Abstract: According to one embodiment, a micro actuator device, includes: a first piezoelectric element superposed on a first lower support plate coupled to a fixed plate; a second piezoelectric element superposed on a second lower support plate in parallel with the first lower support plate coupled to the fixed plate; a first upper support plate interposing the first piezoelectric element between the first upper support plate and the first lower support plate, and generating strain equal to strain of the first lower support plate when a tensile force of the first piezoelectric element acts on the first lower support plate; and a second upper support plate interposing the second piezoelectric element between the second upper support plate and the second lower support plate, and generating strain equal to strain of the second lower support plate when a tensile force of the second piezoelectric element acts on the second lower support plate.

Abstract: The present thermally assisted magnetic head has: a plasmon antenna; an optical wave guide having the plasmon antenna installed at the tip thereof; a diffraction grating which is disposed in or on the optical wave guide; and a laser element which is disposed at a position to irradiate laser beams onto the diffraction grating, and is composed of a photonic crystal surface emitting semiconductor layer. A laser light intensity distribution on the diffraction grating has at least two intensity peaks in the width direction of the optical wave guide. The two-dimensional form of the laser light intensity distribution on the diffraction grating is a ring or two ellipses.

Abstract: Foundation layers of a thin film magnetic head are disposed between insulating layers and bias magnetic field application layers, and are configured of Cr or Cr alloy. The insulating layers are configured of a Si oxide such that the Si content of the Si oxide is in the range of 30˜56 at % (atom %) and that the atom ratio of oxygen to Si (O/Si) is in the range of 0.8˜1.3. With the configuration, the occurrence rate of noise is reduced.

Abstract: Disclosed is a head gimbal assembly for a hard disk drive that includes a head pivotally connected to a flexure. The flexure has a longitudinal axis. The assembly includes first and second micro-actuators that are located between the flexure and the head and spaced from the longitudinal axis. By way of example, the first and second micro-actuators may be thin piezo-electric transducers. Control signals can be provided to the micro-actuators to vary the pitch and/or roll of the head.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head has a magneto-resistive (MR) effect element including an MR effect film formed by sequentially layering a magnetic pinned layer, a nonmagnetic layer and a free layer, and a pair of bias magnetic field application layers formed at junction tapered parts formed on both end parts of the magneto-resistive effect film in the width direction via insulating layers. Further, magnetic pinned layer oxidized films whose thickness is Hx (unit: nm) are disposed on end parts of the magnetic pinned layer at the junction tapered parts, free layer oxidized films whose thickness is Hf (unit: nm) are disposed on end parts of the free layer at the junction tapered parts, and the oxidized films are configured such that the thickness ratio (Hx/Hf) is not more than 0.5.

Abstract: A data storage device comprises a housing, a data storage medium within the housing and a head gimbal assembly including a suspension supporting a read/write head. The read/write head is configured to store and retrieve data on the data storage medium. The read/write head is operably positioned between the data storage medium and the housing. The device further includes a head-lift limiter protruding from the housing that limits a movement of the read/write head in a direction that is substantially orthogonal to the data storage medium.

Abstract: There is provided a head suspension mechanism capable of more effectively restraining sway mode and second-order torsion mode vibrations of the head suspension mechanism caused by an air flow. A flange portion having a free end portion 23c on the base part side is formed at both edges close to the tip end of a suspension main frame 23, and at the same time, an elastic material 23d is provided in the free end portion 23c. Also, a sway mode dynamic vibration absorber is formed by the length of the flange portion and the damping effect of the elastic material 23d.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk drive includes a magnetic disk including a recording surface, a head gimbal assembly including a slider in which a head is incorporated and a tab, and a ramp in a vicinity of the magnetic disk, the ramp including a first counter surface opposed to a peripheral part of the magnetic disk, a second counter surface opposed to an edge surface of the magnetic disk, and a ramp edge, in which the ramp includes a part of a side surface which is adjacent to the first counter surface and faces to a rotating direction of the magnetic disk, and is recessed toward a downstream side in the rotating direction of the magnetic disk, and the part of the side surface which is recessed and a tangent line to an outer circumference of the magnetic disk form an acute angle.

