Abstract: Disclosed is a probing method comprising steps of moving a main chuck to align an object of inspection on the main chuck with probes of a probe card located over the main chuck, moving the main chuck toward the probe card, thereby bringing electrodes of the object of inspection into contact with the probes, overdriving the main chuck toward the probe card while measuring a load applied to the object of inspection by contact with the probes and controlling the movement of the main chuck in accordance with the measured load, and inspecting the electrical properties of the object of inspection by means of the probes.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a magnetic disk apparatus comprises a magnetic disk for recording information; a magnetic head that reads information from, or writes information to, the magnetic disk; an actuator device that drives the magnetic head; and a control system that controls the driving of the actuator device. The actuator device is configured by a dual stage actuator comprising a fine actuator that drives the head and a coarse actuator that drives the magnetic head together with the fine actuator. The control system includes a fine controller that generates an operational value for driving the fine actuator and a coarse controller that generates an operational amount for driving the coarse actuator. The control system includes a mechanism for smoothly changing the operational amount generated by the fine controller immediately before saturation resulting from an applied voltage limit of the fine actuator or at the time the fine actuator returns to a control range from the saturation.

Abstract: A magnetic disk apparatus includes a magnetic disk, a magnetic head slider, a controller for controlling a position of the magnetic head slider, and an load/unload mechanism for loading or unloading the slider to the disk. The disk includes a track and has at least a load zone of a predetermined length in a peripheral direction thereof for performing loading of the magnetic head slider on a surface of the disk utilizing the load/unload mechanism, a specific pattern recorded in front of the load zone in the peripheral direction thereof, and a data zone provided in front of the specific pattern in the peripheral direction thereof. The controller reads out the specific pattern recorded on the disk utilizing the slider, and controls the position of the slider so as to move the slider while avoiding the load zone.

Abstract: This invention is a probe apparatus including: a stage onto which a substrate to be processed is placed, a semiconductor device having a plurality of groups of electrode pads being formed on the substrate to be processed; a probe-card holding mechanism that holds a probe card provided with a group of probe needles corresponding to each group of electrode pads; and a driving mechanism that moves the stage and causes the group of probe needles to successively come in contact with the respective groups of electrode pads. A converting device that converts mechanical vibration energy generated in components of the probe apparatus into electrical energy, and an electrical circuit that discreates an electrical current based on the electric energy converted by the converting device are further provided.

Abstract: In a magnetic head slider of a magnetic disk apparatus, including therein a load/unload mechanism for loading/unloading the magnetic head slider 2 to the magnetic disk, on which is defined a load/unload zone 12 of a predetermined length in a peripheral direction thereof, wherein a specific command or pattern 14 is recorded in front of the load/unload zone of the magnetic disk, in the peripheral direction thereof, and a controller moves the magnetic head slider onto a track in an inside thereof, so as to avoid passing on or above the load/unload zone, when reading out this specific command recorded, and then moves it back onto that track, again, during when reading/writing data on the track lying on the same radius to that of the load/unload zone.

Abstract: In a positioning control device for a two-stage actuator having a coarse-movement actuator and a fine-movement actuator, a notch filter having a cutoff frequency fn is provided to a coarse-movement control loop, and the fine-movement actuator is driven by a sine wave of the frequency fn. At the frequency fn, a head position signal becomes identical with an output signal of the fine-movement actuator, by which the gain of the fine-movement actuator can be estimated by an adaptive identification unit with high accuracy based on the control input to the fine-movement actuator and the head position signal.

Abstract: In a magnetic head slider of a magnetic disk apparatus, including therein a load/unload mechanism for loading/unloading the magnetic head slider 2 to said magnetic disk, on which is defined a load/unload zone 12 of a predetermined length in a peripheral direction thereof, wherein a specific command or pattern 14 is recorded in front of the load/unload zone of the magnetic disk, in the peripheral direction thereof, and a controller moves the magnetic head slider onto a track in an inside thereof, so as to avoid passing on or above the load/unload zone, when reading out this specific command recorded, and then moves it back onto that track, again, during when reading/writing data on the track lying on the same radius to that of the load/unload zone.

Abstract: Disclosed is a probing method comprising steps of moving a main chuck to align an object of inspection on the main chuck with probes of a probe card located over the main chuck, moving the main chuck toward the probe card, thereby bringing electrodes of the object of inspection into contact with the probes, overdriving the main chuck toward the probe card while measuring a load applied to the object of inspection by contact with the probes and controlling the movement of the main chuck in accordance with the measured load, and inspecting the electrical properties of the object of inspection by means of the probes.

Abstract: A positioning control apparatus for a magnetic disk apparatus. Internal models and a trajectory generation section are constructed in a control program. Based on generated position trajectory and velocity trajectory and an internal model position and velocity, a model control section outputs a first operation signal Umf for a fixed sample time Tu and then outputs a second operation signal Ums for Tu. The model control section calculates Umf and Ums so as to cause a position Pm and a velocity Vm output by an internal model 2Tu seconds later to coincide with the generated position trajectory and velocity trajectory. When a detector has detected a voice coil saturation current for head movement, a signal obtained by subtracting a position feedback signal Uh from a detected voice coil current is used as an internal model input to thereby cause the model to track a control subject.

Abstract: This invention is a probe apparatus including: a stage onto which a substrate to be processed is placed, a semiconductor device having a plurality of groups of electrode pads being formed on the substrate to be processed; a probe-card holding mechanism that holds a probe card provided with a group of probe needles corresponding to each group of electrode pads; and a driving mechanism that moves the stage and causes the group of probe needles to successively come in contact with the respective groups of electrode pads. A converting device that converts mechanical vibration energy generated in components of the probe apparatus into electrical energy, and an electrical circuit that discreates an electrical current based on the electric energy converted by the converting device are further provided.

