Abstract: A FOS circuit and a method for fabricating the same that reduces the possibilities of shorts or damage to a circuit board during assembly due to solder reflow. The FOS circuit has a tail, a shunt bar, a plurality of flying leads, and a dam. The tail has a first and second end. The shunt bar is located adjacent to the second end of the tail. The plurality of flying leads project substantially perpendicular from the first edge of the second end of the tail. The plurality of flying leads are substantially parallel to one another and extend between the second end of the tail and the shunt bar. A plurality of electrical paths are formed through the tail to the flying leads. The dam intersects the flying leads and extends from a first flying lead to a last flying lead and is substantially parallel with the first edge of the second end of the tail.

Abstract: By not recording a signal which can be the subject of focussing on a disc, a simple and inexpensive lens cleaner is provided which is able to perform cleaning of an object lens in a simple and reliable manner, without causing the disc to rotate, even in a standard disc device. In order to clean the object lens of the optical disc device, a bristle brush which makes contact with the object lens is provided on the disc, an operating ribbon for operating the disc from the outside of the device is attached to the disc, and no recording face that can be the subject of focussing by the object lens is provided, or alternatively, no signal that can be the subject of focussing by the object lens is recorded, on the face of the disc adjacent to the object lens.

Abstract: A head supporting device with a loading/unloading mechanism and a disk drive unit using the head supporting device. The head supporting device and a voice coil motor (VCM) make up a head actuator of the drive system. The head actuator has i) a support arm rotatable on a bearing, moving in directions along the radius of a recording medium and vertical to the surface of the medium; ii) a magnetically levitating head on a slider facing the medium; and iii) resilient member for applying force to the arm in a direction close to the medium. The VCM has a pair of yokes, a magnet, and a coil. When the head is lead to a head retracting position, the other end of the arm is pulled by the interaction of a magnetic member and the magnet at the resting position and adjacencies. This eases the load on the VCM, contributing to a compact and slim disk drive unit with toughness and rapid data-access.

Abstract: A head support mechanism includes a slider for carrying a head at least for performing reproduction of data from a disk, and a holding portion for holding the slider. The holding portion includes: a first portion including a first piezoelectric element; a second portion including a second piezoelectric element; a third portion connected to the first and second portions, the slider being provided on the third portion; and a fixing portion for fixing the first and second portions. At least one of the first and second piezoelectric elements is contracted and expanded in a direction substantially parallel to a surface of the disk, in the presence of an applied voltage so that the slider provided on the third portion is rotated around a predetermined center of rotation.

Abstract: A spin-valve thin-film magnetic element includes a substrate, a composite formed thereon, and electrode layers formed on both sides of the composite. The composite includes an antiferromagnetic layer, a pinned magnetic layer, a nonmagnetic conductive layer, a free magnetic layer, a mean-free-path-extending layer, and an exchange bias layer. The mean-free-path-extending layer may be a back layer or a mirror reflective layer. The mean-free-path-extending layer extends the mean free path of spin-up conduction electrons in the spin-valve thin-film magnetic element. This spin-valve thin-film magnetic element meets trends toward a narrower track width.

Abstract: An optical disk of the present invention includes a first substrate having a signal area on a principal plane and a central hole, and a second substrate that is transparent and attached to the first substrate. The second substrate is thinner than the first substrate, and has a central hole whose diameter is larger than that of the first substrate. The first substrate and the second substrate are attached to each other with radiation curable resin (adhesive member) disposed therebetween so as to extend at least from an inner peripheral edge of the second substrate to an outer peripheral edge thereof.

Abstract: A magneto-resistive effect element body 11 and a hard magnetic layer 12 for applying a bias magnetic field are disposed between opposing first and second magnetic shields 21 and 22, each made of a soft magnetic material. This magneto-resistive effect element body 11 is comprised of a lamination layer structure portion in which there are laminated at least a free layer the magnetization of which is rotated in response to an external magnetic field, a fixed layer, an antiferromagnetic layer for fixing the magnetization of the fixed layer and a spacer layer interposed between the free layer and the fixed layer. Then, the magneto-resistive effect element has a CPP type configuration in which a sense current flows to the magneto-resistive effect element body in the direction intersecting the film plane of the lamination layer film.

