Abstract: A baseplate for swaging a head suspension to an actuator arm includes a flange with an opening having a back bore diameter and a boss tower extending from the flange and having an outer diameter. The back bore diameter is less than or equal to about 105% of the outer diameter and greater than or equal to about 90% of the outer diameter.

Abstract: In a disc driving device that performs loading operation to transfer a disc, which is a disc-shaped storage medium, in its radial direction, and chucking operation to transfer the disc substantially in the direction of the thickness, the loading operation and the chucking operation are to be performed by a single driving source, and miniaturization and reduction in thickness or the like of the device are to be realized easily. The disc driving device has roller arm parts that sway parallel to the radial direction of a disc, a chucking arm part that sways substantially in the direction of the thickness of the disc, and a cam. The cam has a cam groove for regulating swaying of the roller arm parts so as to position the disc transferred in the radial direction at a predetermined position, and a cam groove for regulating swaying of the chucking arm part so as to transfer the disc situated at the predetermined position substantially into the direction of the thickness.

Abstract: A method of making a perpendicular magnetic recording head for use in a data storage device includes forming a first pole layer, a second pole layer, a third pole layer, and a shield layer of a write section. The first pole layer, second pole layer, third pole layer, and shield layer are formed without using a chemical mechanical polishing process. The method next includes concurrently trimming the shield layer and a write pole that is defined by the third pole layer to a predetermined track width. In the trimming step, the shield layer is used as a mask for the write pole.

Abstract: A disk drive including a tray having a seating portion in which a disk or disk cartridge is seated, and an opening hole, and further having a disk cartridge holder installed on the tray to be capable of sliding, the disk cartridge holder fixing the disk cartridge to the seating portion. The disk cartridge holder includes a plurality of ribs which protrude toward the opening hole and which prevent the disk, to be seated in the seating portion, from becoming caught between the disk cartridge holder and the tray.

Abstract: A head for a data storage device including an independently supported transducer body floatably coupled to the slider body and including at least one transducer element. The transducer body is independently supported relative to the disc surface to provide transducer level control for read-write operations.

Abstract: A disc cartridge of the present invention is provided with a protrusion section on a shutter sliding surface so as to surround at least part of an opening. Moreover, a shutter for opening and closing the opening is provided with a shielding section for covering the opening and the protrusion section and a sliding surface for sliding on a shutter sliding surface during opening and closing operations of the shutter.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus for an optical disc drive, including: a base; a turntable disposed above the base and which rotates an optical disc; an optical pickup unit which reciprocates with respect to the turntable in a radial direction of the turntable; a driving part which moves the optical pickup unit with respect to the turntable; and a guide unit having an auxiliary guide which supports an end of the optical pickup unit and which guides the optical pickup unit along a moving path. The optical pickup unit and the auxiliary guide are in line-contact with each other.

Abstract: A flexible flat cable and a disk drive using the same are provided. The flexible flat cable is configured to suppress an electromagnetic interference (EMI) generated by a signal transmitted by it. The flexible flat cable includes a main body and a metal layer. The metal layer is disposed on the main body along the direction the signal is transmitted. The width of the metal layer along the direction, perpendicular to the direction the signal being transmitted, is smaller than the width of the main body.

Abstract: A TMR sensor, a CPP GMR sensor and a CCP CPP GMR sensor all include a tri-layered free layer that is of the form CoFe/CoFeB/NiFe, where the atom percentage of Fe can vary between 5% and 90% and the atom percentage of B can vary between 5% and 30%. The sensors also include SyAP pinned layers which, in the case of the GMR sensors include at least one layer of CoFe laminated onto a thin layer of Cu. In the CCP CPP sensor, a layer of oxidized aluminum containing segregated particles of copper is formed between the spacer layer and the free layer. All three configurations exhibit extremely good values of coercivity, areal resistance, GMR ratio and magnetostriction.

Abstract: The present invention includes a frame, an optical pick-up module fixed to the frame and a circuit board forming a control circuit fixed to the frame. The frame has fixing parts to other members.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for adjusting at least one of a pitch and roll parameter of a gimbal for a head suspension assembly having a pair of members contacting at least one gimbal arm at spaced apart locations and having an additional member contacting the gimbal arm intermediate the spaced apart locations and wherein the members move together to cause plastic deformation of the gimbal arm. A like apparatus and method may be used sequentially or concurrently on a second gimbal arm, and may have an inverted orientation with respect to the first apparatus.

Abstract: A media cartridge for use with data storage libraries. The cartridge includes a housing having an opening through which a carrier tray can be loaded and extracted to reveal a media element. A number of baffles are included to limit exposure of the media elements to contamination.

