Abstract: A disk drive has multiple feedforward controllers for handling external disturbances, such as rotational vibration (RV), that have different external disturbance frequency spectra. Each feedforward controller is designed to be optimal for a canceling a specific associated RV spectrum. The actual RV spectrum acting on the disk drive is determined and the proper feedforward controller is then selected and used to generate a compensation signal for canceling the RV. Each feedforward controller may be tested when the disk drive is experiencing the RV, and the resulting compensation signal and PES measured. The feedforward controller that produces the best external disturbance cancellation is then selected as the feedforward controller. A signal from a RV sensor may be used to detect the peak frequency of the actual RV spectrum.

Abstract: A method for making a magnetoresistive read head so that the pinned ferromagnetic layer is wider than the stripe height of the free ferromagnetic layer uses ion milling with the ion beam aligned at an angle to the substrate supporting the stack of layers making up the read head. The stack is patterned with photoresist to define a rectangular region with front and back long edges aligned parallel to the read head track width. After ion milling in two opposite directions orthogonal to the front and back long edges, the pinned layer width has an extension. The extension makes the width of the pinned layer greater than the stripe height of the free layer after the substrate and stack of layers are lapped. The length of the extension is determined by the angle between the substrate and the ion beam and the thickness of the photoresist.

Abstract: A magnetic recording disk drive has a disturbance sensor and a disturbance frequency identifier that are used to adjust the frequency of a peak filter as the disturbance frequency changes. The sensor and the frequency identifier are separate from the servo control loop and thus do not rely on the head position error signal (PES) to predict the disturbance frequency. The adjustable peak filter is coupled in parallel with the servo feedback controller. The peak filter modifies the open loop transfer function and the error rejection function of the servo control loop to provide a higher rejection at the identified frequency. The peak filter may be switched out of or uncoupled from the servo feedback controller during track-seeking or as desired, depending on the amplitude of the sensor signal or the amplitude of the PES.

Abstract: A disk drive with a dual-stage actuator has a moving-slider rotary piezoelectric microactuator as the secondary actuator. The microactuator has a substrate attached to the disk drive suspension. A rotatable frame that supports the slider is attached to a fixed post on the substrate by relatively stiff torsional springs. A piezoelectric driver having a fixed end attached to the substrate provides bidirectional linear displacement of its movable end. The microactuator includes a displacement amplification mechanism. In one embodiment an arm or connecting rod is located between the driver's movable end and the frame. A linkage between the movable end of the driver and a first end of the connecting rod translates the linear displacement of the driver to amplified orthogonal linear displacement of the rod. The second end of the rod is attached to the rotatable frame at a radial distance to cause rotary movement of the frame, and thereby cross-track displacement of the read/write head on the slider.

Abstract: A disk drive thin-film write head has a first ferromagnetic pole tip that includes a pedestal pole layer and a capping layer on the pedestal pole layer. A substantial portion of the pedestal pole layer is formed of a lower-moment alloy and the capping layer is formed of a higher-moment alloy and is made thick enough to compensate for the lower-moment alloy in the pedestal pole layer. The pedestal pole layer may be a bilayer of two different NiFe alloys with the upper layer in the bilayer having a higher moment, and the capping layer may be a CoFe alloy. The width of the pedestal pole layer is substantially reduced to reduce the pole tip area exposed. The reduced pole tip area and the increased use of lower-moment alloys enable a thinner protective film to be used to protect the pole tips from corrosion.

Abstract: An antiferromagnetically exchange-coupled structure for use in a magnetic device, such as a magnetoresistive sensor, includes an underlayer formed of a chemically-ordered tetragonal-crystalline alloy, a chemically-ordered tetragonal-crystalline Mn-alloy antiferromagnetic layer in contact with the underlayer, and a ferromagnetic layer exchange-coupled with the antiferromagnetic layer. The underlayer is an alloy selected from the group consisting of alloys of AuCu, FePt, FePd, AgTi3, Pt Zn, PdZn, IrV, CoPt and PdCd, and the antiferromagnetic layer is an alloy of Mn with Pt, Ni, Ir, Pd or Rh. The underlayer enhances the transformation of the Mn alloy from the chemically-disordered phase to the chemically-ordered phase.

Abstract: A magnetic recording disk drive has a patterned magnetic recording disk with data blocks of magnetizable material separated by nonmagnetic regions, a read head for reading the magnetized data blocks and generating a readback signal, and a timing circuitry that generates from the readback signal a series of timing pulses. When the read head is over a nonmagnetic region the readback signal is significantly reduced, and this signal reduction is detectable to determine the position of the nonmagnetic regions. The timing circuitry includes a rectifier that rectifies the readback signal, a highpass filter that filters the rectified signal at the frequency of the data blocks, and a peak detector that detects the peaks of the filtered signal and generates a series of timing pulses, each pulse representing a nonmagnetic region.