Abstract: Provided is a magnetic disc apparatus comprising a magnetic head for writing and reading data to and from a magnetic disc, a slider for floating up the magnetic head from the magnetic disc on rotation, a suspension having an IC chip mounting surface, for supporting the slider, a positioning mechanism for positioning a magnetic head at a predetermined position, and an IC chip mounted on the IC chip supporting surface of the suspension, wherein the rate of variation in temperature difference between opposite sides of the IC chip mounting position as a center on the IC chip mounting surface is set to be below about 3.5 K/sec. Thereby it is possible to restrain the averaged seek time for the magnetic disc from becoming longer.

Abstract: A probing method including the steps of moving a main chuck to align an object of inspection on the main chuck with probes of a probe card located over the main chuck. The method includes moving the main chuck toward the probe card, thereby bringing electrodes of the object of inspection into contact with the probes, and overdriving the main chuck toward the probe card while measuring a load applied to the object of inspection by contact with the probe and controlling the movement of the main chuck in accordance with the measured load. The method also includes inspecting the electrical properties of the object of inspection using the probes.

Abstract: A hauling unit hauls a subject to bend or rotate the subject. A control unit outputs a control signal that corresponds to a target value that is input by an operating unit. The control unit controls a variation amount of the control signal output in a predetermined range including a position of the hauling unit in a state before the hauling unit hauls to be greater than a variation amount of the control signal output outside the predetermined range. A driving unit drives the hauling unit based on the control signal.

Abstract: By increasing the gain of a controller for coarse motion CFBV within a frequency band in which the gain of a sensitivity function SP=1/(1+PP·CFBP) of fine motion actuator DP and controller for fine motion CFBP exceeds 0 dB, the gain of a sensitivity function SV=1/(1+PP·CFBV) of coarse motion actuator PV and coarse motion controller CFBV is decreased. Through this, in a two-stage actuator control system, a disk apparatus can be provided in which a sensitivity function SPES=1/(1+PP·CFBP)·1/(1+PP·CFBV) indicative of a disturbance compressive ratio in a signal path ranging from disturbance components to a head position error signal is rendered to be 0 dB or less at all frequencies concerned.

Abstract: A magnetic disk device comprises at least a disk having information, at least a head for reading or writing information from or into the disk, at least a micro actuator for supporting the head and positioning the head, a coarse actuator for carrying the micro actuator and positioning the head, a controller for controlling the micro actuator and the coarse actuator based on the servo information read by the head, and a host controller for determining that information is to be read. In the case where the host controller determines that the operation is in a wait mode, the positioning operation of the micro actuator is stopped.

Abstract: In a positioning control device for a two-stage actuator having a coarse-movement actuator and a fine-movement actuator, a notch filter having a cutoff frequency fn is provided to a coarse-movement control loop, and the fine-movement actuator is driven by a sine wave of the frequency fn. At the frequency fn, a head position signal becomes identical with an output signal of the fine-movement actuator, by which the gain of the fine-movement actuator can be estimated by an adaptive identification unit with high accuracy based on the control input to the fine-movement actuator and the head position signal.

Abstract: In a magnetic recording apparatus including a support arm movable with respect to a magnetic recording disk, a first actuator for moving the support arm with respect to the magnetic recording disk, a pair of support members at least one of which holds a magnetic head thereon and each of which is connected to the first actuator through the support arm to be driven by the first actuator through the support arm, and a pair of second actuators for moving respectively the support members with respect to the support arm so that the support members are respectively moved with respect to the magnetic recording disk by the first actuator and the second actuators, the second actuators move simultaneously the support members respectively with respect to the support arm in respective directions opposite to each other.

Abstract: A positioning control apparatus for a magnetic disk apparatus. Internal models and a trajectory generation section are constructed in a control program. Based on generated position trajectory and velocity trajectory and an internal model position and velocity, a model control section outputs a first operation signal Umf for a fixed sample time Tu and then outputs a second operation signal Ums for Tu. The model control section calculates Umf and Ums so as to cause a position Pm and a velocity Vm output by an internal model 2 Tu seconds later to coincide with the generated position trajectory and velocity trajectory. When a detector has detected a voice coil saturation current for head movement, a signal obtained by subtracting a position feedback signal Uh from a detected voice coil current is used as an internal model input to thereby cause the model to track a control subject.

Abstract: A disk drive capable of controlling two or more high-response small-stroke precise-movement actuators and a low-response large-stroke rough-movement actuator to be operated in cooperation with each other so that two or more heads can be fast and precisely positioned at a time by those actuators. The disk drive includes a rough-movement actuator having a stroke enough to cover all disk, a first precise-movement actuator having a small stroke, and a second precise-movement actuator having a small stroke, wherein a head is positioned at a track on a disk surface by the first precise-movement actuator, at the same time a head is positioned at a track on a second disk surface by the second precise-movement actuator, and the rough-movement actuator is operated to follow and to be brought to a center position between the located heads.

Abstract: Provided is a magnetic disc apparatus comprising a magnetic head for writing and reading data to and from a magnetic disc, a slider for floating up the magnetic head from the magnetic disc on rotation, a suspension having an IC chip mounting surface, for supporting the slider, a positioning mechanism for positioning a magnetic head at a predetermined position, and an IC chip mounted on the IC chip supporting surface of the suspension, wherein the rate of variation in temperature difference between opposite sides of the IC chip mounting position as a center on the IC chip mounting surface is set to be below abut 3.5 K/sec. Thereby it is possible to restrain the averaged seek time for the magnetic disc from becoming longer.