Abstract: An intelligent network interface card (INIC) or communication processing device (CPD) works with a host computer for data communication. The device provides a fast-path that avoids protocol processing for most messages, greatly accelerating data transfer and offloading time-intensive processing tasks from the host CPU. The host retains a fallback processing capability for messages that do not fit fast-path criteria, with the device providing assistance such as validation even for slow-path messages, and messages being selected for either fast-path or slow-path processing. A context for a connection is defined that allows the device to move data, free of headers, directly to or from a destination or source in the host. The context can be passed back to the host for message processing by the host. The device contains specialized hardware circuits that are much faster at their specific tasks than a general purpose CPU.

Abstract: Phase detection circuitry is disclosed that can detect phase differences from a quadrature phase relationship, without requiring extensive additional circuitry for driving and correcting the phase detection circuitry. The phase detection circuitry can measure plural or multiple pulse durations consecutively, without interruption to reset the circuit or store the values generated by the circuit, affording a much higher sampling rate and sampling a higher proportion of pulses than is conventional. Averaging of the phase data samples is also provided by measuring multiple pulses, so that phase changes are not instigated based upon a signal from an individual pulse duration that may differ significantly from the average. In addition to detecting quadrature phase relationships, the phase detection circuitry can be adjusted to compensate for a desired offset in one of the signals from quadrature, or can be set to detect other phase relationships.

Abstract: A differential amplifier has unequal resistance in its legs that compensates for an unequal current flow through the legs during a logic zero data input compared to logic one data input. The unequal resistance may be provided by adding a resistor in parallel to the leg that carries greater current during amplification, lowering the resistance in that leg and also the voltage that is output from that leg. Alternatively, a variable resistance may be provided to at least one of the legs to compensate for current inequalities between the legs. The variable resistance may be provided by a transistor that is controlled by a signal indicating process, voltage and/or temperature conditions of the amplifier and adjacent circuitry. Transistors may be employed in both legs as well as in a current source for the amplifier, providing balanced current regulation for the amplifier.

Abstract: A system for protocol processing in a computer network has an intelligent network interface card (INIC) or communication processing device (CPD) associated with a host computer. The INIC provides a fast-path that avoids protocol processing for most large multi-packet messages, greatly accelerating data communication. The INIC also assists the host for those message packets that are chosen for processing by host software layers. A communication control block for a message is defined that allows DMA controllers of the INIC to move data, free of headers, directly to or from a destination or source in the host. The context is stored in the INIC as a communication control block (CCB) that can be passed back to the host for message processing by the host. The INIC contains specialized hardware circuits that are much faster at their specific tasks than a general purpose CPU.

Abstract: An information storage system having a ring head sliding on a rigid magnetic storage disk in such close proximity that the magnetic field felt by the media layer or layers of the disk has a larger perpendicular than longitudinal component so that data is stored in a perpendicular mode. The head to media separation during writing of data to the media is a small fraction of the amagnetic gap separating the poletips of the head. Reading of data may be inductive or may be via a magnetoresistive sensor which is coupled to the magnetically permeable core of the ring head far from the poletips. The media preferably has a high perpendicular anisotropy.

Abstract: A transducer suspension for a drive system has a beam which is bendable in a vertical direction for holding the transducer adjacent to the media, but is torsionally stiff for quicker access times and reduced noise and errors. This inherently contradictory performance occurs by joining a laterally elongated brace which is torsionally stiff about its elongated dimension across a pair of laterally disposed strips to cause the strips to flex in unison, allowing bending but reducing torsional motion in the suspension about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the torsionally stiff axis of the brace. The torsionally stiff brace may take the form of a tube having a rectangular, triangular or circular cross-section, and may be formed of material cut from the suspension to define the hinge strips. The brace may have reduced longitudinal dimensions at the connections to the strips to further filter torsional versus bending vibrations.