Abstract: The magnetoresistive sensor has a bottom shield, a nonmagnetic metallic pedestal, a bottom reader gap, a biasing element, a magnetoresistive stack, current leads, a top reader gap, and a top shield. The nonmagnetic metallic pedestal is positioned on a portion of the bottom shield and the nonmagnetic metallic pedestal has a width less than the width of the bottom shield. The bottom reader gap is positioned on the nonmagnetic metallic pedestal and on the bottom shield such that a portion of the bottom reader gap over the nonmagnetic metallic pedestal is raised relative to portions of the bottom reader gap not over the nonmagnetic metallic pedestal.

Abstract: A disc player that incorporates a single piece disc enclosure and a chassis section is described. The incorporation of the disc enclosure and the chassis section into a single piece eliminates the requirement for a separate damping system. As well as reducing the cost of manufacturing the device this also allows for the tolerance between the spindle motor and the disc enclosure to be precisely controlled so enabling miniaturization of the disc player.

Abstract: An electrical feedthrough is provided to establish an electrical conduction path from an interior of a hermetically sealed housing to an exterior environment. The feedthrough comprises an elongated electrically conductive pin having opposing proximal and distal ends and a medial portion configured to be supported within a corresponding aperture in a first housing member. A first cantilevered spring contact is affixed to and projects from a selected one of the proximal and distal ends of the pin. Preferably, a second cantilevered spring contact is further affixed to and projects from the remaining one of the proximal and distal ends of the pin. A plurality of feedthroughs are preferably affixed through an insertion member to form a feedthrough assembly which is then affixed adjacent an aperture in the first housing member. An insulating member in the plate preferably supports and isolates a pair of the pins to transmit a differential signal.

Abstract: A single-reel magnetic tape cartridge has a cartridge casing and a single reel around which a magnetic tape is wound and which is contained in the cartridge casing for rotation, in which the magnetic tape is fixed at the leading edge thereof to a leader pin employed for extracting the magnetic tape from the cartridge and the flanges at the upper and lower ends of the leader pin are engaged by the lateral drawing force of a latch spring removably held in the tape cartridge casing. Even for cases in which there is a deviation in the insertion position in which leader pin is inserted by the record and playback apparatus, etc. causing the entry path of the leader pin into the cartridge casing to be off track, etc., it is still possible for the leader pin to be inserted into the cartridge casing.

Abstract: A disk device has a slide tray, rotary tray and chucking mechanism. A motive gear attached to the slide tray has an engaging pin. On the rotary tray, a Geneva gear operating in cooperation with the engaging pin is provided. In a motive gear, a cam groove and a cam member for controlling ON and OFF of chucking operation are provided. In a device body, there are provided a rack for taking in and out and a guide groove. There are provided a central gear driven by motor and an idler gear meshed with the central gear. According to a rotation direction of the motor, the idler gear is selectively meshed with the motive gear or the rack.

Abstract: A rotary magnetic head device includes a stationary drum; a rotary drum having a rotary magnetic head; a rotor of a motor fixed to the rotary drum; a support shaft for pivotally supporting the rotary drum, the support shaft having a receiving face; a radial bearing for receiving a radial load, interposed between the rotary drum and the support shaft; a thrust bearing for receiving a thrust load, being slidably put on the receiving face; an urging member for urging the thrust bearing against the receiving face by pushing the rotary drum downward; and a reverse L-shaped support fixed to the stationary drum. The urging member is supported by the reverse L-shaped support and arranged on the rotary drum.

