Abstract: A depression is formed on the surface of a lower magnetic pole layer in a thin film magnetic head. A lower auxiliary magnetic pole is defined in the lower magnetic pole layer between the depression and a medium-opposed surface of a head slider. The depression is filled up with a non-magnetic material. When the thin film magnetic head is to be formed, no magnetic layer is formed on the lower magnetic pole layer for forming the lower auxiliary magnetic pole. A dry process such as sputtering and vapor-deposition can be employed to form the lower magnetic pole layer, so that a wider choice can be provided for the material of the lower magnetic pole layer and the lower auxiliary magnetic pole.

Abstract: A magnetic head slider includes a magnetic head mounting surface, a slider rail surface, a step air bearing surface, and a negative pressure groove. The magnetic head mounting surface is arranged in a center area with respect to a width of the slider near an air flow-out edge on the slider and mounts a magnetic head. The slider rail surface has a first depth from the magnetic head mounting surface and its width on an air flow-in side for the magnetic head is wider that its width on an air flow-out side for the magnetic head. The step air bearing surface is formed on an air flow-in side of the slider rail surface and has a second depth from the slider rail surface. The negative-pressure groove which formed on an air flow-in side of the step air bearing surface and has a third depth from the step air bearing surface.

Abstract: A ramp member is supported on a flying slider in a load/unload mechanism of a recording medium drive. The flying slider receives a lift at its air bearing surface based on airflow generated along the moving recording medium. The flying slider flies above the recording medium. The flying height of the flying slider can be controlled with a higher accuracy in the same manner as a flying head slider utilized to read and write data from and into the recording medium. The slope of the ramp member on the flying slider can accordingly be kept at a predetermined level above the recording medium with a higher accuracy. Even if the extent of the slope is reduced, the load bar is allowed to reliably contact the slope. This leads to expansion of the data zone on the recording medium.

Abstract: A magnetic head slider comprises a slider body comprising a base portion made of an altic material and an element-forming portion, made of alumina, having formed thereon magnetic conversion elements. Slider-flying rails protruding beyond the surface of the slider body are provided. A first protection film is formed on the surface of the slider body to cover a boundary between the element-forming portion and the base portion to thereby prevent a lubricant of a magnetic disk from depositing on the boundary between the base portion and the element-forming portion. Second protection films are formed on the surfaces of the slider-flying rails to protect the magnetic conversion elements from being corroded and damaged. Further, when pneumatic bearings are provided on the slider-flying rails, third protection films are formed on the surfaces of the pneumatic bearings.

Abstract: A flexible disk drive includes a case and a disk holder provided in the case. A flexible disk is mounted on the disk holder. A part of the disk holder abuts against an inner face of the case. Preferably, the part of the disk holder is a tip end portion of the disk holder. The tip end portion of the disk holder is bent in a slanted direction so as to enlarge an inlet of the disk holder for the flexible disk to be inserted.

Abstract: A disk drive apparatus. The apparatus has a first drive device and a support member coupled to the first drive device. The support member has a tongue portion and a gimbal portion. The tongue portion is coupled the gimbal portion. A fixed drive device is formed within a first portion of the tongue portion. A movable drive device is operably coupled to the fixed drive device and formed within a second portion of the tongue portion. A read/write head is coupled to the movable drive device. A voltage source is coupled between the fixed drive device and the movable drive device to cause movement of the read/write head by forming an interaction between the fixed drive device and the movable drive device.

Abstract: A hard disk drive (1) includes a baseplate (10), a disk stack (90), a head stack (50), a spindle motor (80) and a connector assembly. The connector assembly includes a connector (100) and a circuit board (140). The connector includes a insulative base (110) and a plurality of contacts (124, 126, 128) extending from the insulative base and being soldered to the circuit board at one end thereof. The baseplate receiving the circuit board and the connector, includes a bottom wall (36), two side walls (39) and two separating walls (34) extending perpendicularly from the bottom wall. The insulative base of the connector, the bottom wall, the two side walls and the two separating walls corporately form three contacts receiving housing.

