Abstract: An optical pickup device is equipped with a first light source that emits first light, a second light source that emits second light having a wavelength different from a wavelength of the first light, and a diffraction element that deflects the first light or the second light to match optical axes of the lights. The diffraction element is a step-like diffraction element in which one of an incident face and an emitting face thereof has a step-like grating face. A step difference of the step-like grating face is set to have a measurement that generates a phase difference of one wavelength of one of the first light and the second light, and the number of steps of the step-like grating face is set to maximize a (+) first order diffraction efficiency or a (?) first order diffraction efficiency for the other light.

Abstract: The semiconductor laser device includes a signal light diffraction grating, and a light receiving portion having a pair of photodiodes extending as two strips with a parting portion or a zonal gap interposed therebetween and receiving a focus error detecting beam from the signal light diffraction grating. The light receiving portion is arranged such that its longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the direction of diffraction grooves of the signal light diffraction grating. The pair of photodiodes is arranged such that a spot of the focus error detecting beam moves, due to temperature changes, in a range essentially limited to the parting portion therebetween. Thus, a semiconductor laser device and an optical pickup apparatus suppressing focus errors due to temperature changes and preventing reduction in signal strength can be obtained.

Abstract: A semiconductor slider including an integral spin valve transistor (SVT) having a read width of 250 nm or less disposed on a monolithic semiconductor substrate, useful in magnetic data storage applications. The monolithic slider may also include other magnetic and semiconductor transistor structures and is fabricated in a single process using standard thin-film processing steps. The SVT includes a sensor stack having a top surface and including a first ferromagnetic (FM) layer in contact with and forming a Schottky barrier at the monolithic semiconductor substrate, a FM shield layer disposed over the sensor stack and in electrical contact with the top surface thereof, a SVT emitter terminal coupled to the FM shield, a SVT collector terminal coupled to the substrate and a SVT base terminal coupled to the first FM layer. The sensor stack may include a spin valve (SV) stack or a tunnel valve (TV) stack, for example.

Abstract: An optical magnetic recording medium in which reproduction is implemented by transcribing a mark to a reproducing layer based on a magnetic field from a recording layer, includes a reproducing layer, a non-magnetic layer, and a recording layer including a first recording layer and a second recording layer, wherein the reproducing layer, the non-magnetic layer, and the recording layer including the first recording layer and the a second recording layer are stacked in this sequence; the regenerating layer has a property of an easy magnetization in an in-plane direction at room temperature; the first recording layer and the second recording layer each has a property of easy magnetization in a vertical direction to the in-plane direction at room temperature in a single layer; and there is a relation of M2<M1 wherein a composition of a rare-earth metal comprising the first recording layer is defined as M1 (at %) and a composition of a rare-earth metal comprising the second recording layer is defined as M2 (at %

Abstract: A reflecting mirror and an optical bench are placed on an external jig provided with a mirror holding portion for maintaining the reflecting mirror, and then the reflecting mirror and the optical bench are bonded and fixed, thus obtaining an optical head. An adhesion reference plane for the reflecting mirror is no longer required in the optical bench, thus reducing the size and cost of the optical bench. The mounting precision is high and stable. Further, the reflecting mirror is bonded and fixed at the vicinities of the approximate centers of its two opposed side faces and therefore the variation in orientation of the reflecting mirror due to expansion or contraction of an adhesive is lessened, thus achieving a highly-reliable optical head excellent in environmental stability characteristics.