Abstract: A head-gimbal assembly (HGA) is disclosed. The HGA comprises a head including a slider having a leading end and a trailing end that define a slider length. The head further includes a read transducer disposed at the trailing end. The HGA further comprises an adhesive material and a flexure that includes a tongue to which the head is adhered. The tongue includes three stand-offs in contact with the slider, each of the three stand-offs spanning a stand-off length that is one-half the slider length or less. Two of the three stand-offs are disposed adjacent the leading end.

Abstract: A method includes a step of stacking a first electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode layer on a first substrate to form a first laminate; a step of stacking a support layer on a second substrate to form a second laminate; a step of bonding the first and second laminates through an adhesive layer to form a third laminate; a step of removing the first substrate from the third laminate; a step of processing the third laminate in a desired shape; and a step of removing the second substrate. A Young's modulus of the adhesive layer is smaller than a Young's modulus of the piezoelectric layer. Respective Young's moduli of the second electrode layer and the support layer are larger than the Young's modulus of the adhesive layer. The third laminate has no other piezoelectric layer except for the aforementioned piezoelectric layer.

Abstract: A head suspension includes a load beam to apply load onto a head that writes and reads information to and from the hard disk and a flexure attached to the load beam and supporting the head. The flexure has write wires and read wires connected to the head. The flexure includes a substrate made of a conductive thin plate, a base insulating layer made of flexible resin and formed on the substrate, and the wires are arranged on the base insulating film. A ground layer is formed at least partly between the substrate and the base insulating layer. The ground layer only corresponds to the write wires in a width direction of the flexure. The conductivity of the ground layer is higher than that of the substrate that is made of a conductive thin plate.

Abstract: A micro-actuator frame for a head gimbal assembly includes a bottom support adapted to be connected to a suspension of the head gimbal assembly, a top support adapted to support a slider of the head gimbal assembly, a pair of side arms that interconnect the bottom support and the top support, and a micro-actuator mounting structure provided to the bottom support. The micro-actuator mounting structure is constructed and arranged to maintain a substantially constant gap between the top support and the suspension of the head gimbal assembly in use.

Abstract: A gimbal design for a hard disk drive are disclosed. In one embodiment, a gimbal tongue is supported by a gimbal cross bar coupled to a suspension body by a pair of gimbal struts. A pair of grounding pads are mounted on either side of the leading edge of the gimbal tongue. A first limiter tab is coupled to the leading edge of the gimbal tongue and a second limiter tab is coupled to the trailing edge of the gimbal tongue. Notches on either side of the trailing edge limiter tab increase the strength of the tab. One or more cutouts allow the slider to be electrically coupled to bonding pads on the opposite side of the gimbal tongue. Angled slots at the juncture of the gimbal cross bar and the gimbal tongue relieve stress on the gimbal.

Abstract: A gimbal head assembly and an actuator having the same, the gimbal head assembly and the actuator being included in a hard disk drive (HDD). The actuator can include a swing arm rotatably installed on a base member, the head gimbal assembly elastically biasing a read/write head towards a surface of a disk, and a voice coil motor rotating the swing arm. The head gimbal assembly can include a load beam attached to the swing arm, a flexure attached to the load beam, a slider mounted on a slider mounting portion of the flexure and comprising a read/write head installed on the slider, and an air foil disposed in front of the slider and guiding air flow generated due to rotations of the disk along both sides of the slider.

Abstract: Provided is a plasmon antenna in which a near-field light having a sufficient intensity is generated only in a desired location. The plasmon antenna comprises an end surface on a side where a near-field light is generated; the end surface is flat and has a shape with at least three vertexes or rounded corners; and an end surface of the plasmon antenna which is opposite to the flat end surface and receives light, is inclined with respect to the flat end surface so as to become closer to the flat end surface toward one of the at least three vertexes or rounded corners. When the light-receiving end surface of the plasmon antenna is irradiated with the light, a near-field light having a sufficient intensity can be generated at only the vertex or rounded corner toward which the entire plasmon antenna becomes thinner.