Abstract: A magnetic head apparatus including a magnetic head slider having an overall front half region area (S) and a step surface area (S1) and a positive-pressure generating surface area (S2) both in the front half region, such that the area ratio S1/S is about 0.180 to about 0.232 and the area ratio S1/S2 is about 0.30 to about 0.47. With this arrangement a difference in pitch angles of the magnetic head slider at the moment when it is just levitated and during levitation is large, and a variation of the pitch angle due to a pressure change is small, thereby preventing damage to a magnetic element within the magnetic head slider while achieving a stable levitation attitude of the magnetic head slider.

Abstract: A magnetic head having a magnetic pole that includes a pole tip and a yoke. The pole tip includes an elongated neck, having an anchor piece on one end and a yoke interconnection piece on the other end. The air bearing surface of the head is located approximately at the midpoint of the elongated neck, and shadowing effects of the end pieces during the ion milling notching process do not create significant variations in the width of the neck at locations near the midpoint of the neck. As a result, variations of the pole tip width at the ABS of fabricated magnetic heads is significantly reduced, and processing yield is therefore increased. The yoke is engaged to the pole tip at a location along the neck that is close to the air bearing surface. In a preferred embodiment, the yoke interconnect piece is encapsulated within the yoke.

Abstract: A disk mounting hub has a disk-mounting face formed at one end as a truncated conical surface of revolution symmetric about a central axis. A cylindrical inner hub member is coaxial with the hub body outside diameter and the surrounding mounting face. The inner hub member is adapted to receive a planar disk with a central opening. The mounting face is disposed at a hub face angle (?/2+/??) relative to the central axis. Hub face angle ? is selected so that a disk clamping force F applied to an inner disk portion surrounding the opening bends a portion of the disk interior to the hub inside diameter to conform with the conical disk-mounting face. This interior bending portion reduces or eliminates the tendency of the outer disk portion to form an excessive conning angle ?.

Abstract: A head suspension for a disk drive has a base (19) to be attached to a carriage, a load beam (21) having a rigid part (27) and a resilient part (29) supported by the base, to apply load on a data read/write head (13) arranged at a front end (27a) of the rigid part, and a flexure (49) attached to the load beam and supporting the head. The rigid part has a multilayer structure consisting of at least three layers including metal layers (28a, 28b) and a resin layer (28c) interposed between the metal layers. The number of layers of the resilient part is smaller than that of the rigid part.

Abstract: The present invention includes a micro-actuator assembly. The micro-actuator assembly includes a planar micro-actuator and a vertical micro-actuator. The planar micro-actuator provides at least one planar micro-actuator arm for coupling to a slider. The vertical micro-actuator couples with the planar micro-actuator arm. The planar micro-actuator arm supports moving the slider in a planar direction. The vertical micro-actuator supports moving the slider, through the micro-actuator arm, in a vertical direction. The planar micro-actuator may include two planar micro-actuator arms. It is preferred that at least one of the micro-actuators include a piezoelectric device. The vertical micro-actuator preferably includes a bulk piezoelectric device for cost reasons. The vertical micro-actuator may include a thermoelectric device supporting vertical slider movement. The invention includes manufacturing head gimbal assemblies, actuator arms, voice coil actuator assemblies, and hard disk drives.

Abstract: An electric motor (19) comprises a first part (21) and a second part (23) which are moveable with respect to each other. The first part comprises a foil-shaped insulating substrate (51) on which a plurality of series-connected spiral-shaped patterns (67, 67?, 69, 69?, 71, 71?) of conductor tracks are provided. The second part comprises a permanent magnet unit (73) for generating a magnetic field at the location of the conductor tracks. Said patterns each comprise two main sections (79, 81) with substantially straight, parallel conductor tracks (83, 85) having first ends (89, 93) and second ends (91, 95), and two intermediate sections (97, 99) with curved conductor tracks (101, 103) which respectively mutually connect the first ends of the two main sections and mutually connect the second ends of the two main sections. Said intermediate sections each have a center area (105, 107) respectively halfway between the first ends of the two main sections and halfway between the second ends of the two main sections.

Abstract: A PCMCIA card type recording apparatus includes a housing having a seating section on which a disk cartridge is seated, a disk driving section disposed in the housing to rotatably drive a recording medium in the disk cartridge seated on the seating section, a recording/reproducing unit disposed in the housing to record and reproduce data with respect to the recording medium, and a protection cover disposed at the housing to cover and protect the disk cartridge.

