Abstract: A compatible disk device includes: a base; a first turntable disposed on the base for transmitting a rotational force to a first disk; a second turntable for transmitting a rotational force to a second disk; a retaining arm for retaining the second turntable with a play; a support shaft disposed on the base in a position separated from either the first disk supported by the first turntable or the second disk supported by the second turntable; and a sub-base attached pivotally to the support shaft, the sub-base supporting the retaining arm to be rotatable in a plane parallel to a disk surface of the first disk or the second disk and to be elevated in an axial direction of the support shaft.

Abstract: A trapezoidal shaped silicon slider is described in the present invention. The slider has a first parallel surface larger than a second parallel surface, thereby generating a built-in positive pitch with respect to a recording medium when the slider is incorporated into a hard disk drive. The slider further includes round edges at the first parallel surface, longitudinal holes within its body, non-planar slanted side surfaces, and a rounded leading edge. The silicon, trapezoidal slider is fabricated using a deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) technique.

Abstract: A disk recording/reproducing apparatus including a housing for accommodating a plurality of disks in an upright position along a circumference thereof, a disk driving device for recording/reproducing a disk, and a disk conveying belt for conveying the disk between the disk driving device and the housing, wherein the disk driving device is disposed in the center of the housing, thereby reducing the overall size of the apparatus.

Abstract: A vacuum apparatus particularly suitable for disk recording systems has a rotatable shaft mounted on a support body by an air bearing, the air bearing being provided within a vacuum chamber. A second rotatable shaft extends through the wall of the vacuum chamber in which it is mounted by a second air bearing. The second shaft has a hollow center which communicates with an output of the air bearing for removal of air exhausting from the air bearing. The air bearing may be provided within a second chamber within the vacuum chamber and may be movable relative to the axis of the second shaft. In a disk recording system, the air bearing may support a turntable.

Abstract: In a disc tray (T) having a tray main body (1) to which disc holders (3) are mounted at a plurality of portions in a periphery of a disc set portion, there are provided with a movable body (4) swinging the disc holder (3) through a push pull operation, and an operation knob (43) for pushing and pulling the movable body (4).

Abstract: In a magnetic head supporting apparatus having a second actuator for fine movement in addition to a first actuator having a voice coil motor for coarse movement, the second actuator is fixed so as to bridge the upper surface of a suspension and the upper surface of a suspension supporting member to support the suspension, and the second actuator is a plate-shaped structure which has two polarization regions separated by a non-polarized region and is formed by laminating piezoelectric flat plates in which the polarizing directions and the directions of electric fields to be applied are thickness directions. Thus, a magnetic disk apparatus which can be driven by a low voltage, a displacement in the vertical direction of the suspension is small, a productivity is high, and a recording density is high can be realized.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive having a disk for storing information, a spindle motor for rotating the disk, a head for recording information into the disk and reproducing information from said disk, a suspension supporting a slider provided with the head, a carriage supporting the suspension, a voice coil motor for exerting a rotational torque to the carriage so as to locate the head on the disk, a base and a cover, and a ramp serving as a guide for unloading the head from the disk. A part of the suspension slides over the ramp so as to effect the unloading operation and the position or the posture of the ramp is changed by sliding movement of the part of the suspension over and with respect to the ramp during the unloading operation.

Abstract: A magnetic hubbing assembly for engaging and rotating the hub of a removable recording medium has a segmented hub and a hubbing magnet including four or more poles. The hubbing magnet is ring-shaped and the hub is a high permeability SiFe metal. Segments of the hub are equal in number to the number of poles of the magnet.

Abstract: A read/write head includes a slider flying above a rotating disc. The slider has an upper side, a lower side, and a trailing edge face. The lower side faces the rotating disc and is separated from the rotating disc by an air gap. A write transducer is located on the lower side of the slider and is at a first height above the rotating disc. A read transducer is located on the lower side of the slider and is at a second height above the rotating disc. The second height is greater than the first height.

Abstract: A low height disk drive having an overall height of approximately one inch (1″). The drive includes a head disk assembly, including a base plate, two disks rotatably supported on the base plate, a motor for rotating the disks, at least two heads for reading information from and writing information on respective ones of the disks; an actuator, supported on said base plate and responsive to control signals, for selectively positioning the heads with respect to the disks, and a cover sealably attached to the base plate to enclose the storage means, the head, and the actuator. The disk drive also includes control circuitry for generating control signals, and for providing information signals to and receiving information signals from the heads. The head disk assembly and the control circuitry have a combined height of approximately one inch or less.

Abstract: A disk apparatus has a mechanism for adjusting a head load pressure exerted on a lower surface of a floppy disk by a lower magnetic head. The magnetic head load pressure adjustment mechanism is fixed to a carriage body, and includes a lower suspension and a head load pressure adjustment lever. The lower suspension has a head load spring portion, the spring force of which generates the load pressure exerted on the lower surface of the floppy disk by the lower magnetic head. Rotating the head load pressure adjustment lever changes the state of the deflection of the head load spring portion, thereby adjusting the head load pressure of the lower magnetic head.