Abstract: The present invention provides a spin valve thin film magnetic element including a laminate in which an antiferromagnetic layer, a pinned magnetic layer provided in contact with the antiferromagnetic layer so that the magnetization direction is pinned by an exchange coupling magnetic field with the antiferromagnetic layer, a nonmagnetic conductive layer provided in contact with the pinned magnetic layer, a second free magnetic layer provided in contact with the nonmagnetic conductive layer, a nonmagnetic intermediate layer provided in contact with the second free magnetic layer, a first free magnetic layer provided in contact with the nonmagnetic intermediate layer and antiferromagnetically coupled with the second free magnetic layer to form a ferrimagnetic state together with the second free magnetic layer, and a backed layer provided in contact with the first free magnetic layer and having higher conductivity than the first free magnetic layer are laminated.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive element includes a multilayer film configuration including: a tunnel insulation layer; and a pair of magnetic layers that are laminated with the tunnel insulation layer interposed therebetween. A resistance value of the magnetoresistive element varies with a relative angle between magnetic orientations of both of the magnetic layers, and at least one of the magnetic layers includes a magnetic film having a thermal expansion coefficient not greater than a value obtained by adding 2×10?6/K to a thermal expansion coefficient of the tunnel insulation layer. The thus configured magnetoresistive element can exert excellent thermal stability. The use of such a magnetoresistive element can realize a magnetic head, a magnetic memory element and a magnetic recording apparatus with excellent thermal stability.

Abstract: A disk drive includes base with a spindle motor, first and second rockers and first and second sliders. The spindle motor has a turntable to mount a disk. The first and second rockers rock substantially parallelly to the turntable. The first rocker pulls in the disk, inserted externally, to a position where the disk and motor have their centers aligned. The second rocker unloads the disk from the position to a point where the disk is exposed partially. The first and second sliders are engaged with the first and second rockers to make them pull in and unload the disk, respectively, and reciprocate substantially parallelly to the turntable. The rockers and sliders are located under the turntable. The slider(s) support(s), raise(s) and lower(s) a side face of the base through the reciprocation.

Abstract: A thin film inductive write head for magnetic recording has a write gap formed as a lamination of alternating layers of a nonmagnetic gap layer and a ferromagnetic spacer layer. There are N gap layers and N−1 spacer layers, with each pole tip of the write head being located adjacent to a gap layer. The spacer layers in the gap structure are formed of a ferromagnetic material with a high saturation moment density (BS) that is close to the BS of the spacer material from which the pole tips are formed. Unlike the pole tips, the spacer layers are not part of a magnetic circuit and are magnetically isolated, i.e., completely surrounded by nonmagnetic gap material. The effect of the spacer layers is to effectively divide the gap into a plurality of smaller gaps. The write head with the laminated gap creates a write bubble that is narrower in the off-track direction and wider in the in-track direction.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved current perpendicular to the plane thin film read head device and method of fabrication. With the present invention, the lower lead is formed to inhibit accumulation of redeposited lead material on CPP sensor element side walls during CPP sensor formation. In the preferred embodiment, the upper portion of the lower lead, which normally is etched during sensor element formation, is formed of a low sputter yield material to reduce redeposition flux to the sensor side walls. It is also preferred to form the upper portion of a material that also has a low value for the ratio of its sputter yield at the lead milling angle-to-its sputter yield at the side wall milling angle to inhibit redeposition accumulation on the side wall. It is preferred to clad conventional lead material with a low sputter yield ratio, low resistivity material, to inhibit side wall redeposition accumulation while also providing a low resistance lower lead.

Abstract: In a disk reading/writing device, a chucking mechanism holds two types of disks having different outer diameters. The chucking area of a small-diameter disk is set to be less then the chucking area of a large-diameter disk. The disks are focused by an optical pickup placed on the side opposite the chucking surface. This configuration makes it possible to enlarge the data area of the small-diameter disk and to perform reading and writing from and onto the small-diameter disk with an enlarged data area.

Abstract: A cartridge assembly for a data storage disk includes a housing for containing the data storage disk inside the housing. The housing defines a plurality of openings for exposing a portion of the data storage disk. An external shutter is supported by the housing on the outside of the housing. The external shutter is moveable between a closed position and first and second open positions disposed on opposite sides of the closed position. According to another aspect, a cartridge assembly for a data storage disk includes a casing and a moveable member disposed to slide on the casing. At least one of the casing and the moveable member includes protrusions or equivalent structure for holding the moveable member in a closed position and in one or more open positions. A method of making a ready-to-use data storage disk cartridge assembly provides other advantages.

