Abstract: A tunneling magnetoresistive head according to the present invention includes a tunneling magnetoresistive stack having a free layer, a barrier layer, a pinned layer and a pinning layer. The tunneling magnetoresistive stack is configured to operate in a current perpendicular to plane (CPP) mode, wherein a sense current flows substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal plane of the barrier layer. The tunneling magnetoresistive head includes a first shield and a second shield coupled to opposing sides of the tunneling magnetoresistive stack. The first and the second shields act as electrodes to couple the sense current to the tunneling magnetoresistive stack. The first shield has a concave shape and substantially surrounds the free layer. The tunneling magnetoresistive head also includes a spacer layer and a layer of antiferromagnetic material. The spacer layer is formed on the free layer. The layer of antiferromagnetic material is formed on the second spacer layer.

Abstract: A suspension assembly (24) for a storage device (10) that includes a load beam (52) and a damper assembly (54). The load beam (52) couples a data transducer (22) to an actuator arm (40). The damper assembly (54) is secured to the load beam (52). The damper assembly (54) includes a damper beam section (72) and a damper mass section (74). The damper beam section (72) cantilevers from the load beam (52). The damper mass section (74) is secured the damper beam section (72). The damper assembly (54) also includes a resilient layer (88) and a cover layer (90). The resilient layer (88) extends between the damper mass section (74) and the load beam (52). The cover layer (90) covers the resilient layer (88). During rotation of a storage disk (30), the load beam (52) has a load beam resonance frequency. The damper assembly (54) has a damper resonance frequency that is tuned to be similar to the load beam resonance frequency to decrease off-track movements of the data transducer (22) relative to the storage disk (30).

Abstract: A disc drive suspension is provided, which includes a longitudinal axis, a rigid load beam section and a preload transfer section. The rigid load beam section extends along the longitudinal axis and has first and second opposing lateral side edges with respective first and second stiffening rails. The first and second stiffening rails are bent out-of-plane with respect to a main body portion of the rigid load beam section and terminate at a distal end of the rigid load beam section. The preload transfer section extends distally from the distal end of the rigid load beam section and has a third stiffening rail. The third stiffening rail is bent out-of-plane with respect to a main body portion of the preload transfer section and extends longitudinally from the distal end of the rigid load beam section.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a disk drive base and a disk stack, the disk stack comprising a first disk including a first recording surface and a second recording surface. A spindle motor attached to the disk drive base rotates the disk stack about a spindle motor rotation axis. A ramp load engages at least the first and second lift tab of a head stack assembly. The ramp load includes a shaft coupled to the disk drive base, the shaft defining a shaft axis that is parallel to the spindle motor rotation axis. The ramp load also includes a first ramp defining a first lift tab engaging surface for engaging the first lift tab and a first facing surface configured to face the first recording surface of the first disk at a first distance, and a second ramp defining a second lift tab engaging surface for engaging the second lift tab and a second facing surface configured to face the second recording surface of the first disk at a second distance.

Abstract: A disc drive system includes a base plate, a spindle attached to the base plate, and at least one disc attached to the spindle. A cover is also included for attaching to the base plate. The cover and the base plate form a disc enclosure which encloses the at least one disc, a portion of the spindle, and the actuator assembly. The disc drive system also includes a mechanism for attenuating acoustical emissions produced by the spindle, the at least one disc, and the actuator assembly. The mechanism includes anechoic features formed on the interior of the disc enclosure, using a liner formed with the anechoic features or having the anechoic features formed integral on one or both of the cover and base plate.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus includes a carriage, an actuator for performing focus and tracking control, a first lens supported by the actuator, and a suspension member mounted on the carriage. The optical disk apparatus also includes a slider attached to the suspension member to be brought into facing relation to a storage disk. A second lens is supported by the slider to be associated with the first lens. The optical disk apparatus further includes optical axis adjusting means separate from the actuator. The adjusting means is designed to move the first and the second lenses to each other in parallel to the disk member.

Abstract: A disk device includes a rotatable bar-shaped fixing element which is fixed loosely to an inner peripheral hole of each of a plurality of disks and a support element which forms a support section. The support section supports a section of a disk on a peripheral section of the fixing element. The support element is displaced in a direction of a rotational axis of the fixing element based on the rotations of the fixing element.

Abstract: A magnetic head device in which magnetic head elements can follow the signal recording surface of the first or second magnetic disc 6, 23. To this end, the magnetic head device includes a head unit 121 for recording/reproducing information signals for the first or second magnetic disc 6, 23, and a supporting arm 122 having a first portion 131 for supporting said head portion, a second portion 132 mounted on a supporting arm holding portion and a third portion 133 interconnecting said first and second portions 131 and 132. The first to third portions 131 to 133 of the supporting arm 122 are of different shapes so as to have different physical properties to follow the first or second magnetic disc 6, 23 under a desired condition.

Abstract: A magnetic head include a pair of magnetic shield layers, a pair of gap layers formed between the pair of magnetic shield layers, a magnetoresistive layer arranged between the pair of gap layers, and a pair of electrodes electrically connected to the magnetoresistive layer. At least one of the pair of magnetic shield layers is formed as a discontinuous multi-layer or as a mixed layer.

Abstract: A recording head has a bottom pole layer and a top pole layer that include pole portions opposed to each other, a recording gap layer being placed between the pole portions. The recording head further has a thin-film coil. A raised portion is formed on a top surface of the recording gap layer in a region where a connecting portion of the thin-film coil is to be located. The coil is formed such that the connecting portion is formed on top of the raised portion. An insulating layer covers the coil and a top surface of the insulating layer is flattened. The connecting portion of the coil is only exposed from the top surface of the insulating layer. A conductive layer to be a lead is connected to the exposed connecting portion.