Abstract: A cartridge accommodates a recording medium etc, and includes an opening and a shutter for opening and closing the opening. The shutter surface is formed with a hole with which an external drive member engages for driving the shutter. An inner side peripheral surface of the hole, upon which at least the drive member impinges when opening and closing the opening, is constructed of a bending portion continuous from the shutter surface. The bending portion can be worked as a continuous surface by punching out a prepared hole so as to leave a portion corresponding to the bending portion and thereafter bending it. A resinous protection layer having a thickness more than 12 &mgr;m is provided on the shutter surface upon which the drive member impinges when engaging with the hole.

Abstract: The disk drive unit is capable of fully preventing vibration of magnetic heads, which are caused by turbulent air streams. The disk drive unit includes: an enclosure; a shaft being provided in the enclosure and capable of rotatably holding a disk; and a screen member being provided on an inner face of the enclosure, enclosing the shaft and being extended in parallel to the shaft. In the disk drive unit, a space is formed between the screen member and an inner bottom face of the enclosure.

Abstract: In the present invention, hard bias layers are arranged in the same layer level as a free magnetic layer, and the upper surfaces of the hard bias layers are joined to the sides of a lamination at positions lower than the upper edges of the sides of the lamination above a substrate. The upper surfaces of the hard bias layers are also joined to the sides of the lamination at the same position as or positions lower than the uppermost position of the hard bias layers above the substrate. A spin-valve thin film element is provided having a decrease in an effective magnetic field applied to the free magnetic layer, and a magnetic field in the direction opposite to the magnetization direction of the free magnetic layer, permitting sufficient control of the magnetic domain of the free magnetic layer, and exhibiting excellent stability. The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing the spin-valve thin film element.

Abstract: A read head is provided with an N-cycle switch for sequentially shorting and unshorting a sense current circuit of a read head so that the read head will be protected from electrostatic discharges (ESDs) by shorting when the read head is not being tested and unshorted during tests of the read head. The shorting and unshorting switches, which are mounted on or in a slider carrying the read head, are activated by a laser beam.

Abstract: An actuator includes a shear-type piezoelectric element of predetermined thickness and an opposed electrode formed on two electrodes in spaced relationship on a base member. The opposed electrode is displaced in accordance with the direction of polarization of the shear-type piezoelectric element upon applying a voltage between the two electrodes. The opposed electrode thus constitutes an operating section of the actuator. The actuator can be incorporated as a part of the head actuator to constitute a head-positioning mechanism capable of displacing the head by a minuscule distance independently of the operation of the head actuator.

Abstract: Apparatus for protecting a disc drive from damage due to non-operational mechanical shocks, the disc drive including a rotatable disc having an inner radius and an outer radius and a controllably rotatable actuator adjacent the disc. A snubber is provided adjacent the disc, the snubber having a body portion rigidly affixed with respect to the disc and snubber arms connected to the body portion. The snubber arms extend from the body portion towards the disc and above and below the elevation of the disc, with each snubber arm having a distal end located at a position adjacent the disc between the inner and the outer radii of the disc and towards the outer radius of the disc. The height of each snubber arm limits deflection of the disc at the outer radius of the disc as a result of mechanical shock forced supplied to the disc drive assembly.

Abstract: A contact between a clamper holder and clamper and between the clamper holder and disc can be reliably prevented while the disc is rotated. A disc clamp mechanism for a disc apparatus for clamping or unclamping a disc by moving a clamper holding chassis near to or remote from a turntable, the clamper holding chassis holding a clamper with a clamper holder, wherein: a lever is rotatively supported by the clamper holding chassis and moved in cooperation with a motion of the clamper holding chassis; and a contact portion of the clamper holder with the clamper is displaced in a motion direction of the clamper holding chassis and a clamper radial direction relative to the clamper holding chassis, in cooperation with a motion of the lever relative to the clamper holding chassis.

Abstract: A silicon coating on an air bearing surface for magnetic thin film heads. A thick silicon layer is provided to replace metallic layers such as TiW as an overcoat for thin film heads. The silicon layer will provide a durable head-disk interface and act as a reflective surface for fly height measurement. The silicon layer can be planarized with the pole tips to avoid any magnetic spacing loss. The thickness of the silicon coating is preferably between 125 and 6500 angstroms thick. The slider body may be fabricated from silicon such that the silicon coating is substantially identical to the silicon slider body, thereby preventing thermal mismatch therebetween. The silicon coating is preferably applied using a magnetron sputtering technique which provides a high rate of deposition of silicon to form a dense, low stress silicon layer.

Abstract: A recording medium cartridge capable of permitting energy to be effectively transmitted from a welding horn to a casing to highly improve welding between an upper casing member and a lower casing member which is carried out in order to integrally form the casing. The casing members are made of crystalline resin to which a filler such as glass fiber or the like is added.