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: This magnetic recording medium comprising at least a non-magnetic underlayer on a non-magnetic substrate, a first recording magnetic layer on the non-magnetic underlayer, a second recording magnetic layer on the first recording magnetic layer, and a third recording magnetic layer on the second recording magnetic layer. The first recording magnetic layer, the second recording magnetic layer and the third recording magnetic layer are made of a CoCrPtB alloy. The second recording magnetic layer has a smaller Cr content and a greater B content than the first recording magnetic layer, and the third recording magnetic layer has a smaller Cr content and a greater B content than the first recording magnetic layer and a smaller Pt content than the second recording magnetic layer. The magnetic recording medium according to the present invention can obtain high output medium characteristic with low noise and excellent written performance.

Abstract: The invention is a moving-slider rotary piezoelectric microactuator as the secondary actuator for a dual-stage actuator disk drive. The microactuator has a substrate attached to the disk drive suspension and a rotatable frame that supports the slider, so the head-suspension assembly includes the suspension, the microactuator and the slider with attached read/write head. The rotatable frame is attached to a fixed post on the substrate by relatively stiff torsional springs. A piezoelectric driver having a fixed end attached to the substrate provides bidirectional linear displacement of its movable end. The microactuator has a displacement amplification mechanism that includes a connecting rod and a linkage that translates the linear displacement of the driver to amplified orthogonal linear displacement of the rod. The connecting rod is attached to the rotatable frame at a radial distance to cause rotary movement of the frame, and thereby cross-track displacement of the read/write head on the slider.

Abstract: Circuits and methods are provided for write through drivers in disk drive systems. A write through driver is a transceiver that includes a write driver circuit and a receiver circuit. The write driver drives a current signal to a write element through a first conductive interconnect. The write element writes data patterns to a magnetic hard disk in response to the current signal from the write driver circuit. The current signal returns to the receiver circuit through a second conductive interconnect. The return signal can be used for the diagnosis of write-safe conditions.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head is described, the magnetic head having an insulating layer and a protrusion which has an upper portion and a base portion, and the upper portion has an extended portion. The insulating layer is present under the extending part. A method of manufacturing the magnetic head includes forming a first insulating layer around the lower core layer; simultaneously forming a coil layer by plating the lower core layer with a coil insulating underlayer interposed between the lower coil layer and a coil lead layer connected to the coil layer on the first insulating layer; forming a coil insulating layer of an inorganic material on the coil layer and the coil lead layer; and, simultaneously forming a first plating underlayer for forming an upper core layer by plating, a second plating underlayer on the first coil lead layer exposed through the plating-forming opening, and a current-carrying lead layer.

Abstract: A thermal flying height adjustment slider capable of being mounted on a small-sized thin film magnetic head slider is provided wherein terminals of an energizer serving as a heater prevent corrosion of pole pieces and the number of terminals is reduced. In one embodiment, one of terminals of the energizer serving as the heater is electrically connected to the lower pole piece, so that a relay terminal for a heating device is used also as the terminal for preventing the corrosion of pole pieces.

Abstract: A head slider has a medium-opposed surface defining first and second areas extending side by side from the inflow end to the outflow end. A head element is embedded in an insulating non-magnetic film. The head element at least locates a write gap in a first section defined in the insulating non-magnetic film in the first area. A first actuator is embedded in the insulating non-magnetic film in the first area. The first actuator causes the first section to protrude. A second actuator is embedded in the insulating non-magnetic film in the second area. The second actuator causes a second section of the insulating non-magnetic film to protrude. The second section is utilized in a so-called zero calibration. The first section and the head element are prevented from protruding during the zero calibration. This results in are liable avoidance of damage to the head element.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a slider including a slider substrate with a trailing side and a writer with bond pads disposed on the trailing side. The writer has an optic input for receiving an optic output. The apparatus comprises an optoelectronic substrate having a substrate surface facing the trailing side, and having contacts on the substrate surface that are joined to the bond pads by conductive bridges, and having an optoelectronic emitter adjacent the substrate surface for generating the optic output.

Abstract: A slider according to the present invention includes a slider body, a plurality of insulators, and conductive traces. The slider body has a first side and edges defined substantially perpendicular to the first side. The plurality of insulators are each adjacent to the first side of the slider body. The conductive traces are adjacent to each of the plurality of insulators and opposite the slider body.

Abstract: A read head for use with an interconnect transmission line having a characteristic impedance of Z0 includes a tunnel valve device and a shunt resistor RS that is connected in parallel across the tunnel valve device. The tunnel valve device has a device resistance RT corresponding to a predetermined resistance-area (RA) product. The value of the shunt resistance is based on the parallel combination of RT and RS substantially equaling the characteristic impedance Z0 of the interconnect transmission line. The predetermined resistance-area (RA) product is about equal to at least about 10 Ohms-?m2. Alternatively, the predetermined resistance-area (RA) product is about equal to a “corner” value of RAc for the tunnel valve device.

Abstract: A system and method for adjusting the flying height of a magnetic head above a magnetic storage medium, such as a disk, is disclosed. A charging surface of the slider, separate from the read/write head, allows a charging electrical interconnect to apply an electrical charge to the slider. By acting as a quasi-parallel capacitor, the amount of spacing in the head-disk interface may be increased or decreased based on the amount of voltage applied. The slider may be electrically isolated from the suspension. Simultaneously, a heating element deforms the slider to further adjust the spacing between the read/write head and the disk surface. A feedback control system may monitor and control the head-disk spacing by measuring a temperature or other environmental conditions surrounding the slider and disk.