Abstract: Magnetically permeable, high magnetic saturation, primarily iron NiFe alloys are formed on thin seed layers by sputtering and electroplating. Pole layers a few microns in thickness can be formed of magnetically superlative, primarily iron NiFe alloys in this manner for transducers that may be used in information storage systems. The seed layers may include Ni0.55Fe0.45 or Cr, and the magnetically superlative NiFe alloy may be Ni0.45Fe0.55. The magnetically superlative NiFe alloy has increased concentration of a body centered cubic crystalline phase and/or a decreased concentration of a face centered cubic crystalline phase compared with conventional Ni0.45Fe0.55. A laminated pole structure has a dielectric interlayer along with seed layers and magnetically superlative, primarily iron NiFe layers.

Abstract: Amplifier chips for heads in a disk drive are interspaced adjacent to junctions between actuator arms and suspension arms that hold the heads. This allows decreased spacing between plural disks in the drive system and accelerated data rates. This also decreases assembly steps and damage to the chips as they are further removed from mechanical processes such as swaging that attach the suspension arms to the actuator arms. Damage to the disks or chips during operation is also averted, as the chips are removed from each other and from the rapidly spinning disk surfaces with which the suspension arms and heads are proximate. The interspacing can also improve performance characteristics of the preamplifier chips, which do not need to be made as thin in order to fit between disks, decreasing costs and problems such as overheating of the chips.

Abstract: A system for protocol processing in a computer network has an intelligent network interface card (INIC) or communication processing device (CPD) associated with a host computer. The INIC provides a fast-path that avoids protocol processing for most large multipacket messages, greatly accelerating data communication. The INIC also assists the host for those message packets that are chosen for processing by host software layers. A communication control block for a message is defined that allows DMA controllers of the INIC to move data, free of headers, directly to or from a destination or source in the host. The context is stored in the INIC as a communication control block (CCB) that can be passed back to the host for message processing by the host. The INIC contains specialized hardware circuits that are much faster at their specific tasks than a general purpose CPU.

Abstract: Durable landing pads for a slider air-bearing surface (ABS) are formed of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (t-aC) by filtered cathodic arc deposition. A hard carbon overcoat of the ABS is pierced to anchor the pads. The t-aC is extremely hard and highly stressed, and the pads may be laminated with a stress-relieving material. A rotating angled etching such as ion milling may be performed to undercut the hard carbon overcoat and further anchor the pads. A rotating angled deposition of t-aC may also be performed to round the pad tops, which may be trimmed to smooth corners.

Abstract: A system for protocol processing in a computer network has an intelligent network interface card (INIC) or communication processing device (CPD) associated with a host computer. The INIC provides a fast-path that avoids protocol processing for most large multipacket messages, greatly accelerating data communication. The INIC also assists the host for those message packets that are chosen for processing by host software layers. A communication control block for a message is defined that allows DMA controllers of the INIC to move data, free of headers, directly to or from a destination or source in the host. The context is stored in the IMC as a communication control block (CCB) that can be passed back to the host for message processing by the host. The INIC contains specialized hardware circuits that are much faster at their specific tasks than a general purpose CPU.

Abstract: An information storage system having a ring head in such close proximity to a rigid magnetic storage disk that the magnetic field felt by the media layer or layers of the disk has a larger perpendicular than longitudinal component so that data is stored in a perpendicular mode. Reading of data is accomplished with a magnetoresistive sensor which may be coupled to the magnetically permeable core of the ring head far from the poletips, which may contact the disk. The media preferably has a high perpendicular anisotropy, and may be formed in a plurality of films with crystalline structures traversing the films.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive sensor has a read gap that is made of a slow ion milling rate material. The slow milling rate read gap allows a blunt end to be formed for the sensor without excessive overmilling into the read gap. The read gap may also be formed of plural layers with at least one of the layers having a low milling rate. This allows the other read gap layer to have complimentary attributes, such as high thermal conductivity, low stress, less pinholes and/or better dielectric properties. The electromagnetic characteristics of MR sensors having such steeply sloped ends are enhanced both in reading signals and reducing noise. The track width of such a sensor can be more accurately formed due to the blunt shape of the contiguous junction, quantizing signals and reducing errors from reading adjacent tracks. The sensor can also be made to have a sharper linear bit resolution, due to a thinner, high-integrity read gap.

