Abstract: A data storage system includes a set of disks where each disk is operable in a plurality of discrete angular velocity levels. A disk controller controls the angular velocity of each active disk. The controller replicates a first portion of data on a plurality of the disks stores a second class of data in the set of disks without replication. The disk controller routes data requests to one of the active disks based, at least in part, on the current loading of the active disks to maintain balanced loading on the active disks. The disk controller alters the angular velocity of at least one of the active disks upon detecting that the latency of one or more of the data requests differs from a specified threshold. In this manner, the disk controller maintains the angular velocity of the active disks at approximately the same minimum angular velocity needed to attain acceptable performance. The disk controller may replicate the first portion of data on each of the disks in the set of disks.

Abstract: A favorable magnetic transfer is, performed on a perpendicular magnetic recording medium. A permanent magnet apparatus provided with two permanent magnets, each having a width extending the length of the radial direction of a discoid magnetic recording medium, is used as a transfer magnetic field generating means. A conjoined body formed of the perpendicular magnetic recording medium, which has been initially magnetized unidirectionally in the direction perpendicular to the track surface thereof, and two master mediums, disposed on respective surfaces of the slave medium, is inserted between the permanent magnets. A rotating means rotates the conjoined body, in the direction along the tracks of the slave medium, while a transfer magnetic field is applied to the conjoined body in the direction substantially opposite that in which the initial magnetization of the magnetic layer of magnetic recording medium has been performed, so as to perform the magnetic transfer.

Abstract: Asymmetry correction for an MR read head in a magnetic recording channel employs an exponential function to correct MR read head asymmetry. The asymmetry correction function has the form ƒASC(y)=y?q(eay+e?ay?2), wherein a is a parameter that can be adjusted for optimal channel performance, and q is an asymmetry correction coefficient.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention includes receiving a disk having a servo pattern and automatically identifying the center of the servo pattern. The present invention also automatically identifies the center of the physical disk and then automatically identifying the variance between the servo center and physical disk center.

Abstract: In a method of servo writing of a magnetic recording system and the magnetic recording system, the signal is recorded in a dummy area with a higher recording density than the burst signal. Also, the maximum bit length of the burst area is shortened as compared with the maximum bit length of the data area. A servo control method for perpendicular recording similar to that for longitudinal recording can be used to reduce the development cost. The anti-signal decay performance is also improved. Further, since the variations of the burst signal along the track width is suppressed, the positioning accuracy is improved. These effects combine to produce a reliable magnetic recording system of large capacity.

Abstract: A master information carrier capable of manufacturing a magnetic recording medium in which a preformat recording of information signals causing no reproduction signal detection errors arising from a pulse shift of a reproduction waveform is performed. A master information carrier 1 has an array of ferromagnetic thin films 3 arranged according to the pattern of information signals and is used for forming magnetization 4 of a pattern corresponding to the array pattern of the ferromagnetic thin film 3 in a magnetic recording medium by applying a magnetic field while opposing the master information carrier 1 against a magnetic recording medium 2. Each of the ferromagnetic thin films 3 is formed such that each pattern length A becomes equal to a length including a correction amount ? in addition to a length a between magnetic transition areas 6 of the magnetization 4 to be formed in the magnetic recording medium 2.

Abstract: A method for providing data to determine an optimal track per inch (“TPI”) density for a head of a hard disk drive. The method utilizes a VGA control signal that is used in an automatic gain control loop of the disk drive. First VGA values are stored during a routine where a head reads the disk at different offset positions across an N track. The head is then moved to an offset position of an adjacent track N+1 and then erases at least a portion of the N+1 track. Second VGA values are then stored as the head again reads the N track at different offset positions of the track. This process is repeated for a plurality of different TPI values. The effective head width is determined from the second VGA values are plotted relative to different TPI values. An optimum TPI value can be determined from this plot.

Abstract: In the present invention, by making the width of the write element larger than the track pitch and securing a write magnetic field strong enough to reverse the magnetization of the magnetic layer, and further by writing while shifting a write head comprising the write element, a magnetic disk drive, of which the track width is narrower than the write element width, and the storage capacity is large, is realized.

Abstract: A single pole perpendicular write head is provided comprising an inductive write head pole structure comprising a layered structure alternating a plurality of ferromagnetic layers with a plurality of antiparallel coupling layers to form an antiparallel coupled ferromagnetic stack. The antiparallel coupling of the ferromagnetic layers when the head is not writing forms a flux closed magnetic configuration of the write pole resulting in reduction or elimination of stray remanence fields at the pole tip region that may cause unwanted data erasure at the disk surface.

Abstract: A magnetic recording apparatus has a head for recording information on a magnetic recording medium, a write current setting circuit for controlling a write current that is passed through the head, a fault detection circuit for detecting a fault in the head based on the result of comparison between head voltages appearing at both ends of the head and a reference voltage, and a reference voltage setting circuit for varying the reference voltage according to the write current. This configuration permits correct detection of faults in the head all the time irrespective of the write current or the supply voltage.

Abstract: An accurate magnetic transfer to a high-density slave medium having two magnetic layers and utilizing antiferromagnetic coupling is performed. By applying a first magnetic field that causes both the first and second magnetic layers of the magnetic layer of a slave medium to reach saturation magnetization unidirectionally along the circumferential direction of the track, the first and second magnetic layers are magnetized uniformly in the same direction as the first magnetic field. Then, a second magnetic field that inverts the magnetization of the first magnetic layer and has no effect on the magnetization of the second magnetic layer is applied in the opposite direction, whereby only the magnetization direction of the first magnetic layer is inverted in the direction of the second magnetic field. Thereby, a favorable initial magnetization state in which the magnetization directions of the first and second magnetic layers are oriented antiparallel can be obtained.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed wherein if multiple retries beyond a threshold are required to recover a data sector during a normal read operation, the data sector is added to a marginal sector list. During an off-line scan, the data sectors in the marginal sector list are verified. If the verification of a data sector fails, the data sector is relocated.