Abstract: A stepped enclosure for a rotating disc data storage device having an actuator operably moveable within a range of movement adjacent the rotating disc in a data reading and writing relationship. The stepped enclosure comprises an airflow conditioning surface disposed in a substantially close-fitting relationship with the disc and spatially disposed therefrom a first distance. The enclosure further comprises a niche, or recessed area, in the airflow conditioning surface apart from the actuator range of movement defined by a recessed surface disposed a second distance from the disc greater than the first distance.

Abstract: Aerodynamic forces contribute to disk and actuator vibration leading to track positioning errors in storage devices such as hard disk drives. The invention provides a variety of dampening mechanisms and a method of dampening to alleviate these problems in single disk storage devices. This includes disk drives of at most 13 millimeters in height.

Abstract: Nano-oxide based current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) magnetoresistive (MR) sensor stacks are provided, together with methods for forming such stacks. Such stacks have increased resistance and enhanced magnetoresistive properties relative to CPP stacks made entirely of metallic layers. Said enhanced properties are provided by the insertion of magnetic nano-oxide layers between ferromagnetic layers and non-magnetic spacer layers, whereby said nano-oxide layers increase resistance and exhibit spin filtering properties. CPP sensor stacks of various types are provided, all having nano-oxide layers formed therein, including the spin-valve type and the synthetic antiferromagnetic pinned layer spin-valve type. Said stacks can also be formed upon each other to provide laminated stacks of different types.

Abstract: Nano-oxide based current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) magnetoresistive (MR) sensor stacks are provided, together with methods for forming such stacks. Such stacks have increased resistance and enhanced magnetoresistive properties relative to CPP stacks made entirely of metallic layers. Said enhanced properties are provided by the insertion of magnetic nano-oxide layers between ferromagnetic layers and non-magnetic spacer layers, whereby said nano-oxide layers increase resistance and exhibit spin filtering properties. CPP sensor stacks of various types are provided, all having nano-oxide layers formed therein, including the spin-valve type and the synthetic antiferromagnetic pinned layer spin-valve type. Said stacks can also be formed upon each other to provide laminated stacks of different types.

Abstract: Nano-oxide based current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) magnetoresistive (MR) sensor stacks are provided, together with methods for forming such stacks. Such stacks have increased resistance and enhanced magnetoresistive properties relative to CPP stacks made entirely of metallic layers. Said enhanced properties are provided by the insertion of magnetic nano-oxide layers between ferromagnetic layers and non-magnetic spacer layers, whereby said nano-oxide layers increase resistance and exhibit spin filtering properties. CPP sensor stacks of various types are provided, all having nano-oxide layers formed therein, including the spin-valve type and the synthetic antiferromagnetic pinned layer spin-valve type. Said stacks can also be formed upon each other to provide laminated stacks of different types.

Abstract: A disc cramp device which holds a disc by sandwiching it by a turn table and a cramper, according to the present invention, includes a cramper arm which is rotated in a direction to move close to the turn table and a direction to move away from it, a plate spring member, a part of which is fixed to the cramper arm, which lifts the cramper during an uncramping time, and which presses an upper center of the cramper in a direction of the turn table during a cramping time. It is constructed so that by providing tongue pieces for pressing the upper center of the cramper at a tip end portion of the cramper arm, the plate spring member presses the cramper while it is held at both sides during the uncramping time, and the plate spring member is pressed by the fixing member to be elastically deformed during the uncramping time.

Abstract: A desired pattern of elements, including an element having a slant side intersecting a recording track, is depicted on a resist layer on a disc-like substrate. The element is depicted by causing an electron beam whose beam diameter is smaller than the minimum width of the element to scan the resist layer so that the trajectory of the beam center of the electron beam on the resist layer draws a periodic waveform traveling along an axis parallel to the recording track. The periodic waveform is drawn from a starting point which is on a valley or a peak of the waveform. Angles ?3, ?1 and ?2 satisfy the relation ?1<?3<?2.