Abstract: A hard disk drive head operates in close proximity and dynamic contact with a rapidly spinning rigid disk surface, the head including a transducer with a magnetically permeable path between a poletip disposed adjacent to the disk surface and a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor situated outside the range of thermal noise generated by the surface contact. The magnetically permeable path is the same as that used to write data to the disk, eliminating errors that occur in conventional transducers having MR sensors at a separate location from the writing poletips. Moreover, the magnetically permeable path is preferably formed in a low profile, highly efficient “planar” loop that allows for manufacturing tolerances in throat height and wear of the terminal poletips from disk contact without poletip saturation or poletip smearing. The MR layer is formed in one of the first manufacturing steps atop the substrate, so that the MR layer has a relatively uniform planar template that is free from contaminants.

Abstract: High-performance amagnetic gap layers for electromagnetic transducers are thermally conductive and electrically insulative, as well as providing a dense amorphous surface for forming magnet resistive sensor elements. The amagnetic gap layers include nonmonocrystalline compounds of AIN, SiC, SiO2, Si3N4, BeO and Ta2O3. The layers provide greatly increased thermal conductivity and breakdown voltage as compared with alumina, and are particularly suited for giant magnetoresistive and spin-valve heads.

Abstract: A stable pinned structure for a magnetoresistive sensor includes a pair of ferromagnetic layers sandwiched about an antiferromagnetic layer, the ferromagnetic layers having substantially opposite magnetic directions magnetostatically coupled and pinned by the antiferromagnetic layer. A free layer of ferromagnetic material has a magnetic direction that can rotate in the presence of an applied magnetic field so that the field can be sensed. A second free layer may be provided, such that the free layers are sandwiched about the pinned structure, with the sensor configured for amplifying signals and minimizing common mode noise.

Abstract: Bias layers for a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor have an in-plane easy axis of magnetization for providing a longitudinal bias to MR layers. The bias layers include cobalt (Co), and are formed on various underlayers having crystalline structures that encourage an in-plane alignment of the C-axis of that Co. Preferred underlayers include nickel aluminum (NiAl) and magnesium oxide (MgO), and an interlayer containing chromium (Cr) may be interposed between a bias layer and an underlayer.

Abstract: An electromagnetic disk drive system including a rigid disk and electromagnetic read/write head structure and elongate flexure structure which cooperatively offer unique features and performance in the head/disk interface region. The head structure and flexure structure, in one form of the invention, are unitary and integrated and in another form are articulated. Both forms of the invention perform with substantially continuous dynamic contact with the recording surface of the disk, and both are characterized by a low effective mass and low contact force between the head and disk surface.

Abstract: A tool for cleaning uneven or periodic corrugated surfaces has a head and a handle which is attached in a similar configuration as for a rake or push broom. The head has a cleaning edge which projects a varying distance, the distance varying according to a period configured to mate with the grooves and ridges of the corrugated surface. The cleaning edge may be solid, bristles or a combination of the two. The tool may have plural cleaning edges for cleaning different areas or types of material. The cleaning tool finds particular applicability in cleaning debris from the corrugated floor of a pickup truck bed liner.

Abstract: A operationally contacting hard disk drive system has reduced friction due to lower capillary adhesion between the disk surface and a transducer in a substantially continuous sliding relationship with the surface. The disk surface has an adhesion-reducing texture that includes a microscopic RMS roughness in a range between about 1.5 and 5.5 nanometers, or a number of asperities having a mean plane to peak height in a range between about 6 and 50 nanometers. The roughness may increase in a radially graded fashion to compensate for the increased linear velocity and concomitant frictional power loss near the outer diameter of the disk. It is important that the uppermost reaches of the textured surface are smooth but not flat in order to obtain lasting low friction operation, which is accomplished by constructing the surface with a highest approximately one percent having an average radius of curvature in a range between 2 microns and 100 microns.