Abstract: A head for use in a drive includes a heating element capable of generating heat sufficient to cause the head to have a shape that is similar or identical to the shape that the head has when performing an operation (e.g. writing) on a recording medium in the drive. The heating element is activated when the operation is not being performed. Hence, a head generates the same amount (or similar amount) of heat and is therefore at the same temperature (also called “operating temperature”), regardless of whether or not an operation (such as writing) is being performed. Therefore, the head maintains a fixed shape or has a shape that varies minimally, within a predetermined range around the fixed shape, that in turn results in maintaining fly height (distance between the head and the recording medium). The heating element may be implemented to use loss mechanisms inherent in a write transducer, e.g. by providing a center tap to the write transducer.

Abstract: An apparatus provides improved positional control for an access element moveable adjacent a rotatable surface, such as a data transducing head adjacent a data recording surface of a data storage device. A circumferentially extending windage plate is adapted for placement adjacent the rotatable surface. The plate includes an edge surface configured to extend adjacent a movement path of an access element across the rotatable surface. The edge surface supports a ramp structure adapted to receivingly support the access element at a position away from the rotatable surface.

Abstract: A magnetic head in which two sides, which are defined as viewed in a core width direction, of first, second, and third end surfaces of a magnetic recording head extend along a longitudinal direction of recording tracks, so that it is possible to reduce spreading of leakage magnetic field extending from the two sides of the magnetic recording head in the core width direction between an upper core layer and a lower core layer protrusion through a gap layer. If the leakage magnetic field extending from both sides of the gap layer is reduced, it is possible to prevent the formation of an erased area beyond a multiple recording area. It is possible to maintain the S/N ratio of a reproduction signal at a proper value when reading out magnetic information from a magnetic tape.

Abstract: A sleeve 1 is fixed on a base. Radial dynamic-pressure generating grooves 1A and 1B are provided on an inner surface of the sleeve 1. A thrust plate 4 hermetically seals a lower opening end of the sleeve 1. A shaft 2 is inserted inside the sleeve 1, being allowed to revolve. A flange 3 is fixed at the bottom end of the shaft 2, and its lower surface is placed close to an upper surface of the thrust plate 4. Thrust dynamic-pressure generating grooves 3A and 3B are provided on the surfaces of the flange 3. Gaps A–H among the sleeve 1, the shaft 2, the flange 3, and the thrust plate 4 are filled with a lubricant 5. Hollows 1C–1F are provided on the inner surface of the sleeve 1. The gaps A and C over the thrust dynamic-pressure generating grooves 3A and 3B and their vicinities are narrower than the surrounding gaps B and D (A<B, A<D, C<B, and C<D), and the surrounding gaps B and D are narrower than the gap H in the upper opening end of the sleeve 1 and its vicinity (B<H and D<H).

Abstract: A head stack assembly includes a flex cable assembly. The head stack assembly further includes an actuator arm and a load beam coupled to the actuator arm. The head stack assembly further includes a trace suspension assembly backing layer coupled to the load beam and including a gimbal. The head stack assembly further includes a dielectric layer disposed upon the trace suspension assembly backing layer. The head stack assembly further includes a slider supported by the gimbal. The head stack assembly further includes a ground trace disposed upon the dielectric layer with the dielectric layer between the ground trace and the trace suspension assembly backing layer. The ground trace extends along the actuator arm and is electrically connected to the slider and the flex cable assembly for grounding the slider to the flex cable assembly.

Abstract: An air bearing slider of a disk including a body having a surface facing a disk; a first rail base protruding from the surface facing the disk; a first rail portion protruding from the first rail base, the first rail portion including a cross rail separated from a leading end portion of the first rail base and extending perpendicular to a direction in which air enters, and a pair of side rails respectively extending from both ends of the cross rail parallel to the direction in which air enters; a negative pressure cavity defined by the first rail base; a second rail base protruding from the surface facing the disk; a second rail portion protruding from the second rail base; and an air flow channel disposed between the leading end portion of the first rail base and the cross rail, extending perpendicular to the direction in which air enters.