Abstract: A hard disk drive with a spindle motor that rotates a disk. When the disk drive is exposed to low temperatures a current can be provided to the spindle motor to heat the motor. For example, a DC current can be provided to the spindle motor. The current flowing through the spindle motor coil generates heat. The current can be provided for a predetermined time interval to sufficiently heat the spindle motor so that the fluid bearings of the motor can operate. The current is terminated and then an AC current is provided to the spindle motor to cause motor rotation.

Abstract: An amorphous silicon layer on a glass substrate is crystallized by concentrating CW radiation from a number of OPS-lasers into a line of light on the layer. The layer is moved with respect to the line of light to control the dwell time of the line on any location on the layer and to crystallize an extended area of the layer.

Abstract: A hard disk drive with a spindle motor that rotates a disk. When the disk drive is exposed to low temperatures a current can be provided to the spindle motor to heat the motor. For example, a DC current can be provided to the spindle motor. The current flowing through the spindle motor coil generates heat. The current can be provided for a predetermined time interval to sufficiently heat the spindle motor so that the fluid bearings of the motor can operate. The current is terminated and then an AC current is provided to the spindle motor to cause motor rotation.

Abstract: A system with a visual display that provides an indication of a reliability of a hard disk drive of the system. The visual display may display the number of sector reallocations that have been performed by the disk drive. The display is coupled to a system housing so that a user can readily determine the reliability of the disk drive.

Abstract: An optical system for projecting a laser-beam on a mask to illuminate the mask includes a beam homogenizing arrangement including spaced arrays of microlenses. The beam homogenizing arrangement redistributes light in the laser beam such that the intensity of light in the laser-beam on the mask is nearly uniform along a transverse axis of the laser-beam. A stop extending partially into the laser-beam between the microlens arrays provides a more uniform light-intensity on the mask along the transverse axis than can be achieved by the microlens arrays alone.

Abstract: A disk drive for storing data includes a drive housing, a storage disk that is rotatably coupled to the drive housing, a slider assembly positioned near the storage disk, and a drive circuitry. The slider assembly includes a head that interacts with the storage disk during a data transfer operation and a slider mover. The drive circuitry directs a first power level to slider mover to maintain the head at a first HtD spacing, and a second power level to the slider mover to maintain the head at a second HtD spacing, and a variable, transition power to the slider mover during a transition between the first power level being directed to the slider mover and the second power level being directed to the slider mover. The transition power is tailored to rapidly move the head between the HtD spacings.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a rotatable storage disk, an actuator motor, a slider that magnetically interacts with the storage disk, and a drive circuitry. A portion of the slider moves between a first position wherein the slider does not contact the storage disk and a second position wherein the slider contacts the storage disk. The drive circuitry can detect when the position of the slider changes between these positions. In one embodiment, the drive circuitry monitors off-track movement of the slider to detect when the slider has moved between these positions. The drive circuitry can also current that is directed to the actuator motor that is used to compensate for off-track movement to detect when the slider moves between these positions. In yet another embodiment, the drive circuitry monitors a rotational velocity of the storage disk to detect approximately when the slider moves between these positions.

Abstract: An optical system for projecting an image of a photomask on a substrate, using a Schwarzschild objective includes an excimer laser, beam shaping optics for shaping a laser beam from the laser and a beam-dividing prism. The beam-dividing prism has a dividing-face including four facets inclined at an angle to each other. The four facets divide the shaped beam into four beam-portions propagating at an angle to the system axis. The beam-portions overlap at the photomask and mutually diverge into the entrance aperture in the concave mirror of the Schwarzschild objective such that all of the light in the beam portions is incident on the convex mirror of the objective in an annular zone outside of the central obscuration zone of the convex mirror. This essentially eliminates transfer losses normally caused by this obscuration zone.

Abstract: Apparatus for a mask-projection laser system with a laser beam includes a homogenizer having entrance and exit arrays of cylindrical lenses spaced apart in the direction of propagation of the laser beam. A pre-homogenizer is arranged to pre-homogenize the beam such that entrance pupil of the projection lens is about uniformly illuminated.

Abstract: An amorphous silicon layer on a glass substrate is crystallized by concentrating CW radiation from a number of OPS-lasers into a line of light on the layer. The layer is moved with respect to the line of light to control the dwell time of the line on any location on the layer and to crystallize an extended area of the layer.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a drive housing, a storage disk, a slider and a drive circuitry. The slider magnetically interacts with the storage disk, and includes a read/write head that is positioned to have an actual head-to-disk spacing greater than zero nanometers during rotation of the storage disk. The drive circuitry can determine and/or monitor the actual head-to-disk spacing at any time during the operation of the disk drive based on an amplitude or a change in the amplitude of a signal such as a variable gain amplifier signal. In one embodiment, the slider includes a slider mover that receives current via the drive circuitry and causes a deformation of a portion of the slider to change the head-to-disk spacing based on the amplitude of the signal.

Abstract: An inkjet aperture in a substrate has a compound cross-section including a circular portion and an elongated trough-shaped portion. The aperture is formed in the substrate by laser drilling. A laser beam is projected on a mask having circular apertures corresponding to the circular portion of the inkjet aperture cross-section. An image of the mask is projected by a lens onto the substrate while reciprocally tilting a tiltable plate between the mask and the lens. This forms the trough-shaped portion of the aperture. The tiltable plate is then replaced by a fixed plate of equal thickness and the circular portion of the aperture is drilled to complete the aperture.

Abstract: An optical system for projecting a laser-beam on a mask to illuminate the mask includes a beam homogenizing arrangement including spaced arrays of microlenses. The beam homogenizing arrangement redistributes light in the laser beam such that the intensity of light in the laser-beam on the mask is nearly uniform along a transverse axis of the laser-beam. A stop extending partially into the laser-beam between the microlens arrays provides a more uniform light-intensity on the mask along the transverse axis than can be achieved by the microlens arrays alone.

Abstract: An optical system for projecting an image of a photomask on a substrate, using a Schwarzschild objective includes an excimer laser, beam shaping optics for shaping a laser beam from the laser and a beam-dividing prism. The beam-dividing prism has a dividing-face including four facets inclined at an angle to each other. The four facets divide the shaped beam into four beam-portions propagating at an angle to the system axis. The beam-portions overlap at the photomask and mutually diverge into the entrance aperture in the concave mirror of the Schwarzschild objective such that all of the light in the beam portions is incident on the convex mirror of the objective in an annular zone outside of the central obscuration zone of the convex mirror. This essentially eliminates transfer losses normally caused by this obscuration zone.

Abstract: A method for operating an optical projection system including projection optics is disclosed. The projection optics project an image of the object on the substrate at an image distance from the projection optics. The image has a size dependent on the size of the object and the ratio of the image distance to the optical distance of the object from the projection optics. The image distance can change with changes in the condition of the projection optics such as changes in the temperature of elements of the projection optics. The image distance is monitored. If the image distance changes, the substrate is moved to the new image distance and the optical distance of the object is correspondingly changed such that the ratio of the image distance to the object distance stays the same.