Abstract: In an electromagnetic linear actuator including a fixed portion with a predetermined axis and a movable portion holding an object, a single guide shaft is coupled to the fixed portion and the movable portion and guides the movable portion to be movable with respect to the fixed portion only along the predetermined axis. A position sensor is coupled to the fixed portion and the movable portion and detects a current position of the movable portion with respect to the fixed portion. The position sensor is cooperated with the single guide shaft to inhibit rotation of the movable portion around the predetermined axis.

Abstract: Provided are a magnetic transducer, a thin film magnetic head and a method of manufacturing the same which can improve efficiency of heat dissipation. An MR element functioning as a magnetic transducer including: a nonmagnetic metal layer; a free layer formed on one surface of the nonmagnetic metal layer; a pinned layer formed on the other surface of the nonmagnetic metal layer; and an antiferromagnetic layer formed on a surface of the pinned layer, the surface being opposite to a surface in contact with the nonmagnetic metal layer. One end face of the free layer, the nonmagnetic metal layer, the pinned layer and the antiferromagnetic layer forms a medium facing surface forming a surface facing an external magnetic field. A tapered surface inclined to the medium facing surface is formed on the end face opposite to the medium facing surface of a stack comprising the free layer, the nonmagnetic metal layer, the pinned layer and the antiferromagnetic layer.

Abstract: An electromagnetic linear actuator comprises a movable portion holding an object so that the object is movable up and down with respect to a fixed portion, a guide for constraining the movement of the movable portion except in upward and downward directions, and a base for mounting the guide. The guide comprises a cylindrical bushing fixed onto the base, a guide shaft having a lower end press-fitted into the bushing, and upper and lower dampers directly attached to upper and lower ends of the guide shaft by means of elasticity of the dampers, respectively, so as to limit a stroke of the movable portion and to absorb mechanical shock. Each of the upper and the lower dampers is preferably made of an elastic material such as rubber.

Abstract: In order to provide a suspension, a head suspension assembly, and a disk drive apparatus that can contribute to an increase of record and playback reliability, holes 3c in ribs 3b of the head suspension assembly 3 are provided. This design decreases the displacement of a head slider 2 that is caused by Karman vortex streets occurring near the ribs 3b in company with the rotation of the magnetic disk 1.

Abstract: A connecting member connects a pair of holder plates toward the end of the holder plates at the recessed end in the direction in which the disk is inserted. By forming the holding member holding disks using three pieces, there is less deformation causes by high temperatures compared to integrally formed units. Also, since this connecting member only serves to connect the pair of holder plates, a thin rod-shaped connecting bar can be used. This allows the clearance between the disks held toward the back of the device and the rear panel to be minimized, thus contributing to a reduced depth dimension for the device.

Abstract: A data storage device has a shock sense indicator disposed within its housing. The shock sense indicator may provide visible, audible, and/or machine-detectable indication of whether the data storage device has been subjected to a physical shock over some threshold. Machine detection of the shock state can be accomplished optically, mechanically, or electrically. A data storage drive has a detection switch that interfaces with a shock detector of a data storage device to ensure that no harmful operation is performed on a data storage device that has been subjected to a physical shock, thereby avoiding potential loss or corruption of data.

Abstract: A recording head has a bottom pole layer and a top pole layer that include pole portions opposed to each other, a recording gap layer being placed between the pole portions. The recording head further has a thin-film coil. The top pole layer includes first and second pole portion layers and a yoke portion layer. An insulating layer for defining a throat height is placed in a portion between the recording gap layer and a part of a surface of the second pole portion layer that does not touch a surface of the first pole portion layer. A coil encasing portion is formed such that this portion has a depth that extends from the level of the recording gap layer toward the bottom pole layer and toward the top pole layer. The thin-film coil is placed in the coil encasing portion.

Abstract: A magnetic head which can improve workability in coil formation, prevent wiring errors and is compatibly applicable to recording media having respective recording densities different from each other. Twelve cut-outs (11) are formed on four walls (10) at respective edges of a back yoke (5) and lead wires (15a, 15b) of a read/write coil (15) and lead wires (16a, 16b) of a read/write coil (16) are let separately through the respective cut-outs (11), whereby the lead wires (15a, 15b and 16a, 16b) are not mistaken for each other in wiring. Since first and second magnetic cores (2 and 3) and the read/write coils (15 and 16) corresponding thereto are provided, the magnetic head is capable of reading and writing on two recording media having respective recording densities different from each other, thereby providing compatibility for magnetic recording.

Abstract: A magnetic disc rotates causing an air flow that produces a floating force head unit which undergoes floating force by air flow produced as the result of the fact that the magnetic disc is rotated serves to selectively carry out loading of a first disc cartridge within which there is accommodated a first magnetic disc adapted so that flat recording tracks are provided at a disc substrate formed by molding synthetic resin and a magnetic layer is provided in a manner to cover the recording tracks, and a second disc cartridge within which there is accommodated a second magnetic disc adapted so that information uneven pit trains are formed at a disc substrate formed by molding synthetic resin and a magnetic layer is formed in a manner to include bottom surfaces and upper surfaces of information uneven pit trains, the magnetic layer being magnetized in the state where magnetization direction of the magnetic layer portions on the bottom surfaces and that of the magnetic layer portions of the upper surfaces of infor

Abstract: A magnetoresistive effect head which is easy to manufacture and in which a sense current is prevented from bypassing a barrier layer is provided. Also provided are a method for manufacturing the head and a magnetic recording apparatus utilizing the head. This magnetoresistive effect head utilizes an MTJ film which comprises, for forming its basic structure, a free layer, a barrier layer, a pinned layer and a pinning layer, wherein an oxide or a nitride layer is formed by oxidizing or nitriding metallic materials constituting the pinned layer and pinning layer.