Abstract: An electroplating system circulates solution between an anode and a workpiece mounted to a cathode. A shaped agitation paddle is reciprocated immediately adjacent to the cathode workpiece to improve performance of the system. The paddle is an elongated prism having a generally flat side that is parallel to the workpiece. The flat side has a fluid port connected to a pump. The solution may be pumped with either positive pressure to force the solution against the surface of the workpiece, or negative pressure to draw the solution away from the surface of the workpiece. In an alternate embodiment, the cathode workpiece is rotated in the solution above an anode with a stationary, shaped paddle in between them.

Abstract: The present invention provides a retract circuit for a disk drive storage device that increases the reliability of a disk drive, and reduces the manufacturing cost. If the power supply of the disk drive is turned off, the retract circuit receives the current due to a back electromotive force from a spindle motor and clips it to a predetermined value or below, and supplies the current equal to or smaller than the predetermined value to the voice coil of a VCM. Then, the VCM drives a carriage, which swings to retract a head slider to the landing area of the disk. If the power is turned off, an FET transistor is turned on, and the current due to the back electromotive force is supplied to the voice coil via the FET transistor, a resistor, and a second FET. If the current due to the back electromotive force exceeds a predetermined value depending on the value of the resistor, two transistors are turned on.

Abstract: A set of bonding pads are ultrasonically connected to a set of leads. The bonding pads are formed on a predetermined plane of a slider held by a slider holder accessible to the recording plane of a disk in a disk drive. The leads are held by the slider holder and have joints that are formed so as to respectively face each of the bonding pads. A front end plane of a wedge working on the joints is tilted in a direction in which the first sides of the joints correspond to external connection sides. The ultrasonic connection is completed by pressing the joints of the leads against the faced boding pads.

Abstract: A balancing mechanism for the spindle of a computer hard disk drive uses two, substantially flat wire clips at each end of the disk pack. The clips are designed so that one clip in each pair nests concentrically inside the other clip in the pair. Each clip is provided with a substantially identical imbalance in the installed position. If the imbalance vectors of each clip at one end of the disk pack are oriented 180 degrees apart, the resulting imbalance at that end of the pack is zero. Conversely, if the imbalance vectors are oriented at the same angle, the imbalance is maximized. Thus, the resolution of the imbalance provided by the clips is theoretically infinite between these limits, up to the precision of the clips. The orientation of the imbalance vector is controlled by the angle of the pair of clips relative to an index mark on the disk pack. The magnitude of the desired counterbalance is controlled by rotating the clips in each pair relative to each other.

Abstract: A dimple magnetic recording head in a transducer assembly for linear tape drives haviang a flat transducing surface extending laterally a partial width of the magnetic recording tape is mass produced by lapping a row of transducers on a substrate to form a flat transducing surface. The row of substrate elements is then diced into separate substrate elements. Two parallel, spaced apart tape support surfaces are provided extending laterally the full width of the tape, and one of the diced substrate elements is mounted intermediate the tape support surfaces with the flat transducing surface exposed for forming a tape facing surface.

Abstract: A hard disk drive actuator pivot cartridge has a sleeve, a coaxial pivot shaft, and a pair of bearings therebetween. The bearings are located near the axial ends of the shaft. The sleeve has a wall thickness that is substantially greater than those of prior art sleeves. The sleeve also has a pair of annular pads that are located axially inward of the bearings. The cartridge mounts inside an actuator comb such that only the pads contact the bore of the comb. The axial location of the pads and the greater wall thickness of the sleeve significantly decrease the bending experienced by the cartridge when it is installed in the comb, and thereby increase the servo stability and performance of the disk drive.

Abstract: A bearing mechanism of the present invention has a first bearing and a second bearing disposed at different positions in an axial direction. Each bearing has an inner race, an outer race, and balls. A shaft holds the inner races of both bearings in an axially separated manner, while a supporting member holds the outer races of both bearings in an axially separated manner. The balls of the bearings have a different coefficient of linear expansion than that of the inner and outer races. The inner and outer races of each of the bearings are fixed in an axially shifted manner, whereby pre-loaded pressures are applied between both the inner race and the balls, and between both the outer race and the balls. As the temperature changes, the supporting member has a compensation member that can change a distance between the outer races in a changing ratio different from a changing ratio of the distance between the inner races.

Abstract: A capillary tube for a solder ball connection device connects a first connection surface of a pad to a second connection surface of a pad with a solder ball. The first connection surface is formed at a slider held by a slider holder in a disk unit. The second connection surface is formed at an end of a lead wired to the slider holder. The capillary tube has a ball regulator with a substantially conic, hollow portion. The solder ball regulator has an opening at its top that opens to the tip of the hollow portion. The center axes of the hollow portion and the opening are common. The solder ball regulator also has a pair of projections along the center axis around the opening, where the projections face each other with the center axis therebetween. The projections regulate the movement of the solder ball. The tip of the hollow portion is tapered when viewed from a line connecting the pair of projections and the extreme tips of the tapered tip portions.

Abstract: A hard disk drive spindle motor has a hub, a drive shaft, and a bearing therebetween. The spindle motor also has a ferrofluid seal to prevent any incidental oil emissions from the bearing from entering the drive. A ferrofluid cap is mounted on the axial end of the spindle motor for sealing the ferrofluid seal. The cap is a flat ring and has an elastomeric pad around its outer edge. The pad seats in a recess in the bore of the hub. The cap does not touch the shaft as it rotates with the hub about the shaft. Any excess ferrofluid from the ferrofluid seal is forced radially outward away from the shaft by centrifugal force. The cap contains the excess ferrofluid within the spindle motor and prevents it from entering other areas of the disk drive.

