Abstract: A disk drive can include an enclosure and a media disk rotatably mounted to the enclosure via a spindle. A fluid dynamic bearing (FDB) can be mounted between the enclosure and the spindle of the media disk. The FDB may include an integrally formed shaft and lower thrust bush formed together from a single material.

Abstract: A disk drive can include an enclosure and a media disk rotatably mounted to the enclosure via a spindle. A fluid dynamic bearing (FDB) can be mounted between the enclosure and the spindle of the media disk. The FDB may include an integrally formed shaft and lower thrust bush formed together from a single material.

Abstract: There is provided a disk drive including a disk drive base, a disk rotatably coupled to the disk drive base, and a spindle motor attached to the disk drive base and configured to support the disk for rotating the disk with respect to the disk drive base. The disk drive further includes a filter component. The filter component includes a filter housing coupled to the disk drive base, and a filter element disposed within the filter housing for filtering disk rotation induced airflow. The filter element includes a coarse section and a fine section. The coarse section has a porosity greater than a porosity of the fine section.

Abstract: There is provided a disk drive including a disk drive base, a disk rotatably coupled to the disk drive base, and a spindle motor attached to the disk drive base and configured to support the disk for rotating the disk with respect to the disk drive base. The disk drive further includes a filter component. The filter component includes a filter housing coupled to the disk drive base, and a pair of filter elements disposed within the filter housing for filtering disk rotation induced airflow. Each filter element includes a coarse section and a fine section, wherein the coarse section is positioned upstream of the fine section relative to a direction of the induced airflow.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a disk drive base, a disk, and a head stack assembly rotatably coupled to the base adjacent the disk surface of the disk. The disk drive includes an airflow channeling enclosure. The enclosure includes an airflow inlet disposed downstream of the head stack assembly and configured to receive the disk rotation induced airflow therethrough. The enclosure further includes an airflow channel extending along the disk surface from the airflow inlet. The enclosure further includes an outer wall extending along the disk surface from the airflow inlet and defining the airflow channel radially interior to the outer wall. The enclosure further includes an airflow outlet disposed upstream of the head stack assembly extending from the outer wall and the channel opposite the airflow inlet for modifying the disk rotation induced airflow passing from the channel.

Abstract: A disk drive including a disk drive base, a disk coupled to the disk drive base, and a head stack assembly coupled to the disk drive base. The disk drive further includes an airflow diverter filter component disposed upstream of the head stack assembly with respect to disk rotation induced airflow for modifying the disk rotation induced airflow adjacent the head stack assembly. The filter component includes a first filter element disposed adjacent the disk surface, a second filter element disposed between the first filter element and the head stack assembly, and a third filter element having a porosity finer than the first and second filter elements. The third filter element is generally radially further than the second filter element from the axis of rotation. The disk rotation induced airflow generally enters the filter component through the first filter element and exits through the second and third filter elements.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a base, a spindle motor attached to the base, the spindle motor including a hub having hub apertures, a plurality of disks on the spindle motor and including a first and a second disk, a disk spacer between the first and second disks, and a disk clamp. The disk spacer has a plurality of spacer through apertures. Each of the spacer through apertures extend radially through the disk spacer. The disk clamp has clamp through apertures adjacent to an inner diameter of the disk clamp. Each of the clamp through apertures extend longitudinally through the disk clamp. The clamp through apertures, the hub apertures and the spacer through apertures are aligned for allowing airflow to pass through the apertures when the disks are rotating.

Abstract: A magnetic data recording medium substrate has a contact zone and a data zone. The contact zone is textured by forming multiple texturing features, each having a bell-shaped profile resembling a Gaussian curve. The features preferably are formed by pulsed laser energy applied to a glass substrate, or to an aluminum nickel-phosphorous substrate coated with a glass layer. As compared to previous laser texturing approaches, the laser beam is less narrowly focused to provide a beam impingement area with a diameter of at least three microns, forming texturing features with diameters of at least three microns. The texturing features preferably are uniform in height and diameter, and may be symmetrical or have asymmetrical aspects, so long as bell-shaped profiles are present in the direction of travel of the recording medium, relative to transducing heads.

Abstract: A disk drive including a disk drive base. The disk drive further includes at least one rotatable disk which includes a disk surface extending to an outer disk edge. The disk drive further includes a head stack assembly rotatably attached to the disk drive base in operable communication with the disk. The disk drive further includes an airflow suppressor comb coupled to the disk drive base and stationary relative to the disk drive base during operation of the disk drive. The comb includes a comb body disposed adjacent to the outer disk edge, and at least one tine extending from the comb body along the disk surface for mitigating disk rotation induced airflow upon the head stack assembly adjacent to the disk surface.

