Abstract: A head gimbal assembly (HGA) for use in a forward flow disc drive includes a load beam having a longitudinal axis, a gimbal, a slider, and an air deflector. The gimbal is mounted to a distal end of the load beam. The slider includes a transducing head and is mounted to a disc side of the gimbal and is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the load beam. The air deflector includes a first deflecting member that is positioned upstream of the slider relative to a forward airflow. The air deflector extends from a disc side of either the distal end of the load beam or the gimbal and across the longitudinal axis. The air deflector deflects a portion of the forward airflow away from the slider to thereby reduce windage induced off-track motion of the transducing head.

Abstract: A metal film is formed on the upper surface of a gap-depth defining layer. This makes it possible to form an upper magnetic layer with a predetermined thickness over a gap layer and the metal film by plating, and to produce a thin-film magnetic head which can reduce the magnetic saturation. The positions of a rear edge of the upper magnetic layer or the like, which contributes to the characteristics, such as overwriting characteristics, can be easily and freely changed in order to optimize the characteristics, and the controllability of the track width can be enhanced.

Abstract: A disc positioning system for releasably securing a disc stack array on a spindle hub in a multi-disc writer system. The system includes a disc clamp with an axial catch and a retaining arrangement for engaging the catch. The retaining arrangement includes at least one radially movable member that engages and secures the axial catch in an engagement position and disengages the axial catch in a disengagement position.

Abstract: A disk drive system and method for implementing the same. The disk drive system of the present invention includes a discoid medium which rotates about its rotation axis and stores data. An actuator includes a head for reading or writing data from or in the discoid medium as it bidirectionally rotates about its bidirectional-rotation axis. The disk drive system further includes a housing which has a predetermined width and houses the discoid medium and the actuator, wherein the rotation axis of the discoid medium and the bidirectional-rotation axis of the actuator are arranged at the center in the width direction of the housing, and wherein size of the discoid medium is smaller than that of a discoid medium corresponding to a form factor of the housing.

Abstract: A recording head is a magnetic head in which ends on one side of opposed first and second magnetic cores form a recording gap, said other ends form a magnetic joint, coils insulated by an insulating material are provided between said first and second magnetic cores, magnetic fluxes of said first and second magnetic cores excited by said coils leak from said recording gap so that recording onto a recording medium is carried out. In said recording head, a distance from said end of said recording gap close to said magnetic medium to a contact point of said magnetic joint (hereinafter, yoke length) is not more than 20 &mgr;m. A magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus has this head.

Abstract: Provided is a thin film single pole head for perpendicular magnetic recording, which has a structure offering a high formatted volume, easy servo, difficulty of influencing a recording pattern on a medium, and capability of shortening processing time. This thin film single pole head for perpendicular magnetic recording is formed on a reproducing head composed of a pair of shield layers formed on a substrate, and a reproducing element formed therebetween. A structure is provided, where an auxiliary pole is not disposed between the reproducing element of the reproducing head and the main pole of a recording head when seen from a surface facing to recording media.

Abstract: A magnetic disk device, which is provided with a magnetic head slider mounted with a magnetic head and a magnetic disk, and of which the magnetic head slider has the possibility of contacting the magnetic disk at the vicinity of the magnetic head. The magnetic head slider has the size of 1.25 mm or less in length, 1 mm or less in width and 0.3 mm or less in thickness, and the friction force exerted between the magnetic head slider and the magnetic disk is 10 mN or less. The magnetic head comprises four substantially parallel surfaces and the depth from a first surface which is the most adjacent surface to the magnetic disk to a second surface is 10 nm to 50 nm, the depth from the second surface to a third surface is 50 nm to 200 nm, and the depth from the third surface to a fourth surface is 400 nm to 1 &mgr;m.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension and method with a low profile limiter structure located within the vertical extent of the slider, the tongue free and any gap provided by the limiter structure so as to not increase the overall vertical extent of the suspension. The limiter structure has a tab separated on three sides from the suspension beam portion and extending from the beam portion locus toward the suspension tongue portion free end. The tab has a projecting shoulder spaced at a gap from the beam portion. The tongue free end outer terminus has an opening that interfits with the tab in tab shoulder engaging relation to block free end movement away from the locus beyond that permitted by the gap.

Abstract: A tape drive (10) for use with a cartridge (24) having a storage tape (30) that moves along a tape path (32) includes a drive housing (12) defining a drive interior (62), a circuit assembly (42) that generates heat, and a thermal insulator (44). In one embodiment, the thermal insulator (44) is positioned between a portion of the storage tape (30) and the circuit assembly (42). The thermal insulator (44) can be formed from a flexible, plastic material and/or can have a thermal conductivity of less than approximately 50 W/mK to decrease the transfer of heat between the circuit assembly (42) and the storage tape (30). The drive interior (62) can have a first region (64) that includes a portion of the tape path (32), and a second region (66) that includes the circuit assembly (42).

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes a cylindrical substrate and pores embedded with a magnetic substance that are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical substrate and aligned in tracks that are in parallel with one another along the center axis of the cylindrical substrate. The tracks have as their center the center axis of the cylindrical substrate, and form circular orbits defined by planes perpendicular to the center axis. Alternatively, the tracks are in a spiral orbit or in spiral orbits whose center is the center axis of the cylindrical substrate. The pores at intersections of vertical and horizontal rows are aligned in quadrilaterals such as squares, rectangles or rhombi.