Abstract: A disk drive head-gimbal assembly includes a flexure that is modified to address the effects that the operating temperature of the disk drive may have on fly height. Generally, the flexure tongue is split into a leading edge flexure tongue section and a trailing edge flexure tongue section that are separated by a slider decoupling section. The slider decoupling section structurally interconnects the leading and trailing edge flexure tongue section, and further provides a reduced contact area with the slider. This reduced contact limits the ability of the flexure tongue to induce a positive crown on the air bearing surface of the slider.

Abstract: Devices for reading or writing electromagnetic information include a wafer substrate piece disposed between an electromagnetic transducer and an electrostrictive or piezoelectric actuator. The substrate piece is shaped as a rigid body adjoining the transducer and as a flexible element connecting the body and the actuator. To fabricate, at least one electrostrictive layer and many transducers are formed on opposite sides of a wafer that is then cut into rows containing plural transducers. The rows are processed from directions generally normal to the wafer surface upon which the transducers were formed, by removing material to form a head, flexures and a media-facing surface on the head. Conductive leads are formed on a back surface of flexures connecting the transducer with drive electronics. The flexures are aligned with forces arising from interaction with the media surface and from seeking various tracks, reducing torque and dynamic instabilities and increasing actuator access time.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head comprises an MR laminated body that has first and second magnetic layers, a nonmagnetic middle layer, and the first and second magnetic layers and the nonmagnetic middle layer are laminated to make contact with each other in respective order. First and second antiferromagnetic layers are provided with the first and second magnetic layers respectively. The first antiferromagnetic layer and/or the second antiferromagnetic layer contains a void part or a thin portion at least in a portion of the projection area toward the orthogonal direction to the film surface of the MR laminated body.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension has a doubly increased dimple contact force through separate, differential deflections of the flexure frame toward the load beam so as to carry the flexure tongue having dimple engagement with the load beam closer to the beam, and thus have greater dimple contact force without adverse PSA alteration. Doubly deflecting the outrigger struts of the flexure toward the supporting load beam in differential relation with a greater deflection and local strut displacement in a first location and a lesser deflection and local strut displacement in a second location on the initially deflected portion of the frame outriggers provides increased dimple contact force.

Abstract: A method for maintaining a servo signal. The method includes monitoring a shock event value. The shock event value is generated by a shock sensor. The shock sensor is operably coupled with a disk drive. The disk drive is configured with an actuator arm having a suspension and slider coupled thereto. The method further includes detecting a variation in the shock event value associated with the slider. The method also includes switching from a conductive link to the slider to another conductive link to another slider, the another slider is coupled with another actuator arm in the disk drive.

Abstract: In a heat-assisted magnetic recording, a thin-film magnetic head, which can form stable recording bits pattern having steep magnetization transition regions without using a near-field light generating element, is provided. The head is formed on an element forming surface of a substrate, and has a waveguide for leading a light for heat-assist to a magnetic medium and a write element formed on a trailing side of the waveguide and having a magnetic pole for applying a write field to the medium. Here, a write field profile, which is an intensity distribution of the write field from the pole along a track in a recoding layer of the medium, has a projecting region on a leading side. Further, an anisotropy field profile, which is a distribution of an anisotropy field when the anisotropy field is reduced by irradiating the light on a part of the recoding layer, traverses the projecting region.

Abstract: A magnetic head assembly is provided. The magnetic head assembly includes a slider in which a head element is mounted. A flexure supports the slider. The flexure includes a pair of outriggers, a connection portion, and a tongue portion. A flexible wiring substrate is fixedly bonded to the surface of the flexure. An electrode pad of the slider and an electrode pad of the flexible wiring substrate are bonded to each other by solder. A plurality of solder bonded portions are arranged on the connection portion. A deformable portion is formed in the pair of outriggers and located on an extended line on which the solder bonded portions are arranged, so that the free end side of the flexure is deformable.