Abstract: A continuous-media or patterned-media disk drive with a low ratio of linear bit density in bits per inch (BPI) in the along-the-track direction to track density in tracks per inch (TPI) in the cross-track direction has a magnetoresistive read head with high cross-track spatial resolution. The read head is located between two magnetic shields, with the shields and read head formed on a side surface of the head carrier perpendicular to the carrier's disk-facing surface. The carrier is supported by the disk drive actuator with the side surface of the carrier oriented generally parallel to the data tracks. In this arrangement the high-spatial-resolution direction of the read head (the transverse direction perpendicular to the side surface on which the head is formed) is in the radial or cross-track direction.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive sensor based on the spin accumulation effect has an in-stack biasing structure with a ferromagnetic biasing layer that is magnetically-coupled orthogonally with the sensor free ferromagnetic layer across a spacer layer. The sensor has an electrically conductive strip with a first tunnel barrier and a free ferromagnetic layer on the front or sensing end of the strip and second tunnel barrier and a fixed ferromagnetic layer on the back end of the strip. A magnetically-coupling spacer layer is formed on the free layer and the ferromagnetic biasing layer is formed on the spacer layer. The magnetically-coupling layer induces direct orthogonal magnetic coupling between the in-plane magnetization directions of the biasing layer and the free layer.

Abstract: A data recording disk drive has one or more capacitive sensors for sensing out-of-plane vibration of the disk or disks. The sensors are attached to a support structure that is attached to the disk drive housing. Each sensor is associated with a disk and faces a surface of the disk near the outer perimeter of the disk and close to the recording head. The support structure can be made of a metal or a high-strength plastic and can be a separate structure mounted to the housing, or integrated as part of the single-piece housing casting. If it is metallic, as would be the case if it were integrated with the housing, then layers of insulating material separate the sensors from the support structure. A support structure that serves other functions in the disk drive can also function as the support structure for the capacitive sensors.

Abstract: A system and method for determining head-disk contact (HDC) in a disk drive uses the signal from the magnetoresistive (MR) read head and does not require the presence of magnetic transitions on the disk. The method thus has application in head-disk testers or “spin stands” to facilitate the design and testing of slider-suspension assemblies and fly-height actuators, as well as in disk drives to take corrective action before HDC and/or to control fly-height actuators. The invention is also a magnetic recording disk drive that has a fly-height actuator and a low-pass filter and comparator circuit for the MR signal. When the output of the filter exceeds a threshold the comparator circuit output indicates the onset of HDC. The comparator circuit output is input to a digital processor or controller. When the controller determines the onset of HDC or that HDC has occurred, it generates a control signal that can be used to cause the disk drive to take corrective action.

Abstract: A current-perpendicular-to-the-plane spin-valve (CPP-SV) magnetoresistive sensor has an improved antiparallel (AP) pinned structure. The AP-pinned structure has two ferromagnetic layers separated by a nonmagnetic antiparallel coupling (APC) layer and with their magnetization directions oriented antiparallel. One of the ferromagnetic layers in the AP-pinned structure is the reference layer in contact with the CPP-SV sensor's nonmagnetic electrically conducting spacer layer. In the improved AP-pinned structure each of the ferromagnetic layers has a thickness greater than 30 ?, preferably greater than approximately 50 ?, and the APC layer is either Ru or Ir with a thickness less than 7 ?, preferably about 5 ? or less. The ultrathin APC layer, especially if formed of iridium (Ir), provides significant coupling strength to allow the thick ferromagnetic layers to retain their magnetization directions in a stable antiparallel orientation.

Abstract: A dual-stage actuator disk drive has both a rotary primary actuator and a rotary secondary actuator. When the primary actuator initiates a seek there are two torque components acting on the center of mass of the secondary actuator's moving portion. The center of rotation of the moving portion is located at an optimal location relative to the center of mass of the moving portion, which results in cancellation of the two torque components and a secondary actuator that has essentially no resonant frequency in response to a seek by the primary actuator. If the optimal location can not be achieved because of assembly tolerances, then the center of rotation is placed at a distance at least as great as the assembly tolerance from the optimal location.