Abstract: A slider having leading and trailing edges is configured to fly on an airbearing above a data storage disk rotating from the leading edge to the trailing edge. Read and write heads are mounted on the slider proximate the trailing edge. An auxiliary thermal sensor is mounted on the slider, but preferably nearer the leading edge. Forward placement of the sensor allows it to sense mechanical defects before they reach the heads, thereby permitting a write inhibit operation, for example. The sensor may also be used to detect airbearing modulation. Appropriate action may be taken when unacceptable airbearing modulation is detected, such as notifying the user and/or scrubbing the slider. The sensor is preferably wider than the heads. This allows, for example, an in-situ glide test to be performed faster using the sensor. An arm electronics module is preferably configured to permit concurrent operation of the sensor and heads.

Abstract: A device for accessing data stored on a medium includes a substrate that has a transducer on a back side, a bottom side facing the disc, and a surface that protrudes from the bottom side. An insulation layer is placed on top of the surface. An electrostatic actuator electrode is placed on top of the insulation layer. The electrostatic actuator electrode faces the medium across an electrostatically charged portion of an air layer. The electrostatic actuator electrode protrudes above the surface into the electrostatically charged portion of the air layer.

Abstract: The present invention features a magnetic read head having an IC component provided within or adjacent to the head case. No low-level, analog signals, which are generally highly susceptible to electrical noise, leave the head structure. Power and ground signals are provided to the hybrid head. Digitized data corresponding to encoded information upon the magnetic stripe on a credit card, ID badge, or similar article is provided at output terminals. Decoding is performed by an ASIC or similar device located at the read head. A data strobe signal and/or a magnetic medium detected signal may also be provided by the read head.

Abstract: A method for detecting head-to-disk interference events in a disk drive is provided. The invention comprises coupling a transducer to an air filter in the disk drive, wherein the transducer detects changes in magnetic readings due to debris produced by physical contact between a read/write head and a magnetic storage medium (head crash). The recirculation filter is monitored during disk drive operations and comparing magnetic readings from the transducer with defined parameters. If the transducer readings exceed the defined parameters, the spindle motor of the disk drive is shut off, thus stopping the rotation of the disk and minimizing data loss and damage due to the head crash.

Abstract: An information storage device (10, 510, 610, 710) includes a cradle (12, 512, 612, 712) which can removably receive a cartridge (11, 411, 511, 611, 711). The cartridge contains a rotatably supported disk (91, 326-327), and a pivotal actuator arm (101) which supports a read/write head (107, 331-334) for movement adjacent the disk. A coil (117) on the arm interacts with an external magnetic field to effect pivotal movement of the arm. The cartridge may contain a spin motor (92) for effecting rotation of a disk. A preamplifier (111) and an electrostatic discharge buffer (112) are provided for the head. A read-only memory (186) contains characteristic information about the cartridge, and an hour meter (191) contains information about the cumulative amount of time that the cartridge has been used. A connector (71) is provided to electrically couple external circuitry to electrical components within the cartridge.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive head assembly of the present invention includes a magnetoresistive sensor and an electrostatic discharge and electrical overstress protection circuit. The magnetoresistive is capable of having conducted therethrough oppositely-directed first direction current and second direction current. The magnetoresistive sensor is sensitive to first direction currents in excess of a first predetermined value and to second direction currents in excess of a second predetermined value different than the first predetermined value. The electrostatic discharge and electrical overstress protection circuit is electrically connected to the magnetoresistive sensor for preventing only those first direction currents greater than the first predetermined value from flowing though the magnetoresistive sensor and only those second direction currents greater than the second predetermined value from flowing through the magnetoresistive sensor.

Abstract: An enhanced silicon and ceramic magnetoresistive read/write head and method for making the same is disclosed. The present invention provides reliable chemical mechanical polish etch stop by etching deep trenches into the silicon at the surrounding edges of the magnetic write and read device and filling it with a refractory metal (e.g. tungsten) so that the silicon wafer thickness will not significantly add to the length of the ABS nor to the gram load of the slider. An imbedded deformable pad will allow these bonded heads to have a high average fly height and reduce to near contact recording when reading and writing through an applied potential across a deformable pad in the silicon. The epoxy bond of the silicon to the ceramic slider consists of polymethyl methracrylate (PMMA) which can be spun on a wafer or a row of wafers with nanometer thickness repeatability and using low temperatures, i.e., <200° C.

Abstract: The invention provides greatly shortened electrical paths for the wires or traces connecting a disk drive suspension slider to the preamplifier circuit chip without problems of chip wastage by supporting the disk drive suspension assembly of a slider, a flexure, a load beam and a mounting plate, all in operative association on the preamplifier circuit chip, and supporting the chip on the actuator arm.

Abstract: A read/write driver with a read/write head made of semiconductor material for writing and reading data from data media with a preamplifier forming a part of the read/write head for processing write signals from said read/write driver and driving a magnetic coil for writing, with power connections to the preamplifier thereby powering the coil. Also, a process for making the read/write head of the invention is described.

Abstract: A head assembly has a head slider including a magnetic head and a first electrode, an IC chip supporting the head slider on a principal surface of the IC chip, and a suspension supporting the IC chip, the IC chip comprising a second electrode and a third electrode on the principal surface thereof, the third electrode being connected to the suspension, the second electrode being electrically connected to the first electrode.

Abstract: A disk storage unit includes an electro-magnetic slider which has a contact detecting function. The unit includes a rotating recording disk, a slider body having a head for reading and writing information with respect to the recording disk, a suspension for supporting the slider body in such a manner that the slider body is opposed to the recording medium and flies above recording medium with a small gap therebetween owing to an air flow generated by a rotation of the recording disk. The suspension, on which the slider is mounted, has an electric resistance pattern formed on the suspension for detecting a strain generated on the resistance pattern when the slider body comes into contact with the disk recording medium.