Abstract: A disk surface asperities tester including a glidehead member having a piezoelectric sensor fabricated directly on the glidehead member. The piezoelectric sensors are useful in applications utilizing 70%, 50%, 30%, or smaller glideheads. The invention discloses a method for manufacturing sensors utilizing microchip fabrication techniques to form the piezoelectric sensors directly on glidehead surfaces, including standard Al2O3.TiC glideheads. The fabricated piezoelectric sensors are used in combination with signal processors to detect and analyze asperities in a disk drive surface.

Abstract: A glide test head assembly glide test head assembly in which the mounting orientation of the piezo element has been modified. The glide test head assembly mounts the piezo element with one of its major surfaces coincident with the surface of the laterally-extending wing on which it is mounted. The mounting orientation of the piezo element allows the piezo element to be mounted fully on the laterally-extending wing of the glide test head assembly, raising the resonant frequency of the piezo element, decreasing the glide test head assembly's sensitivity to excitation caused by air flow disturbances, and increasing the reliability of glide test results.

Abstract: Cleaning a media surface, such as a disc surface, comprises subjecting the surface to a detector for sensing the nature of the surface for an irregularity in the smoothness of the surface. Directing, on detecting an irregularity beyond a predetermined amount, a burnishing pulse laser output to that irregularity, and energizing the laser to thereby impart an energy source to reduce the irregularity to a degree less than a predetermined amount.

Abstract: A disk surface asperities tester including a glidehead member having a piezoelectric sensor fabricated directly on the glidehead member. The piezoelectric sensors are useful in applications utilizing 70%, 50%, 30%, or smaller glideheads. The invention discloses a method for manufacturing sensors utilizing microchip fabrication techniques to form the piezoelectric sensors directly on glidehead surfaces, including standard Al2O3.TiC glideheads. The fabricated piezoelectric sensors are used in combination with signal processors to detect and analyze asperities in a disk drive surface.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for calibrating a glide head and detector system performs a pre-screening to ensure the quality of the glide head and the piezoelectric sensor in the detection system. The glide head and the piezoelectric sensor detect a signal when the glide head makes contact with the disk, such as a magnetic recording disk. Calibration of the detection system utilizes a specially made bump disk that has asperities of desired height and size that protrude out of a flat disk surface. The glide head is flown over the bump disk, and by gradually reducing the disk spinning velocity, the head is brought closer to the disk and eventually into contact with the asperity. The onset of contact, as detected by the piezoelectric sensor, defines a disk spinning velocity for the head to fly at the desired height.

Abstract: A glide test head assembly optimized for glide avalanche testing. The glide test head assembly of the present invention includes air bearing surfaces formed with a negative crown, or slightly concave surface. The negative crown of the air bearing surfaces of the inventive glide test head lowers the hydrodynamic pressure between the glide test head assembly and a spinning disc for given disc rotational speeds, enabling the glide test head assembly to fly at a lower heights at a greater linear velocity, and thus with increased stability. The increased flying stability of the inventive glide test head assembly improves the correlation between true flying height and disc/head contact detection for glide avalanche testing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for calibrating a glide head and detector system performs a pre-screening to ensure the quality of the glide head and the piezoelectric sensor in the detection system. The glide head and the piezoelectric sensor detect a signal when the glide head makes contact with the disk, such as a magnetic recording disk. Calibration of the detection system utilizes a specially made bump disk that has asperities of desired height and size that protrude out of a flat disk surface. The glide head is flown over the bump disk, and by gradually reducing the disk spinning velocity, the head is brought closer to the disk and eventually into contact with the asperity. The onset of contact, as detected by the piezoelectric sensor, defines a disk spinning velocity for the head to fly at the desired height.

Abstract: A system for detecting and measuring the height of asperities on a substantially flat solid surface is disclosed. The system includes a glide head assembly for contacting asperities on the substantially flat solid surface and producing a sensor voltage whose frequency response is a function of both the height of the asperities and the location at which the glide head assembly contacts the asperities. The system also includes a signal processing device responsive to the sensor voltage from the glide head assembly for analytically defining a frequency window within which the frequency response of the sensor voltage is relatively independent of the location on the glide head assembly at which the glide head assembly contacts the asperities. The signal processing device measures the height of an encountered asperity by computing an actual RMS voltage within the frequency window of the frequency response of the sensor voltage produced by the glide head assembly after contacting the asperity.