Abstract: A device according to one embodiment includes a substrate; and a plurality of thin films above the substrate, the thin films having at least one dielectric layer; wherein the at least one dielectric layer has a more crystalline structure towards a first end thereof than towards an end thereof opposite the first end. A magnetic head according to one embodiment includes a substrate; and a plurality of thin films above the substrate, the thin films having at least one transducer formed therein and at least one dielectric layer; wherein the at least one dielectric layer has a more crystalline structure towards a media facing end thereof than towards an end thereof opposite the media facing end.

Abstract: A spindle motor includes a stationary portion defined by a base portion, a stator core arranged on the side of an upper surface of the base portion, and a coil attached to the stator core. A rotating portion includes a magnet arranged on a radially inner side of the stator core, a first supporting surface which is in contact with a lower surface of a disk, and a disk supporting portion arranged on a radially outer side than the magnet. The stator core includes a ring-shaped core back, and a plurality of teeth. The disk supporting portion is positioned radially outward from a radially inner end portion of the teeth and radially inward from the coil. The radially inner end portion of the teeth, the disk supporting portion, and the coil overlap in the radial direction.

Abstract: A disk drive device comprises: a hub; a base rotatably supporting the hub via a bearing; a core fixed to the base; a cylindrical magnet fixed to the hub; and a suction plate fixed to the base, the suction plate being arranged to face the cylindrical magnet in a direction along the rotational axis and made of magnetic material. The suction plate is arranged so that the minimum distance between the suction plate and the rotational axis is greater than the minimum distance between the cylindrical magnet and the rotational axis. A projection area created by projecting the cylindrical magnet onto a plane that is perpendicular to the rotational axis partially overlaps a projection area created by projecting the suction plate onto the plane.

Abstract: A circuit board for supplying therethrough an electric current to a stator including windings arranged to generate magnetic fields includes a body portion having a rectangular shape when seen in a plan view and mounted with electronic parts, and an extension portion protruding from the body portion substantially along a circumferential direction around a rotation axis of the motor when seen in a plan view. The extension portion includes a distal end extension opposed to the body portion through a gap when seen in a plan view. The transverse width of the extension portion is smaller than the gap. The body portion includes an outward connector portion connected to an external power source or an external circuit board. The extension portion includes a winding connection portion connected to the outward connector portion through a wiring portion. The windings are soldered to the winding connection portion.

Abstract: A head assembly includes a slider having a head element, a load beam, a fulcrum formed at a top end section of the load beam, a slider support plate for supporting the slider to freely turn around the fulcrum, at least one drive element for applying a turning force to the slider support plate in a plane thereof, a first linear link part having at both ends a first top end joint part mechanically connected to the slider support plate, and a first base end joint part mechanically connected to the load beam, and a second linear link part having at both ends a second top end joint part mechanically connected to the slider support plate, and a second base end joint part mechanically connected to the load beam. Both of an extended line of the first linear link part and an extended line of the second linear link part travel toward a position of the fulcrum and intersect with each other.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic recording tape includes a plurality of servo tracks, each servo track comprising a series of magnetically defined bars having an average height of between about 80 microns and about 120 microns, wherein an average stripe angle of the bars is between about 10° and about 25°. A stripe angle is measured between a longitudinal axis of each respective bar and a line oriented perpendicular to a direction of tape travel and parallel to a plane of the tape, wherein an average stripe width of the bars is between about 1.0 micron and about 2.2 microns and an average servo frame length of groups of the bars comprising a servo frame is between about 120 microns and about 180 microns. In more embodiments, a servo format and a system including a servo format are disclosed, along with other embodiments of magnetic tapes.

Abstract: A filter, including a direct-current (DC) tracking unit, a subtracter and a control unit, is provided. The DC tracking unit extracts a DC component of a radio-frequency (RF) signal and accordingly generates a level signal. The subtracter subtracts the level signal from the RF signal to generate a RF coupling signal. The control unit determines whether to transmit a setting signal to the DC tracking unit according to the level variation of the RF coupling signal, so as to adjust a characteristic parameter of the DC tracking unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a spindle motor for an optical disc drive. The spindle motor comprises a turntable unit and an anti-slipping element. The turntable unit has a disc mounting stand, which has a first outer diameter. The anti-slipping element is disposed on said turntable unit and has a first inner diameter, wherein the difference between the first outer diameter and the first inner diameter is less than or equal to 8 mm.

