Abstract: A method and apparatus for damping actuator flex cable vibrations in a disk drive during actuator seek operations to improve disk drive performance. The actuator flex cable loop includes a damping element inserted in the J-block area of the actuator arm. The damping element can be foam, rubber, encapsulated visco-elastic material, spring clip supports or extensions of the cable support brackets. The damping element damps the vibrations of the dynamic loop of the actuator flex cable between the actuator assembly and the arm electronic bracket fixed to the disk drive housing. Decreasing the amplitude of vibrations coupled to the actuator assembly results in improved arrival performance of the disk drive during seek operations.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive includes a base which supports a head stack assembly having a coil portion, a flex circuit cable having a grounding portion, and a flex clamp and in which a voice coil motor (VCM) is formed from the coil portion's interaction with upper and lower VCM plates that carry at least one permanent magnet. The disk drive includes a Z-shaped grounding portion which wraps around one end of the flex clamp and permits a single screw to secure that end of the flex clamp to the base and simultaneously make grounding contact with the grounding portion and an elongated protrusion extending from one of the VCM plates that is adjacent to the flex clamp to hold that end of the flex clamp against the base when the VCM plates are fastened to the base.

Abstract: A magnetic head for reproducing digital magnetic recording information using a MI head, which is a magnetic detection element utilizing magnetic impedance effect, the magnetic recording medium 10 is magnetized alternatively, in the opposite direction along a relative movement direction relative to the magnetic head, the boundary 11 of magnetization is a straight line normal to the relative movement direction, and the MI element 12 opposes in parallel with the surface of the recording medium 10. In a surface in parallel with the surface of the element 12, the MI element is positioned so that its longitudinal direction is inclined by an angle .theta. relative to the direction of the boundary 11 of magnetization. A high frequency current is applied via terminals 13A and 13B to obtain a reproduced signal through the magnetic impedance effect.

Abstract: A magnetic head apparatus has a reduced thickness by preventing a jumping action of a magnetic head that can occur in a head-up state. A leaf spring has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, and the leaf spring supporting the magnetic head at the first end, the leaf spring having a surface facing the magnetic medium. A mount member holds the leaf spring, the leaf spring being mounted to the mount member at the second end. A supporting portion extends from the mount member, and engages the surface of the leaf spring at a position between the magnetic head and the mount member.

Abstract: A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) magnetoresistive read head for a magnetic recording system has the MTJ sensing or free ferromagnetic layer also functioning as a flux guide to direct magnetic flux from the magnetic recording medium to the tunnel junction. The MTJ fixed ferromagnetic layer and the MTJ tunnel barrier layer have their front edges substantially coplanar with the sensing surface of the head. Both the fixed and free ferromagnetic layers are in contact with opposite surfaces of the MTJ tunnel barrier layer but the free ferromagnetic layer extends beyond the back edge of either the tunnel barrier layer or the fixed ferromagnetic layer, whichever back edge is closer to the sensing surface. This assures that the magnetic flux is non-zero in the tunnel junction region.

Abstract: A magnetic disk unit provided with a magnetic disk, a slider operatively configured and supported on a pivoting arm, a vertical recording magnetic head provided on said slider, and an information record section provided on the magnetic disk in the form of protrusions covered with magnetic material, said information record section accepting a vertical magnetic recording signal from said vertical magnetic recording head, thus providing a magnetic head operated with a small lift amount to suppress spacing loss in the vertical magnetic recording and improved recording and reproducing performance of a vertical magnetic recording disk unit system.

Abstract: A magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) magnetoresistive read head for a magnetic recording system has the MTJ device located between two spaced-apart magnetic shields. The magnetic shields, which allow the head to detect individual magnetic transitions from the magnetic recording medium without interference from neighboring transitions, also function as electrical leads for connection of the head to sense circuitry. Electrically conductive spacer layers are located at the top and bottom of the MTJ device and connect the MTJ device to the shields. The thickness of the spacer layers is selected to optimize the spacing between the shields, which is a parameter that controls the linear resolution of the data that can be read from the magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: An automatic door opening mechanism for ejecting a video cassette tape of a video cassette recorder (VCR) includes a door mounted at both sides on door brackets in front of a cassette deck opening for inserting/ejecting a cassette tape so as to be opened upwardly and an actuator lever fixed on one end of an actuator shaft rotatably mounted on main frame. The actuator lever has a door locking part formed on one end and a button pressing part formed on the other end. A further door locking part is fixed on the other end of the actuator shaft. A retention arm is fixed on the actuator shaft in the middle thereof. The retention arm has a stopper tiltably mounted on its top. The stopper is vertically positioned under the cassette deck opening so as to be engaged with front and rear lower edges of the cassette tape and to be tilted inwardly by being engaged with the rear lower edge of the cassette tape when inserting the same through the opening.

Abstract: A combined read/write thin film magnetic head is provided. The combined head has a read head and write head. The write head has a thin coil layer formed on a flat upper surface layer of the read head. The read head includes a magnetoresistive element. An organic resin layer is formed under the thin coil layer of the write head and above the magnetoresistive element of the read head.

Abstract: A head transport mechanism for reciprocating a carriage in a radial direction of a disc using a linear motor as a drive source is disclosed. In the head transport mechanism, cylindrical projections are formed on a support plate, threads are cut on the inner surfaces of the projections, and cutouts are formed in the distal ends of bottom yokes. The cutouts are brought into contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the projections so as to locate the bottom yoke. In addition, protrusions protruding outward from superposed portions of the bottom yokes and top yokes in a longitudinal and/or lateral direction of the bottom yokes are formed in at least one end of each of the bottom yokes so that the top yokes can be assembled with the protrusions pressed when assembling the head transport mechanism.