Abstract: In manufacturing the thin film magnetic head, the rear end face of the MR element and the rear end face of a resistive film pattern are determined with high precision using a mask pattern, in which a first opening and a second opening are collectively formed. The first and second openings are located side by side in a track-width direction. The first opening includes a first edge extending across the MR film in the track-width direction, and the second opening includes a second edge located at a given interval, as measured in a direction orthogonal to the track-width direction, from the first edge, and extending in the track-width direction. In the step of polishing for forming a magnetic-recording-medium-facing-surface, the amount of polishing is determined by monitoring the resistance change of the resistive film pattern, thereby reducing the dimension errors in the MR height when manufacturing the MR element.

Abstract: There is provided a head gimbal mechanism 2 including a slider 10 placed between a recording medium D and a beam 11 and having a device generating near-field light, gimbal means 12 for fixing the slider to the tip of the beam 11 at a state that it can rotate about two axes which are parallel to the surface of the recording medium and are orthogonal to each other, and a flexible optical waveguide 13 composed of a basic waveguide section 21 placed along the beam and a bent waveguide section 21 that is bent in the Z-direction substantially orthogonal to the surface of the recording medium from the tip of the basic waveguide and connecting to the slider in non-contact with the beam and the gimbal means, the optical waveguide 13 guiding the luminous flux to the slider, wherein the basic waveguide section is placed at a state that at least a predetermined length on the bent waveguide section side relative to the beam is not fixed to the beam.

Abstract: A thin film piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric thin film layer, a seed layer and an elastic substrate layer. The piezoelectric thin film layer is a laminated structure comprising a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer and a piezoelectric layer sandwiched between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer. The seed layer is formed on the second electrode layer, and the elastic substrate layer is formed on the seed layer. The thin film piezoelectric element is a single layer structure and has an elastic substrate layer for supporting the single layer structure, thereby it has enough stiffness and flexibility to afford facilities for manufacture and assembly and to avoid film peeling and deformation, ultimately increasing the production efficiency and lowering the cost. The invention also discloses a method for manufacturing the thin film piezoelectric element, a head gimal assembly and a disk drive unit with the same.

Abstract: Provided is a thin-film magnetic head that can stably generate electromagnetic field with a desired frequency, even under the existence of significantly strong write field with frequently reversed direction. The head comprises an electromagnetic-field generating element between the first and second magnetic poles. The electromagnetic-field generating element comprises a spin-wave excitation layer provided adjacent to the first magnetic pole and having a magnetization with its direction varied according to external magnetic fields, for generating an high frequency electromagnetic field by an excitation of spin wave. And a magnetization of the spin-wave excitation layer is biased in a direction substantially perpendicular to its layer surface by a portion of magnetic field generated from the first magnetic pole, and pin-wave excitation current flows in the electromagnetic-field generating element in a direction from the second pole to the first pole.

Abstract: A magnetic head is provided that is formed by fixedly bonding a slider having a thin-film magnetic element on a flexure formed of metallic material which constitutes a gimbal suspension. The slider includes electrodes conducted to the thin-film magnetic head on an end surface thereof on a trailing side which is orthogonal to the recording-medium-opposed surface. The flexure has independent spacer projections. The slider and the flexure are bonded by an adhesive agent applied to bonding areas on end surfaces of a pair of spacer projections positioned in the vicinity of the end surface of the slider on the trailing side of the spacer projections.

Abstract: A method of reclaiming a head suspension includes detaching a slider 225 from a tongue 221 of the head suspension and removing an adhesive 227 remaining on the tongue 221. Removing the adhesive 227 remaining on the tongue 221 includes feeding a solvent 243, which promotes the removal of the adhesive 227, to a part of the tongue 221 where the adhesive 227 remains and promoting the removal of the remaining adhesive 227 from the tongue 221 by applying physical energy to the adhesive remaining part on the tongue 221. The physical energy is produced by heating, supersonic vibration, and the like. The method easily removes the adhesive 227 from the tongue 221 without directly applying mechanical force to the tongue 221, thereby improving yields.

Abstract: A bearing assembly suitable for use in a gimbal servo system is provided. The bearing assembly comprises a housing, a first shaft, a bearing rotatingly coupling the first shaft to the housing such that the first shaft is adapted to rotate about an axis relative to the housing, a second shaft having a first end adapted to be coupled to a payload, and a flex pivot element pivotally coupling an end of the first shaft to a second end of the second shaft such that the second shaft is adapted to rotate relative to the first shaft via the flex pivot element. In response to a rotation of the second shaft, the flex pivot element is adapted to pivot an angle about the first shaft axis. The pivot angle reflects a displacement of the second shaft relative to the first shaft and corresponds to a friction disturbance of the bearing.