Abstract: A magnetic recording hard disk drive (HDD) uses adaptive braking of the voice coil motor (VCM) actuator upon unexpected loss of power during a track seek. An adaptive braking controller applies a preselected value of brake voltage to the VCM to reverse the motion of the freely-moving actuator. The value of the selected brake voltage is determined from the actuator velocity. A set of brake voltage values is stored in memory in the HDD, and each brake voltage value corresponds to a band of track seek lengths, with each band representing a range of actuator velocities. For each seek, the value of brake voltage corresponding to the band in which the seek length falls is stored in a register. If emergency power-off (EPO) occurs during the seek, the value of brake voltage is recalled from the register and applied to the VCM to brake the VCM. After the VCM has been adaptively braked in this manner, actuator retract occurs to unload the heads.

Abstract: A method for formatting a magnetic recording disk with patterned nondata islands having alternating magnetization polarity in the along-the-track direction involves clocking write pulses to switch the magnetization direction of alternate, i.e., every other, nondata island. The clocking is controlled by the previously determined phase of the regions containing the nondata islands and the known offset along-the-track between the read head and write head. In each nondata region, every other nondata island in the along-the track direction has the same magnetization direction, with adjacent nondata islands having antiparallel magnetization directions. The disk may be either a horizontal magnetic recording disk, wherein the antiparallel magnetization directions are in the plane of the recording layer and parallel to the along-the-track direction, or a perpendicular magnetic recording disk, wherein the antiparallel the magnetization directions are “into” and “out of” the recording layer.

Abstract: A magnetic recording disk drive has a negative-pitch slider in near-contact or continuous-contact with the disk during reading and writing of data. When the disk is rotating at its operating speed, the slider has its upstream or leading portion located closer to the disk surface than its downstream or trailing portion. Both the leading and trailing portions have air-bearing surfaces that enable the slider to be partially supported above the disk surface. A contact pad that provides no substantial air-bearing support is located at the leading portion and supports or contains the magnetic elements of the read/write head. The contact pad protrudes beyond the air-bearing surface of the leading portion and is in contact with the disk. For near-contact recording the contact pad partially wears away during an initial wear-in period. For continuous-contact recording the contact pad is wear-resistant and remains in substantially continuous contact with the disk during reading and writing of data.

Abstract: The invention is a hard-disk-drive (HDD) assembly that includes a flame having the exterior dimensions of a particular form-factor HDD, an HDD with a form-factor smaller than the frame, a pair of mount assemblies that support the HDD entirely within the larger form-factor frame, and an electrical cable located entirely within the frame and having one end connected to the HDD and the other end exposed to the frame exterior at the position determined by the specifications of the larger form-factor. The HDD assembly thus presents a smaller form-factor HDD as a fully plug-compatible alternative to a larger form-factor HDD. The mount assemblies have spring-like cantilever arms in contact with damping material to provide a highly-damped nonlinear spring system that provides mechanical-shock resistance for the HDD in a direction normal to the planes of the disks and high stiffness in a direction parallel to the planes of the disks.

Abstract: A system and method for determining head-disk contact (HDC) in a magnetic recording disk drive uses the signal from the magnetoresistive (MR) read head. The analog MR signal is digitized and input to a digital signal processor with circuitry and/or software for integrating the signal amplitude over a low-frequency range. The calculated value from the integration when the slider is out-of-contact with the disk is a reference value. The same integration is then performed during operation of the disk drive and the measured value is compared to the reference value. If the measured value exceeds the reference value by some predetermined amount, this is an indication of the onset of HDC or that HDC has occurred.

Abstract: A magnetic recording disk drive uses a phase-quadrature position-error-signal (PES) pattern and a servo signal demodulator that is insensitive to clock errors and phase-misalignment errors. The disk has angularly-spaced servo sectors, with each servo sector having radially-spaced servo tracks that contain a phase-quadrature pattern of servo blocks. A first band in each servo sector contains two generally like patterns radially-spaced in the servo track with the second pattern phase-shifted 90 degrees along-the-track from the first pattern. A second band in each servo sector is spaced along-the-track from the first band and also has two patterns like those in the first band, but with the phase shift of the second pattern being in the opposite direction to the phase shift of the second pattern in the first band. The demodulator calculates the true amplitudes of the servo signal from the measured amplitudes of the servo signals from each band to thereby remove clock errors and phase-misalignment errors.

Abstract: An extraordinary magnetoresistance (EMR) sensor has a planar shunt and planar leads formed on top of the sensor and extending downward into the semiconductor active region, resulting. Electrically conductive material, such as Au or AuGe, is first deposited into lithographically defined windows on top of the sensor. After liftoff of the photoresist a rapid thermal annealing process causes the conductive material to diffuse downward into the semiconductor material and make electrical contact with the active region. The outline of the sensor is defined by reactive etching or other suitable etching techniques. Insulating backfilling material such as Al-oxide is deposited to protect the EMR sensor and the edges of the active region. Chemical mechanical polishing of the structure results in a planar sensor that does not have exposed active region edges.