Abstract: A removable tool for reducing contamination in a cleanroom assembly environment during assembly of a hard disk drive may include a handle assembly and a positive locking assembly. The handle assembly may define a proximal and distal end such that, in use, the proximal end is further away from the hard disk drive being assembled than is the distal end. The positive locking assembly may be configured to lock onto a portion of an upper perimeter of a Motor Base Assembly (MBA) of a hard disk drive and onto a corresponding portion of a lower perimeter of the MBA. The handle assembly and the positive locking assembly may be further configured to enable free access to an interior of the MBA during subsequent assembly steps. The positive locking assembly may be further configured to be selectively releasable without touching the MBA, to thereby enable the removal of the tool.

Abstract: A removable tool for reducing contamination in a cleanroom assembly environment during assembly of a hard disk drive may include a handle assembly and a positive locking assembly. The handle assembly may define a proximal and distal end such that, in use, the proximal end is further away from the hard disk drive being assembled than is the distal end. The positive locking assembly may be configured to lock onto a portion of an upper perimeter of a Motor Base Assembly (MBA) of a hard disk drive and onto a corresponding portion of a lower perimeter of the MBA. The handle assembly and the positive locking assembly may be further configured to enable free access to an interior of the MBA during subsequent assembly steps. The positive locking assembly may be further configured to be selectively releasable without touching the MBA, to thereby enable the removal of the tool.

Abstract: A method to at least temporarily replace air with an alternative gas in a first disk drive having a breather filter port is disclosed. A first disk drive is placed in a chamber, which is then evacuated to establish a sub-ambient chamber air pressure. Air bleeds out of the first disk drive through its breather filter port during a first period, until an internal pressure within the first disk drive reaches a reduced internal air pressure that is less than one third the first disk drive's initial internal air pressure. The chamber is then filled with the alternative gas. The alternative gas bleeds into the first disk drive through the breather filter port during a second period, until the internal pressure within the first disk drive reaches a restored internal gas pressure that is in the range 0.5 to 1.25 times the initial internal air pressure.

Abstract: An a thermal fiber Bragg grating assembly. A platform provides two attachment locations and has a first coefficient of thermal expansion. A stick provides two ends and has a second coefficient of thermal expansion. A fiber Bragg grating provides two ends and has effective third coefficient of thermal expansion. One stick end is fixed to one grating end, the other stick end is fixed to one attachment location, and the other grating end is fixed to the other attachment location. The stick has a same cross-section area along its length that is equal to or less than the cross-section area of the grating. And the coefficients and lengths between respective locations and ends are such that the assembly exhibits an effective overall coefficient of thermal expansion approaching zero.

Abstract: An a thermal fiber Bragg grating assembly. A platform provides two attachment locations and has a first coefficient of thermal expansion. A stick provides two ends and has a second coefficient of thermal expansion. A fiber Bragg grating provides two ends and has effective third coefficient of thermal expansion. One stick end is fixed to one grating end, the other stick end is fixed to one attachment location, and the other grating end is fixed to the other attachment location. The stick has a same cross-section area along its length that is equal to or less than the cross-section area of the grating. And the coefficients and lengths between respective locations and ends are such that the assembly exhibits an effective overall coefficient of thermal expansion approaching zero.

Abstract: A wavelength locker having a first beam splitter to receive a light beam and separate out a portion as a sample beam; a confocal etalon to receive the sample beam and filter it into a filterization beam; a filterization photodetector to receive the filterization beam and produce a filterization signal representative of the light intensity in the filterization beam, and thus also of the light frequency in the filterization beam, sample beam, and original light beam; and a link to communicate a control signal, based on the filterization signal, to the light source producing the light beam to lock the wavelength or the frequency.

Abstract: An integrated or hybrid-optical device (10) able to perform the functions of both a beam splitter and an etalon. A splitter interface (72), front-cavity interface (74), and rear-cavity interface (76) are provided and separate regions (78, 80, 82, 84) which may be of “air” (gas or vacuum) or solid materials. The front-cavity interface (74), the rear-cavity interface (76), and the interposed third region (82) define a Fabry Perot etalon, which may be either solid or air-spaced. In particular, the integrated optical device (10) has only the second region (80) interposed between the splitter interface (72) and the front-cavity interface (74).