Abstract: A hard disk damping device is disclosed, which includes a hard disk having at least one long side and at least one short side, a side bracket disposed on the long side and having at least one salient, and at least one damping structure disposed on the side bracket. The damping structure has plural protrusions disposed on a surface of the damping structure. The damping structure has at least one slot to couple to the salient.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a disk drive includes a housing, a drive unit configured to drive a disk recording medium in the housing, and a head actuator configured to support a head. A wall portion of the housing includes a first rib formed into a circular arc having a first center C1 and a second rib formed into another circular arc having a second center C2 different from the first center.

Abstract: A hard disk driving circuit for reducing a maximum amount of current for driving a spindle motor, and a method of driving the spindle motor. The hard disk driving circuit include spindle motor, a spindle motor driving circuit driving the spindle motor, a control circuit controlling the spindle motor driving circuit, and a plurality of functional blocks related to driving a hard disk, and further includes a mask clock signal generator generating a mask clock signal that is inactivated for a period of time when the spindle motor is driven, by using the clock signal. At least one selected from the group consisting of the control circuit, the spindle motor driving circuit, and the plurality of functional blocks operates according to the mask clock signal.

Abstract: A disk drive device includes a bearing unit and a drive unit. The bearing unit includes: a shaft; a sleeve configured to allow relative rotation, with the shaft as the axis; a flange projected in the radial direction of the shaft and configured to rotate integrally with the shaft; a flange housing space portion provided continuously from the sleeve and configured to rotatably house the flange; a counter plate structured with both a first surface, which faces the end surface in the axial direction of the flange and seals the flange housing space portion, and a second surface that is opposite to the first surface. The projected dimension of the flange is designed to be larger than the wall thickness of the flange surrounding wall portion in the radial direction of the flange, the flange surrounding wall portion defining the flange housing space portion.

Abstract: Embodiments of a computer system that includes a vibration-cancelling mode, and a related method and computer-program product (e.g., software) for use with the computer system, are described. During operation, a processor monitors operations in the computer system, and may select either the vibration-cancelling mode or an inactive mode based on the monitored operations. For example, the processor may select the vibration-cancelling mode when there are input/output-(I/O) intensive workloads to an array of one or more hard disk drives (HDDs) in the computer system. In this way, the processor may reduce the energy consumption associated with vibration-induced retries to the HDDs (and reduced I/O throughput) without increasing the energy consumption associated with active vibration damping at other times, such as when the computer system is idle or during processor-intensive workloads.

Abstract: A fluid dynamic bearing apparatus includes a first minute gap, a second minute gap, a third minute gap, a fourth minute gap, and a fifth minute gap. A flow of a lubricating oil from the fifth minute gap to the fourth minute gap is caused by a plurality of dynamic pressure generating grooves arranged within the fluid dynamic bearing apparatus. This flow causes air bubbles mixed in the lubricating oil within the fifth minute gap to flow toward the third minute gap and be discharged to an outside through the third minute gap. In addition, a flow of the lubricating oil into the third minute gap caused by a centrifugal force accompanying rotation is inhibited.

Abstract: For an apparatus determining whether or not an HDD is started by barometric pressure information or the like, there are provided a navigation apparatus, an operation control device, an operation control method, and an operation control program, that enable shortening of a time from a power-on to starting-up of the HDD. The present application is the operation control device which controls the operation of the HDD by giving an instruction to the HDD to control the operation of the HDD, the operation control device including: a recording means for recording a previous closing information indicative of whether or not the operation of the operation control device normally ends by a previous power-off and an operation control means for giving an instruction of starting the operation to the HDD in a case where the operation has been normally ended at a time of starting the operation control device by the power-on.