Abstract: A piezoelectric element comprises a first laminated structure body and a second laminated structure body. Side surfaces of the first and the second laminated structure bodies that are parallel to a laminating direction both have at least a portion etched to form a recess so that a step distance is formed between sides of the two adjacent electrode layers that are parallel to the laminating direction. The design of the step distance of the present invention increases insulation resistance between the two adjacent electrode layers on the opposite surfaces of the piezoelectric layer, lowers reject rate, and reduce manufacture cost. The first and the second laminated structure bodies are symmetrically laminated and bonded together, thus optimizing force balancing performance. The recess of the first and second laminated structure body may be filled with insulation resin, which also increases insulation resistance between the two adjacent electrode layers of the piezoelectric layer.

Abstract: Methods for making devices comprise forming a plurality of transducers on a major surface of a wafer, including forming a plurality of solid layers each having a thickness that is less than one micron; dividing the wafer and the attached transducers into a plurality of units such that each of the units includes a portion of the layers and a substantially planar surface that is substantially perpendicular to the portion of the layers; and removing at least part of the substantially planar surface, including creating, for each transducer, at least one flexible element that is attached the transducer. Conventional problems of connecting a head to the flexure and/or gimbal are eliminated. The heads can be made thinner than is conventional and gimbals and flexures can be more closely aligned with forces arising from interaction with the media surface and from seeking various tracks, reducing torque and dynamic instabilities.

Abstract: A region of flexure layer, including slider mounting face coupled to offset mounting face for at least one piezoelectric device. The offset mounting face for piezoelectric device provides asymmetry between first contact region and second contact region. This is cost effective, reliable support for piezoelectric devices used for micro-actuation in hard disk drives. The slider moves based upon asymmetry of the offset mounting face coupled to the piezoelectric device twisting the slider mounting face. The invention includes flexure containing the region of the flexure layer. The invention includes head gimbal assembly including flexure, actuator arm including head gimbal assembly, and actuator assembly including actuator arm, and hard disk drive including actuator assembly. The invention includes manufacturing the region, the flexure, the head gimbal assembly, the actuator arm, the actuator assembly and the hard disk drive, as well as these products of the manufacturing processes.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention help to increase yaw stiffness while achieving higher peel stiffness and lower roll stiffness and pitch stiffness in a suspension supporting a head slider. A gimbal according to an aspect of the present invention has a securing point where the gimbal is secured to a load beam in the front and securing points where the gimbal is secured to the load beam in the rear. The gimbal tongue pivots on a dimple contact point. A front ring is secured at the securing point to support the gimbal tongue. The rear ring is secured at the securing points to support the gimbal tongue. The rear ring provides the gimbal tongue with higher yaw stiffness than the front ring. The front ring provides the gimbal tongue with higher peel stiffness than the rear ring.

Abstract: There is provided a head suspension mechanism capable of more effectively restraining sway mode and second-order torsion mode vibrations of the head suspension mechanism caused by an air flow. A flange portion having a free end portion 23c on the base part side is formed at both edges close to the tip end of a suspension main frame 23, and at the same time, an elastic material 23d is provided in the free end portion 23c. Also, a sway mode dynamic vibration absorber is formed by the length of the flange portion and the damping effect of the elastic material 23d.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention help to prevent dropout of a head slider from an micro electrical mechanical system (MEMS) and damage of the MEMS. In an embodiment of the present invention, a suspension for a slider dynamic electric test (DET) comprises an MEMS for supporting a head slider. The MEMS has a clamper for holding a head slider and the clamper moved by an external force can attach or detach a head slider. The suspension comprises limiters for limiting the clamper's lateral movement. The limiters limit the clamper's undesirable movement, which prevents the clamper's lateral movement in attaching a head slider, a head slider's dropout and the MEMS's damage caused by a contact with a magnetic disk, or a head slider's dropout and the MEMS's damage in handling.