Abstract: A recording head for a disk drive with a load/unload mechanism has an air bearing on one surface. The air bearing comprises a patterned set of three air bearing pads, at least five shallow pockets and one deep pocket. A narrow gap extends from the deep pocket and separates leading ones of the air bearing pads and shallow pockets from each other. The air bearing pads have unique, step-shaped geometry and the rear pad is virtually free of any shallow area. This configuration gives the air bearing superior performance characteristics over prior art designs with load/unload mechanisms.

Abstract: A hard disk drive has a base bottom surface and a male connector to which at least one protruding pin is attached. The pin has a longitudinal axis that is substantially parallel to the base bottom surface and is exposed toward the base bottom surface. A female connector cover portion covers at least a portion of a plane above a female connector. The plane is substantially parallel to the base bottom surface. The pin of the male connector is inserted into a pin-receiving portion of the female connector by guiding the base bottom surface along and on an insert-guidance surface. The female connector is mounted on the insert-guidance surface and has at least one pin-receiving portion corresponding to the pin of the male connector so that the pin of the male connector can be received. The female connector cover functions as a forcible guide in mounting the hard disk drive to prevent damage at the external interface between the pins of the male connector and its mounting location.

Abstract: A plurality of bonding pads formed on a slider are integrally joined to an elastic flexure for a disk drive suspension. The pads are ultrasonically bonded to the slider with leads that are held by the flexure. The bonding portions of the leads face and are pressed against the pads with ultrasonic waves. The leads are plastically deformed during these steps to prevent the flexure from being deformed after the ultrasonic bonding process.

Abstract: A hard disk drive for a computer has a base containing a stack of rotatable disks and an actuator with a set of arms that is pivotable relative to the disks. At least one magnetic head is mounted to each arm for reading information from or writing information to a respective disk. The drive also has a stationary shock support member or comb located adjacent to the outer edges of the disks and the actuator. The teeth of the comb are interposed with the disks and arms throughout the range of pivotal motion of the arms. The teeth prevent incidental contact between the disks and arms in the event of mechanical shock to the hard disk drive.

Abstract: Ultraviolet-transparent seals, flange, and sleeve assemblies are used in actuator pivot cartridges for hard disk drives to cure adhesive located inside the pivot housing. The assemblies are formed from silica glass, polymers, or other suitable materials, and focus UV light into hard to reach, high aspect ratio areas between the pivot bearings, sleeve, and shaft. Some of the assemblies use transparent components with convex or fresnel lenses formed into their geometry. With these designs, UV light can enter the pivots axially and/or radially to reach and cure the adhesive regardless of its location.

Abstract: A device for curing an obscured photosetting compound in a subassembly part has a base for supporting the assembly and a plate mounted to the base. The plate has a lens that concentrates UV light into a narrow slit in the assembly to quickly cure the compound. In an alternate version, the plate has a parabolic opening with a mirrored surface for gathering the UV light. A third version of the invention uses a rotatable fixture to position the assembly beneath a UV laser light source to cure the compound.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved process for photorefractive index grating formation utilizing polymeric photorefractive materials. The process involves the steps of: (i) exposing a polymeric optical article to electromagnetic radiation having an intensity of at least 0.05 W/cm2 for a short period of time to achieve an absorbed energy/unit volume of at least 1×103 J/cm3 to activate the article, and (ii) exposing the polymeric optical article to an electric field and electromagnetic radiation to form an index grating.

Abstract: Optical information processor and storage of pixelated data pattern in a Fourier plane of a lens as achieved by a plurality of optical elements operating with a spatial light modulator. A laser light source illuminates a data pattern with a wavefront that is created by a phase mask to effect a phase shift. The optical information can be effecitvely processed or stored, for instance, in a holographic data storage system. The holographic data storage system for storing a data array contains illuminated and dark regions including a multi-fold phase shift mask. This affects a linear and non-random shift of an image. The image is stored on a holographic storage medium. There is a spatial light modulator between the input location for the optical data and the storage medium. The phase shift is effected in the Fourier plane.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved lithographic imaging process for use in the manufacture of integrated circuits. The process provides protection to the photoresist film from airborne chemical contaminants.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for moving a head arm assembly to a landing zone in a disk drive storage device. In disk drive according to the present invention, a control means responds to termination of a read/write operation by applying a drive current for moving an actuator arm toward an actuator lock, and then continuously applies the drive current to the actuating means to maintain an engagement of the actuator arm with the actuator lock stopped at a predetermined position, after the termination of read/write operation, and then stops a rotation of said rotating data recording disk.

Abstract: An electrostatic discharge garment is formed from material having a grid of conductors for conducting static electricity. The conductors are overlapped at the seams of the garment and interconnected with conductive flat ribbons that extend throughout the garment. The garment also has external grounding fasteners which are joined to the grid and ribbons. A hole is formed in the garment at the site of each fastener. Each hole extends through the fabric, grid, and ribbons. An epoxy applicator injects a small amount of conductive epoxy adjacent to the hole and saturates the various elements. The fastener is then installed while the epoxy is still wet. After the epoxy cures, a flexible but resilient joint is formed between it, the fastener, the grid, and the ribbon.