Abstract: A system for transferring a cartridge includes at least two opposing bars, each bar adapted to slide in a longitudinal direction between an open position and a closed position; and at least two grippers, each gripper attached to an end of one of the bars and adapted to engage a cartridge when the bars are in the closed position. Each of the bars is further from a center point when in the open position than in the closed position. The bars and the grippers are adapted to move in a transverse direction in order to transfer the cartridge in the transverse direction.

Abstract: A disk holding device according to the present invention is constituted by a turntable (21), a center hub (25), plural claw-shaped members (26), elastic members (27) which energize the claw-shaped members (26) in the direction of the radius of a disk (23), a centering ring (28) having an inclined portion (28b), which ring is movable in the direction vertical to the disk surface, and an elastic member (29) which energizes the centering ring (28) in the direction along which the disk (23) is pushed up. The internal diameter of the disk (23) engages with the inclined portion (28a) before a cylindrical portion of the internal diameter of the disk (23) gets over the claw-shaped members (26), whereby centering of the disk (23) is performed, and then the disk (23) is held. The disk holding device constructed as described above is able to hold an optical disk such as a CD, a DVD, or the like, and perform more reliable centering of the disk.

Abstract: A data storage module for a data storage device has a rotor having a plurality of storage areas for data storage, the storage areas each being in one of a plurality of states to represent the data stored in that area. A first set of flexures suspends the rotor within a first frame and permits the rotor to move in a first direction. A first comb drive is connected to the rotor and the first frame for moving the rotor in the first direction. A second set of flexures suspends the first frame within a second frame and permits the first frame to move in a second direction normal to the first direction. A second comb drive is connected to the first frame and the second frame for moving the first frame in the second direction.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus capable of mounting an optical disc includes a light source for emitting light; an objective lens for collecting the light emitted by the light source on the optical disc; a first light distribution section integrally movable with the objective lens, the first light distribution section including a first area and a second area, the first light distribution section outputting the light reflected by the optical disc and transmitted through the first area or the second area as transmission light, outputting the light reflected by the optical disc and diffracted by the first area as first diffraction light, and outputting the light reflected by the optical disc and diffracted by the second area as second diffraction light; a transmission light detection section for detecting the transmission light and outputting a TE1 signal indicating an offset of the detected transmission light; a first diffraction light detection section for detecting the first diffraction light and the second diffrac

Abstract: A disk device realizing reducing in size and number of parts, prevention of damage to disks, shortening operation time for plurality of operations, improved vibration resistance and less expensive manufacturing cost is provided. In the disk device when a disk is reproduced, a disk reproducing mechanism is moved to become a center of disk coincident with a center of turntable thereof, a first disk holding mechanism is moved downward to load the disk on the disk reproducing mechanism, then a disk clamping mechanism is moved to clamp the disk loaded on the disk reproducing mechanism, and the disk is reproduced after the first and second disk holding mechanism release the disk and are taken away from the disk.

Abstract: A shutter for a disk cartridge, which has good slidability, is light-weight, and in which warping in a plate thickness direction is suppressed, is provided. Also provided is a disk cartridge in which an opening can be opened and closed at an appropriate driving force. A shutter main body and a shutter face plate which are applied to the disk cartridge open and close an opening, which is for access to a disk medium of the disk cartridge, while sliding along a bottom surface plate portion. The shutter main body and the shutter face plate have two-layer structures formed from a resin layer and a metal layer. Slidability is improved, and the shutter is made light-weight. A joining surface of a metal plate which forms the metal layer is subjected to an electrochemical surface treatment such that affinity thereof with resin is improved. The metal plate and the resin layer are joined strongly, and warping of the resin layer is suppressed.

Abstract: A disk device includes a housing in which a disk is provided, a disk support member for supporting the disk in the housing so that the disk can be rotated, and a driving part for rotating the disk support member, wherein the housing includes an air intake part for introducing air to an adjacent place to the disk support member.

Abstract: A disk device is provided with a disk tray having a detachable guide member, which guides an optical disk between a depression and claws provided thereon. When an optical disk is to be mounted within a disk device in the vertical orientation, the optical disk can automatically be guided between depression and claws by moving the disk along the guide member. In addition, because the guide member is detachable, it can be attached if the disk device is to be used in vertical orientation and removed if it is to be used in horizontal orientation.