Abstract: Improved head gimbal assemblies reducing TMR (Track Mis-Registration) in a hard disk drive are provided. These head gimbal assemblies are as mechanically simple as contemporary head gimbal assemblies, support parallel flying sliders over flat disk surfaces, and reduce TMR induced by disk vibration. They are easier to build, more reliable, and cost less to make, than other known approaches at comparable track densities and rotational rates. The improved head gimbal assemblies include three sets of mechanisms for moving the slider parallel the disk surface, when the disk surface is flat, and radially moving the slider toward the track, when the disk surface is bent. The first and third mechanisms as well as the second and third mechanisms can be used together in a head gimbal assembly. An improved and distinctive servo-controller scheme resulting in an overall improvement in PES performance, particularly when applied to hard disk drives employing the invention's TMR reduction mechanisms.

Abstract: A thermally assisted magnetic head includes a main magnetic pole for writing and a near-field light generator provided near the main magnetic pole, the near-field light generator having a non-magnetic base metal layer, a non-magnetic upper metal layer, an intermediate insulating layer interposed between the base metal layer and the upper metal layer, and the base metal layer having a V-shaped groove and also the upper metal layer having a projection facing the deepest part in the groove of the base metal layer, in a vertical cross-section parallel to a medium facing surface.

Abstract: A method for forming rails on the beam region of a disk drive head suspension. Rails are formed on a first portion of the beam region while supporting the beam region at a first location. Rails are formed on a second portion of the beam region while supporting the beam region at a second location that is different than the first location.

Abstract: A ramp loading unit includes a holding part that holds, outside a recording medium, a lift tab connected to a suspension that supports a head used to record information in or reproduce the information from the recording medium, and a sliding part to which the lift tab elastically contacts in loading the head onto the recording medium and in unloading the head from the recording medium, wherein the sliding part includes an inclined part that projects at least partially above the recording medium, inclines relative to a surface of the recording medium, and partially changes an inclination angle of the inclined part.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive element includes a magnetoresistive film including a magnetization pinned layer, a magnetization free layer, an intermediate layer arranged between the magnetization pinned layer and the magnetization free layer, a cap layer arranged on the magnetization pinned layer or on the magnetization free layer, and a functional layer formed of an oxygen- or nitrogen-containing material and arranged in the magnetization pinned layer, or in the magnetization free layer, and a pair of electrodes which pass a current perpendicularly to a plane of the magnetoresistive film, in which a crystalline orientation plane of the functional layer is different from a crystalline orientation plane of its upper or lower adjacent layer.

Abstract: A flexure is provided for a HGA suspension. The flexure includes a metal base layer, a trace layer, and a dielectric layer disposed between the trace and base layers. The metal base layer includes a heat sink portion. The trace layer includes a plurality of conductive traces, each conductive trace having a curved section that terminates in a trace termination pad. The dielectric layer includes a portion that underlies the trace termination pads and overlies the heat sink portion. The base layer and the dielectric layer each also include a window. The curved section of each conductive trace extends over the window of the base layer. The curved section of each conductive trace may at least partially extend over the window of the dielectric layer.

Abstract: A head support unit includes a head used to record information in or reproduce the information from the recording medium, a suspension that supports the head, and a lift tab that is connected to the suspension, and slides on a sliding surface of a ramp loading unit which holds the head outside the recording medium in loading the head onto the recording medium and in unloading the head from the recording medium, wherein the lift tab inclines from a connection part with the suspension relative to a surface of the recording medium, and a contact position between the lift tab and the sliding surface moves on the lift tab as the suspension moves.

Abstract: Systems and methods for flexure based shock and vibration sensor for head suspensions in hard disk drives. Specifically, this invention deals with operational shock and vibration management within a hard disk drive. In one implementation, the assembly includes a circuit embedded optical waveguide sensor that includes a flexible electrical circuit board with a configuration of either a single or multi layers of conductor traces, a thin flexure gimbal for carrying and flying a HDD slider, a consecutive sensing layer constructed by an optical core and by clad construction with a configuration of either a single core array or a plural core array, an optical loop formed by light input and an output core, optical grating disposed on the consecutive sensing layer forming an optical grating waveguide sensor, a light emitter for injecting light into the optical core, and a receiver receiving the output light from the optical core.