Abstract: The present invention provides a multilayer tape for simultaneously providing shielding of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and evidence of tampering with an electronic device to which it is applied. The multilayer tape can be attached to an electronic device to cover a seam or other opening in the electronic device. An embossed surface provides evidence of the disruption of the tape, and the tape includes a conductive adhesive to provide EMI shielding. The multilayer tape is particularly useful for sealing the seams of a disk drive device.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium has data track patterns formed by concave/convex patterns in data recording regions on at least one surface of a substrate and servo patterns formed by concave/convex patterns in servo pattern regions between the data recording regions. The concave/convex patterns include convexes, at least protruding end portions of which are formed of magnetic material, and concaves. A burst pattern region of each servo pattern region includes N (where N is at least two) burst regions, in which burst patterns, where plural burst signal unitary parts are aligned along a direction of rotation, are formed as the servo patterns. The burst signal unitary parts formed in M (where M is no greater than (N?1)) out of the N burst regions are concaves, and the burst signal unitary parts formed in L (where L is equal to (N?M)) out of the N burst regions are convexes.

Abstract: A disk drive and a method for operating the disk drive compensates for rotational vibration (RV) by adaptively modifying the gains of two separate linear vibration sensors so the sensor gains are optimal under any given condition. The two sensors provide two signals S1, S2, respectively, to the disk drive's servo control processor that generates the control signal to the voice coil motor (VCM) actuator that controls the positioning of the read/write head. The processor uses S1, S2 and the head position error signal (PES) as inputs to run an adaptive RV feedforward (RVFF) algorithm. The adaptive RVFF algorithm takes the PES and sensor outputs S1 and S2 as inputs, mathematically determines the required correction to the sensor gain factors k1 and k2, respectively, and then adjusts the gain factors k1 and k2 accordingly. Each signal S1, S2 is then modified by its adjusted gain factor k1, k2, respectively.

Abstract: Disclosed are various techniques for reduction of the magnitude of the residual stress in the HDD gimbal circuits, or more specifically, the residual plastic strain. Various trace structures of the gimbal circuits as well as stress suppressors are utilized to achieve the reduction of the residual stress in the circuit.

Abstract: A visible pattern is obtained by modulating the digital sum value. Because the digital sum value modulation allows the choice of several different channel bits groups between DC control points, the selection of a group of channel bits resulting in a change of reflection. This creation of a visible pattern is highly suitable for Blueray as the parity preserving property of the channel code guarantees disparity inversion by the DC-control bit, which keeps the DSV excursions between hard limits. As a result only small DSV deliberate variations are required to produce a visual watermark, which will not deteriorate the bit-detection margin of the optical disc.

Abstract: A method of performing data/information recording and retrieval utilizing a multilevel patterned magnetic medium, comprises providing a magnetic recording system including a read/write head and a multilevel patterned magnetic recording medium including a plurality of spaced apart data/information storage elements each comprising a stacked plurality n of magnetic recording cells with different magnetic properties and magnetically decoupled from overlying and/or underlying cells; providing relative movement between the write head and magnetic recording medium; and writing to the medium by supplying the write head with a modulated write current comprising a plurality n of pulses of different magnitudes while the head passes over each element, thereby applying n different magnetic field strengths to each element, the write current including a first pulse of magnitude sufficient to write to a first cell of each element having a highest magnetic coercivity of said cells, and n?1 succeeding pulses of progressively s

Abstract: Described is a tape library which can generally include a tape drive, a tape cartridge that possesses a medium auxiliary memory device, a device for reading information retained on the medium auxiliary memory device and a program that runs on a processor capable of manipulating information received by the reading device. The tape cartridge's medium auxiliary memory device can contain at least one record of a previous access event, such as an approximate point in time when the tape cartridge is loaded in the tape drive. The program may be operable to determine how much time has elapsed from the access event. Knowledge of the elapsed time can, among other things, cause an action to be taken relative to the tape cartridge and/or the data thereon. A method of using the system is also described.

Abstract: An optical disc reproducing apparatus includes: a decode processing circuit configured to generate decoded data by decoding encoded data read out from an optical disc such that the decoded data is written into a buffer memory, and to output a write signal to indicate a data rate when the decoded data is written in the buffer memory. A data processing circuit converts the decoded data read out from the buffer memory into an output data, and outputs a read signal to indicate a data rate when the decoded data is read out from the buffer memory. An optical disc rotation control circuit controls a number of rotations of the optical disc based on the write signal and the read signal.

Abstract: An apparatus for accessing storage media, having an actuator base and an actuator carrier, where for compact design and low material cost, an elastic connection pressing the actuator carrier against the actuator base is a straight piece of spring wire.