Abstract: A digital data storage apparatus includes a housing defining a housing interior. A rotatable magnetic media and head arrangement for accessing the media are supported in the housing interior. A flexible circuit stiffener defines a stiffener plane and is directly attached to the housing. A ramp arrangement is directly attachable to the flexible circuit stiffener and is configured for receiving the actuator arm in a parked position when so attached. The ramp arrangement includes an indexing arrangement for engaging the housing in a way which positions the ramp arrangement within at least one controlled tolerance relative to the head arrangement. In one feature, the indexing arrangement is resiliently biased against the housing. In a related feature, the housing defines a ramp indexing recess and an indexing pin of the ramp arrangement is resiliently biased into the indexing recess to locate the indexing pin with the controlled tolerance.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a drive housing, one or more rotating storage disks, each having a storage surface, and a fluid diffuser. The fluid diffuser includes one or more stationary diffuser wings, each having a wing surface positioned near the storage surface. One or more of the diffuser wings can extend between two of the storage disks. The diffuser wing includes a surface deviation that disrupts the fluid flow over the wing surface that is caused by the rotating storage disk. The surface deviation can include an indentation in the wing surface or can extend from the wing surface toward the storage surface. In still another embodiment, the surface deviation includes an aperture that extends through the diffuser wing. Further, the fluid diffuser can include a plurality of surface deviations that are positioned along the wing surface. Further, a portion of the surface deviation can form an angle with the wing surface that is greater than approximately 0 degrees and less than approximately 180 degrees.

Abstract: A tape loading apparatus having a first swinging arm. When a loading pin of the first swinging arm is elastically pressed against a positioning stopper at a loading position by an elastic force of a spring member, a joint portion of the first swinging arm maintains bent attitude having an angle smaller than 180° and no-tooth portion of a loading gear is in contact with a no-tooth portion of a mode gear. Even in case where a reactive force of the spring member causes the loading gear to generate a rotation force, the rotation force is received by a shaft member supporting the mode gear.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a top pole of a write element for use in a disc drive storage system, a first trench is formed on a top surface of a bottom pole, the first trench includes a first opening defined by opposing first side walls and an exposed portion of the top surface located therebetween. Next, a second trench is formed within the first trench. The second trench includes a second opening defined by opposing second side walls formed adjacent the first side walls and a gap member formed on the exposed portion of the top surface of the bottom pole between the second side walls. Finally, a top pole is formed in the second opening, which is narrower than the first opening.

Abstract: A slider 3a is disposed to face a disk-like recording medium and enabled to support a read/write head. The slider 3a has an air bearing surface formed between a leading edge 10 and a trailing edge 11; side rails 20 and 21 formed on the air bearing surface almost like a U-letter so as to dispose its tip at the trailing edge side 11; a cross rail 22; and a pair of landing pads 30a and 31a formed between the tip of each of the side rails and the cross rail 20 to 22 and the trailing edge 11. One of the pair of landing pads 30a and 31a is formed as a convex surface at its side facing the rail of the landing pad 31a disposed at the outer periphery side of the disk-like recording medium while the slider is disposed so as to face the disk-like recording medium.

Abstract: A disc drive gas supply system for supplying a gas other than air to an enclosed environment containing a disc includes a source of gas other than air, which can be connected to the enclosed environment. A pressure sensor produces a pressure signal, such as an electrical, pneumatic, or mechanical signal, that is representative of the pressure within the enclosed environment. A control module receives the pressure signal and connects the source of gas other than air to the enclosed environment if the pressure within the enclosed environment is within a predetermined pressure range. When the pressure within the enclosed environment is above the predetermined pressure range, the control module disconnects the source of gas other than air from the enclosed environment. A disc drive shipping and storage package includes a disc drive defining an internal enclosed environment containing a gas other than air.

Abstract: The invention fabricates a perpendicular recording head eliminating influence of external magnetic field and provides a magnetic disk drive having high stability by using the magnetic recording head and constructs a structure in which shield against external magnetic field is formed from a main pole via a gap layer and an edge portion thereof is recessed from a surface against a medium. By providing the shield against the external magnetic field, the influence of the external magnetic field is restrained and by recessing the edge from the surface against the medium, leakage of magnetic field from the shield against the external magnetic field to the medium is prevented to thereby prevent a magnetization signal from being erased.

Abstract: A deep storage cell for a data library that allows stacking of cartridges behind one another. Effective wall area is increased by stacking the cartridges two or three deep (or more) in a single storage slot. A spring provides force to expel the cartridges, and a toggle block with a catch lip holds the spring back when cartridges are inserted.

Abstract: A magnetic head for use in magnetic data storage systems is provided. The magnetic head includes a substantially non-magnetic writer gap layer and pair of magnetic poles separated by the writer gap layer. A first of the poles includes a first layer formed of a CoNiFe alloy that has a saturation magnetic moment greater than 2.1 Tesla. Methods of fabricating such a head are also disclosed.

Abstract: In the thin film magnetic head of the present invention, angle of an end face of a heaped layer with respect to a lower magnetic pole layer is made obtuse so as to prevent flux leakage at a rear part of the heaped layer and improve writing characteristics of the magnetic head. The thin film magnetic head comprises: a lower magnetic pole layer; a gap layer provided on the lower magnetic pole layer; a sub-magnetic pole layer provided on the gap layer; an upper magnetic pole layer connected to a rear part of the sub-magnetic pole layer; and a heaped layer made of an electrically insulating material and provided on the rear side of the gap layer and between the lower magnetic pole layer and the sub-magnetic pole layer, the heaped layer having a slope portion, which is extended toward the gap layer and whose height is gradually reduced toward the same.