Abstract: A device comprises a recordable disc, a substrate adjacent to the recordable disc, and an actuation mechanism fixed to the substrate. The recordable disc includes a base layer and a recordable layer on the base layer. Additional electrodes or magnetic components may be placed on the base layer to provide electromagnetic or electrostatic forces to rotate the recordable disc when acted on by the actuation mechanism. As an example, the invention may utilize MEMS techniques in order to integrate a disc and motor of a disc drive as a common component.

Abstract: A device comprises a fluid bearing including a textured fluid bearing surface and a second surface and a recordable disc. The recordable disc includes a substrate, a recordable media layer on the substrate, and at least one of the textured fluid bearing surface and the second surface. The device may be manufactured using MEMS techniques. MEMS techniques provide the high precision necessary to create the textured fluid bearing surface. MEMS techniques also allow the recordable disc to be batch-fabricated with one or more additional recordable discs.

Abstract: A micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) disc drive includes high-precision and integrated components to allow for increased functionality, robustness and reduced size as compared to currently produced disc drives. Integrating multiple subcomponents of the disc drive using batch processing provides low manufacturing costs. Furthermore, using MEMS techniques, new features can be added to disc drives. For example, an environmental control component, an accelerometer and/or a thermometer may be integrated into the housing of the disc drive.

Abstract: In general, the invention is directed to techniques for integrated interconnects with a set of disc drives. The interconnects allow for a set of disc drives to be positioned in an array; for example, as set of disc drives may be stacked to communicate with a device through a single interface of the device. The interconnects may be formed as vias within the housing of the disc drives. Vias may produced using MEMS techniques, e.g., electroplating, as part of the manufacturing processes of the disc drive itself.

Abstract: A disc drive head actuator includes a suspension structure and a slider integrated with the suspension structure. The actuator is one of at least two actuator assemblies batch-fabricated on a common substrate. The head actuator may be fabricated using mircofabrication techniques. The head actuator may have a reduced size, including package height relative to conventionally manufactured disc drives. Using mircofabrication and/or batch fabrication techniques provides reduced tolerances, which allows for increased actuation forces and/or reduced power consumption. Some embodiments include four-bar linkage actuators, which increase lateral stiffness of the actuator, allowing for a precise motion of the head relative to a media surface.

Abstract: The application discloses processes for fabricating a slider or head for a data storage device. The processes disclosed provide a transducer portion that is separated from a slider body by a gap. In an illustrated embodiment, actuator elements are fabricated in the gap to adjust a position of the transducer portion relative to the slider body.

Abstract: A composite head-electrical conditioner assembly that includes a slider with a transducer head and transducer bond pads. The transducer bond pads communicate a transducer level electrical signal with the transducer head. An integrated circuit substrate has a conditioning circuit and first substrate bond pads electrically connected to the transducer bond pads. The integrated circuit substrate has second substrate bond pads with a conditioned electrical signal that is transmittable over a circuit. The slider is rigidly mounted to the integrated circuit substrate to form an assembly that is flexibly mountable. A thermal isolation space is provided between the transducer and the conditioning circuit. The integrated circuit can be in the form of a cap that provides windage reduction.

Abstract: An electrical feedthrough assembly for establishing an electrical connection path through an aperture in a side wall of a housing, and a method of fabrication thereof. The feedthrough assembly comprises a plate and at least one electrical contact which extends through the plate. Preferably, a heating member is further provided to extend along a circumference of the plate. The plate is sized to span and surround the aperture so that, upon generation of heat by the heating member, at least one ring of sealing material adjacent the heating member flows to establish a seal between the plate and the housing wall surrounding the aperture. The heat is preferably generated by applying current to the heating member. The feedthrough assembly is preferably fabricated using a microfabrication process. A batch fabrication operation is preferably employed so that a population of the plates are formed from a single panel and subsequently separated therefrom.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for sealing a housing, and a housing sealed using the same. A peripherally extending flex seal assembly includes a heating member formed of an elongated conductor embedded within a flexible, thin-film dielectric ribbon. The flex seal assembly is placed on a first housing member and a second, mating housing member is placed on the flex seal assembly. Preferably, fasteners are used to affix the first and second housing members to compress the flex seal assembly therebetween. Current is applied to the heating member to fuse at least one ring of sealing material and form a corresponding number of hardened seal joints. The seal joints can be discrete rings to allow the formation of a hermetic housing seal. The seal joints can alternatively be arranged in a continuous spiral to form an elongated diffusion path between the interior of the housing and the exterior environment.

Abstract: An assembly includes a suspension component with a surface extending over a flexible region of the suspension component. The assembly also includes a damping layer disposed in a pattern that extends onto the surface. A sealing layer that is non-friable covers the damping layer. The sealing layer also preferably comprises a shear restraint layer for the damping layer.

Abstract: A slider includes a transducer-level microactuator for selectively positioning a transducer portion of the slider radially with respect to circumferential data tracks of a rotatable disc. The slider includes a slider body having a leading edge and a trailing edge, a transducer body and a flexure body. The transducer body is spaced from the trailing edge of the sliding body and includes at least one transducer element. The flexure body extends from the trailing edge of the slider body and includes a first anchor point connected to the slider body and a second anchor point connected to the transducer body. The basecoat layer is deposited on the trailing edge of the slider body and substantially surrounds the flexure body wherein a gap separates the flexure body from the basecoat. A first actuation means is formed on the basecoat and a second actuation means is formed on the transducer body adjacent the slider body.

Abstract: The present invention provides a suspension assembly having a slider body with a trailing edge face. A bond pad is positioned on the trailing edge face and a conductive trace is connected to the bond pad to form an electrical connection. A heating element includes a low resistivity portion and a high resistivity portion. The high resistivity portion is positioned proximate the electrical connection.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of machining sliders to obtain the optimum PTR for each slider. An array of MEMS devices configured for angular actuation are provided, and a slider is placed in each MEMS device of the array. The ion milling of the sliders is controlled individually for each slider based on the relationship of the ion angle and relative etch rates of the slider components. The MEMS devices are controlled to ensure the ion incidence angle for each slider is such that the desired PTR of each slider is achieved.