head according to one embodiment includes outer modules each having a tape bearing surface and an array of transducers selected from a group consisting of readers and writers; and an inner module positioned between the outer modules, the inner module having a tape bearing surface and an array of transducers selected from a group consisting of readers and writers, wherein portions of edges of the tape bearing surface of the inner module are non-skiving in regions not aligned with the array of transducers in a direction of media travel thereacross, wherein an outer edge of the tape bearing surface of each of the outer modules are adapted for skiving air from the magnetic medium when the magnetic medium travels in a direction from the respective outer module towards the inner module.

Abstract: Method for operating a storage device with a tape and a head wherein the head comprises a first and a second read element. Each read element is operable to detect servo-pattern of a particular servo band. The first and the second read element are arranged such that the tape at first passes one of both read elements and subsequently passes the other of both read elements when the tape moves in a predetermined longitudinal direction. A tape transport direction of the tape along the longitudinal direction is determined. The first read element is selected dependent on the determined tape transport direction, when the determined tape transport direction represents a direction where the tape at first passes the first read element and subsequently the second read element. Otherwise the second read element is selected. A position error signal is determined dependent on the selected read element.

Abstract: A system for reducing a user's ability to perceive noise generated by a storage device. The system includes a processing unit and a storage device communicably coupled to the processing unit. The storage device may be, for example, a hard disk drive. The processing unit is provided with computer implemented instructions to: (i) receive a content stream comprising an audio component and a video component, wherein the content stream further comprises volume data and timing data relating to the audio component; and (ii) instruct the storage device to carry out read/write operations of the hard disk drive based, at least in part, on the volume data and the timing data.