Abstract: A head gimbal assembly (HGA) connector pad alignment jig is disclosed. One embodiment provides an HGA testing jig for holding an HGA, the HGA testing jig including an opening at a location of the HGA connector pads. In addition, an HGA testing apparatus including a disk for testing the HGA and a controller with a plurality of pin connectors for providing control information to the HGA during a testing process. Thus, the present technology provides an alignment adjuster for adjusting the location of the pin connectors with respect to the connector pads to ensure a good electrical connection between the HGA connector pads and the pin connectors.

Abstract: A flexure includes a base and a pair of beams coupled to the base at fixed-ends. The pair of beams are joined by a cross-beam at free-ends of the beams. A tongue extends from the cross-beam between the pair of beams towards the base. The flexure also includes a bend in each of the beams, which displaces the free ends out-of-plane relative to the fixed ends.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the vibration characteristics of a head gimbal assembly can grasp resonant characteristics at high frequencies and efficiently measure the vibration characteristics of the head gimbal assembly, the apparatus has a shaker head to which the head gimbal assembly is attached, the shaker head has a main body made of ceramics and a fixture made of metal, the fixture is solidly fixed to the main body and is provided with positioning pins and an internal thread, the head gimbal assembly is supported with a mount block, and the mount block has positioning holes to be fitted to the positioning pins of the fixture and a joined part to be removably fastened to the internal thread of the fixture.

Abstract: A head gimbal assembly comprises a micro-actuator and a suspension. The suspension provides a single channel electrically connecting a bonding terminal of the suspension with the micro-actuator for controlling the movement of the micro-actuator. Thus the head gimbal assembly has a simple layout of a single channel to control the micro-actuator. The present invention also discloses a head gimbal assembly avoiding the occurrence of cross-talk, a flexible printed cable utilizing a common voltage lead to reduce its size, a head stack assembly with alternately arranged and stacked head gimbal assemblies which reduces or even prevents suspension and arm vibration resonance as well as avoids sliders from off-track and out of TMR budget, and a disk drive unit with such head stack assembly.

Abstract: The present invention includes a gimbal having a plurality of forwards struts extending from a central portion of a transducer-carrying apparatus and terminating in a forward suspension attachment portion. A plurality of rear struts also extend from a central portion of the transducer-carrying apparatus and terminate in a rear suspension attachment portion. The width of the gimbal is narrower than the width of the supporting suspension. A method of making the gimbal includes photo-patterning a foil substrate with an insulative material in the shape of struts. Bond pads are plated onto the foil substrate, which serve as the forward and rear attachment portions to the suspension, as well as attachment portions to the transducer-carrying apparatus. Supportive gimbal springs are etched onto the insulative undercoat of the foil substrate.

Abstract: The thin-film magnetic head of the invention comprises a magneto-resistive effect device of the CPP (current perpendicular to plane) structure including a multilayer film comprising a stack of a fixed magnetization layer, a nonmagnetic layer and a free layer stacked one upon another in order, with a sense current applied in the stacking direction of the multilayer film, and an upper shield layer and a lower shield layer with the magneto-resistive effect device held between them in the thickness direction, and further comprises a bias magnetic field-applying layer located at each end of the multilayer film in the widthwise direction and a re-magnetizer unit designed such that when the bias magnetic field-applying layers malfunction, they are re-magnetized to go back to normal.

Abstract: A slider has a slider substrate, an electromagnetic transducer, a waveguide for receiving light from a surface on the side opposite from a medium-opposing surface and guiding the light to the medium-opposing surface side, and a device electrode electrically connected to the electromagnetic transducer. A light source unit includes a light source supporting substrate, a light source, and a lead extending from the slider side to the side opposite from the slider and having both end parts exposed at a surface of the light source unit. The device electrode of the slider is exposed at the surface of the slider on the side opposite from the medium-opposing surface without being covered with the light source unit. An end part on the slider side of the lead of the light source unit is soldered to the device electrode of the slider.