Abstract: Apparatus for reducing sensitivity of an article to mechanical shock comprises a frame; first and second planar masses mounted in the frame for bi-directional movement relative to the frame along a first axis of displacement; a first lever pivotable about a first fulcrum secured to the frame; the lever having one end connected to the first mass and the other end connected to the second mass, and the fulcrum being disposed between the ends of the lever; whereby the torque exerted about the fulcrum by the first mass is countered by the torque exerted about the fulcrum by the second mass in response to a mechanical shock applied to the frame along the axis of displacement such that an article carried by the first mass in use has reduced sensitivity to the shock.

Abstract: An optical recording medium having a plural number of recording layers includes a n-th recording layer (23) (n?1), made up by a substrate (20) and a semi-reflective layer (21) carried by the substrate (20) and adapted for partially reflecting and partially transmitting the incident light, a (n+1)th recording layer (28), made up by another substrate (25) and a reflecting layer (26) carried by the substrate (25) and adapted for reflecting the incident light, and a light condensing layer (24) for condensing the light incident via the n-th recording layer (23) on the (n+1)th recording layer (28).

Abstract: A magnetic head testing apparatus having the function of evaluating pin holes in a tunnel barrier layer of a TMR element by a non destructive inspection is disclosed. The testing apparatus comprises a temperature control unit which sets a circumferential temperature of a TMR element, a bias electric current control unit which applies an electric current for measuring a resistance value, an element resistance measuring unit and a CPU which calculates a temperature coefficient. The CPU determines a pin hole state in the tunnel barrier layer based on the temperature coefficient.

Abstract: A disc drive such as an optical disc drive for securely holding discs of various sizes and shapes even in the vertical position. The disc drive includes a tray for holding a disc with a spindle motor installed thereon for rotating a turntable of the spindle motor. The disc is secured to the turntable for being rotated by the spindle motor. A fixing unit disposed by the turntable securely holds the disc to the turntable at locations of a perimeter of a clamping hole of the disc.

Abstract: A current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP) structure magnetoresistive element includes an electrode layer contacting a magnetoresistive film. A low resistance region is defined to extend rearward along the boundary of the magnetoresistive film from the front end exposed at the medium-opposed surface of the head slider. A high resistance region is defined to extend rearward along the boundary from the rear end of the low resistance region. The high resistance region has a resistivity higher than that of the low resistance region. The high resistance region serves to restrict the path of a sensing current nearest to the medium-opposed surface. The sensing current is allowed to concentrate at a position closest to the medium-opposed surface in the magnetoresistive film. Magnetization sufficiently rotates in the magnetoresistive film near the medium-opposed surface. The CPP structure magnetoresistive element maintains a sufficient variation in the resistance. A sufficient sensitivity can be maintained.

Abstract: A head gimbal assembly includes a slider, a rotatable micro-actuator and a suspension to load the slider and the rotatable micro-actuator. The rotatable micro-actuator horizontally rotates the slider with a central portion of the slider as an axis, which includes a bottom plate to be connected with the suspension, two arm plates symmetrically disposed on the bottom plate with a central portion of the bottom plate as symmetry point and at least one piezoelectric pieces to be connected with the arm plates. Selectively, the amount of the arm plates can be four and four piezoelectric pieces to be connected with the four arm plates, respectively.

Abstract: A magnetic head has less variations in the resistance of a magneto-resistive device before and after the magnetic head is left in a high temperature environment so as to have higher stability of the characteristics of the magnetic head against a high temperature environment. A TMR device includes a tunnel barrier layer made of an oxide layer. A DLC film serving as a protection film and an underlying layer therefor are formed on an end face of the TMR device on an air bearing surface side. A layer made of an oxide of a metal or an oxide of a semiconductor is formed between the underlying layer and the end face of the tunnel barrier layer on the air bearing surface side to be in contact with the end face of the tunnel barrier layer.

Abstract: A magnetic head has less variations in the resistance of a magneto-resistive device before and after the magnetic head is left in a high temperature environment so as to have higher stability of the characteristics of the magnetic head against a high temperature environment. A TMR device includes a tunnel barrier layer made of an oxide layer. A DLC film serving as a protection film and an underlying layer therefor are formed on an end face of the TMR device on an air bearing surface side. A layer made of an oxide of a metal or an oxide of a semiconductor is formed between the underlying layer and the end face of the tunnel barrier layer on the air bearing surface side to be in contact with the end face of the tunnel barrier layer.