Abstract: The lower core layer 7 is formed in approximately constant thickness at the portion confronting the upper core layer so that its thickness gradually reduces toward its side edge. Therefore, the thickness of the layer of the non-magnetic material 8 formed on the lower core layer 7 becomes uniform, stabilizing the coil layer formed thereon. An excellent material of soft magnetic materials can be used since the lower core layer 7 is formed by sputtering, enabling to record at a high frequency.

Abstract: A magnetic head device is disclosed, including a magnetic circuit having a head core unit, a back core and a coil. The head core unit includes a first core made from a magnetic material and a second core made from a magnetic material. A magnetic gap is formed between the first core and the second core. The back core is made from a magnetic material and is joined to the first core and the second core to form back gaps between the back core and vertical portions of the first and second cores, and the coil is mounted on the first core. The device includes a first holder which is bonded to the first and second cores at two locations, one on the side of the magnetic gap and one on the side of the back gaps, to hold the magnetic circuit. The device further includes a second holder which is bonded to the first and second cores at the magnetic gap side to hold the magnetic circuit, the second holder being substantially in the shape of a rectangular beam.

Abstract: The magnetic head comprises two magnetoresistance effect elements and a soft magnetic film connecting end portions of the magnetoresistance effect elements with each other. The two magnetoresistance effect elements and the soft magnetic film are arranged in series so as to form a single magnetic circuit, and a magnetic gap is provided in the side of a surface facing a magnetic medium. Magnetic flux from the magnetic medium is introduced into the magnetoresistance effect elements through the magnetic gap. An insulating material may be used to fill the magnetic gap.

Abstract: An assembly for accessing data bits in storage locations on a succession of radially separated tracks on a rotating multilayer MSR disc comprising a storage layer and a readout layer in combination with a slider flyable over a surface of the disc with the slider supporting at least one optical element coupled to the assembly, the optical element directing light to a region of the disc including one or more storage locations, with the optical element comprising an optical fiber and a micro-machined mirror supported on the slider and adapted to direct the light to storage locations on the recording layer of the disc, a conductive coil is coupled to and supported on the assembly, a passage of current through the conductor coil is sufficient to establish a magnetic field which is coupled to the disc and in cooperation with the light stores information at one of the storage locations on the storage layer, and a magneto-resistive element is coupled to the assembly, the magneto-resistive element cooperates with the

Abstract: A pickup adjusting apparatus of an optical disk player having a pair of guide rails for supporting and guiding a pickup. An adjusting device is provided for moving ends of the guide rails horizontally with respect to a disk surface. The adjusting device includes a supporting member for supporting the end of each of the guide rails, and allowing the guide rails to move horizontally with respect to the disk surface, a cam rotatably installed on a deck for supporting a side of each guide rail, and an elastic member contacting each guide rail opposite the cam to bias each guide rail toward the cam.

Abstract: An Anti-Parallel (AP)-pinned spin valve (SV) sensor having a free layer disposed between an AP-pinned layer and a pinned layer. The free layer being separated from the AP-pinned layer by a first conducting spacer and separated from the pinned layer by a second conducting spacer layer. The AP-pinned layer includes a first, second and third AP-pinned layers where the first and second AP-pinned layers are separated from the third AP-pinned layer by an anti-parallel coupling layer. The first AP-pinned layer is formed over and in contact with an antiferromagnetic (AFM) layer. The AFM layer is used to pin the AP-pinned layer magnetizations directions.

Abstract: Optimized stiffness in a disk drive suspension comprising a load beam and a flexure structure is realized by forming the flexure structure from a flexure and a flexible conductor in which the conductor is a laminate of conductive metal and plastic and has an easily controlled and relatively higher spring constant, while the flexure has a relatively lower spring constant.

Abstract: A magnetic disc has a magnetic recording area on or from which the information may be recorded or reproduced by a recording head loaded on a slider. The magnetic recording area has a data area including a recording track as a crest and a guard band as a valley, and a servo area having servo marks as crests and valleys. A CSS area for contact-start-stop (CSS) with the slider is made up of CSS data areas radially consecutive to the data areas and CSS servo areas radially consecutive to the servo areas. The entire surfaces of the CSS servo areas may be planarized at the same height level as the recording tracks. The CSS servo areas are provided with the same pattern of crests and valleys similar to that of the data areas. This suppresses generation of powder debris during CSS while optimizing the amount of float of the slider and the floating posture in the CSS area.

Abstract: A thin-film magnetic head in which magnetic stability of a magnetoresistance effect film is improved for further stabilizing the playback output. The thin-film magnetic head includes a magnetoresistance effect stabilizing layer 11 having a hard magnetic member 11d and a soft magnetic member 11e, a non-magnetic insulating layer 12 layered on the magnetoresistance effect stabilizing layer 11, a magnetoresistance effect layer 13 layered on the non-magnetic insulating layer 12 and a pair of electrodes connected on both ends of the magnetoresistance effect layer 13. Under the effect of the hard magnetic member 11d, the magnetoresistance effect layer 13 is reduced in coercivity and, under the effect of the soft magnetic member 11e, the magnetic filed which proves to be the saturation flex density is increased.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a slider having an alumina overcoat layer that is etched so as to be tapered, sloped, inclined, recessed, or faceted with respect to the air-bearing surfaces of the slider. The present invention also relates to a method for eliminating overcoat protrusions by etching away portions of the alumina overcoat layer at row level. Preferably, photolithographic techniques are used at row level to both etch the air-bearing surfaces of the slider and to etch away potential protrusion regions of the alumina overcoat.