Abstract: In a magnetic storage apparatus having a magnetic recording medium, a drive unit for driving this medium in a prespecified recording direction, a magnetic head assembly including a recorder section and reproduction section, means for causing the magnetic head to move relatively with respect to the magnetic record medium, and a record/playback signal processor means for performing signal inputting to the magnetic head and for effecting reproduction of an output signal from the magnetic head, the reproduction section of said magnetic head is composed of a magnetic head of the magnetoresistance effect type, while said magnetic record medium is structured including a substrate and a magnetic layer formed thereover with one or several underlayers being sandwiched therebetween, wherein at least one of the underlayers is a specific layer that is made of amorphous or microcrystalline materials containing therein Ni as the principal or main component thereof and further containing at least one kind of element as selec

Abstract: A new synchronous Partial Response Maximum Likelihood (PRML) servo is provided for a high track-per-inch disk-drive system. To increase the data capacity in hard disk drives (HDD), one can shorten the servo format and/or increase the track density. The new servo system has circuits that allow a high-performance and accurate system for positioning the read-write heads. The major circuits include burst demodulation, Viterbi detection, timing synchronization, and spin-up search. A highly linear discrete-fourier-transform (DFT) burst-demodulation circuit can demodulate high-density and low-signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) position bursts. The Viterbi detection circuit includes a sync-mark detector and a Viterbi detector that are matched to at least two sets of Gray code ( e.g., ¼ rate and 4/12 rate) and pruned accordingly. The timing synchronization circuit includes phase restart and interpolating timing recovery (ITR) circuits to implement a fully digital timing recovery.

Abstract: A system and process for constructing a magnetic storage drive capable of single pass self-servowriting. A plurality of heads are sorted, or “binned,” into classifications based on at least an approximate magnetic width of each head. Only heads from a single classification are installed in a particular disk drive system. A track overlap value is calculated, preferably empirically, for the approximate magnetic widths of typical heads in the single classification. The overlap value is used to determine a track spacing utilized during a self-servowriting process.

Abstract: Tools are provided to identify undesired pole tip protrusion (PTP) on a write portion of a read/write head in a hard disk. Such tools may be incorporated in the hard disk. A corrective action arrangement performs a corrective action in response to the identification of an undesired pole tip protrusion. The corrective action may comprise burnishing of pole tips of a write portion of the read/write head. An asperity read signal condition monitoring circuit monitors asperity conditions from the read signal. The asperity condition may be a high fly write condition, or it may be a thermal asperity condition. A PTP determining circuit determines when a monitored condition is indicative of an undesired PTP condition. A PTP test write cycle may be caused, during which the monitoring circuit monitors either during or right after the PTP test write cycle.

Abstract: A method for recording and reproducing data, and more particularly, a method for recording and reproducing audio/video data in the disk drive where, if an error occurs in performing an audio/video data recording and reproducing process, a sector where the error occurs is detected to perform a defect process, and a computer-readable recording medium therefor, are provided. If an error occurs while the audio/video data is being recorded or reproduced by the hard disk drive, the method includes processing bad sectors by the defect process, controlling the hard disk drive to continuously perform audio/video data recording or reproducing for the sectors following the bad sector, so that it is possible to perform real-time recording or reproducing of audio/video data while maintaining continuity of the data, even when errors occur. In particular, it is possible to prevent an A/V processor from stopping when an error occurs.

Abstract: The present invention enables to execute accurate magnetic transfer without signal omission and the like, by bringing a master carrier which bore transfer information and a slave medium to undergo transfer into close contact with each other uniformly and without a gap when they are received in a holder and brought into confronted close contact with each other. In a magnetic transfer apparatus for executing magnetic transfer by applying magnetic field for transfer generated by a magnetic field applying apparatus after master carriers 3, 4 which bore transfer information and a slave medium 2 to undergo transfer are brought into confronted close contact with each other and received in a holder 10, materials 6, 7 having elastic characteristic are interposed between the holder 10 and master carriers 3, 4, thereby allowing microdeformation of master carriers 3, 4 to enhance the close contact capability with the slave medium.

Abstract: A write driver 100, 200, 300 is implemented to provide near-ground common mode output voltages to produce a more symmetrical head voltage swing (i.e. ±0.4V from ground to ±5V supply voltages). These features help to reduce the effects of common mode impedance associated with the interconnection to the disk drive head to improve overall performance. Lower jitter at high data rates can be achieved when compared to prior art techniques for implementing current mode write drivers. Further, the matched impedance between the write driver 100 and the interconnection 106 eliminates unwanted reflections. ECL level voltage swings (200–500 mV) have replaced more conventional CMOS level voltage swings (5V) to further reduce overall power dissipation associated with the write driver. The small ECL level switching further maintains constant power dissipation with changes in operating frequency and results in less NTLS effects due to quieter supplies.

Abstract: Systems are provided for improving servo-demodulation robustness. SAM pattern detections are characterized as either good SAM detections or bad SAM detections. Further servo functions are then based on whether the detection of the SAM pattern in a servo wedge was characterized as a good SAM detection or characterized as a bad SAM detection.