| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090061735 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IN-SITU RECORDING HEAD BURNISHING - Systems and methods are provided for burnishing a recording head in-situ in a magnetic recording disk drive. The burnishing process generates a tribocurrent, which is electricity generated by the rubbing of dissimilar materials. Different materials exhibit widely different tribocurrent characteristics while in sliding contact. The tribocurrent thus acts as an indicator of the particular materials of the recording head making contact with the magnetic recording media during different stages of the burnishing process. The tribocurrent is thus monitored to determine when it reaches a threshold value. The threshold value indicates that the burnishing has exposed a particular material of the recording head. Thus, the burnishing process may be stopped upon the tribocurrent reaching the threshold value so that the read sensor of the recording head is not burnished and inadvertently damaged. | 03-05-2009 |
| 20090109569 | APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR GUIDED GROWTH OF PATTERNED MEDIA USING MONODISPERSE NANOSPHERES - An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for guided growth of patterned media using monodisperse nanospheres. The apparatus includes nanoscale features extending from a substrate. The nanoscale features may be formed using electron-beam lithography and have a non-uniform cap. A spherical cap is formed on the non-uniform cap by hydrolysis and precipitation of monodisperse nanospheres on an immobilized nucleation site, the immobilized nucleation site attached with one end of the nanoscale feature. The system includes the apparatus and further includes monodisperse nanospheres formed of silicon dioxide spheres. The method includes providing a substrate, etching at least one nanoscale feature extending from the substrate, the feature formed using electron-beam lithography and having a non-uniform cap, forming an immobilized nucleation site, and forming a spherical cap by hydrolysis and precipitation of monodisperse nanospheres on the immobilized nucleation site, the immobilized nucleation site attached with one end of the nanoscale feature. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090130490 | APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR THE SELECTION OF PERPENDICULAR MEDIA SEGREGANT MATERIALS - A method for improving magnetic grain segregation in perpendicular recording media includes providing a substrate comprising a rigid support structure, depositing a soft underlayer on top of the substrate depositing an intermediate layer on top of the soft underlayer, providing a plurality of prospective segregants, determining the surface energies and the heat of formation of the prospective segregants and selecting the prospective segregant with a low surface energy and a high heat of formation. The method also includes providing at least one layer with surface energies progressively increasing to minimize the difference between the surface energy of a carbon overcoat and the segregant. | 05-21-2009 |
| 20090139314 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING TRUE ROUGHNESS OF GRANULAR MEDIA - The true roughness of highly granular perpendicular media is measured by forming an inverse replica of the surface of the media. The invention enables AFM measurements of granular media valley depth to more consistently predict the corrosion performance of the media. A liquid resist is used to first replicate the media topography and form the inverse replica. The narrow valleys in the original media are precisely modeled as sharp peaks on the replica. The height of the peaks are readily measured with an AFM tip. The resulting image is a negative of the original surface. | 06-04-2009 |
| 20090165539 | GLIDE TEST HEADS USING HEATING ELEMENTS TO FORM A PLANAR DETECTION SURFACE - Glide test systems and associated methods are described. A glide test system includes a glide test head that is flown over the surface of a recording disk to detect asperities on the recording disk. The glide test head includes a detection pad on the trailing end of the head. Heating elements are fabricated proximate to the detection pad. The heating elements are independently controllable to control the amount of protrusion of different regions of the detection pad. The heating elements thus provide a way to substantially flatten the detection surface of the detection pad, and compensate for an uneven topography on a detection surface. | 07-02-2009 |
| 20090244769 | Scheme to protect media and head against corrosion/oxidation in a hard disk drive - Oxygen scavenger for use in a hard disk drive. The oxygen scavenger removes oxygen from an interior of a hard disk drive to prevent corrosion of corrodible materials in magnetic media or magnetic heads. The oxygen scavenger is incorporated into a film so that it uses a limited physical space within an interior of the hard disk drive. The hard disk drive is either permeable to the outside environment or sealed so that gases from the outside environment are unable to enter the interior of the hard disk drive. | 10-01-2009 |
| 20090274847 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS TO PREVENT THE FORMATION OF LUBRICANT LINES ON MAGNETIC MEDIA - A system for preventing the accumulation of excess lubrication in the form of lubricant lines on magnetic media disks for hard disk drives uses a mandrel design that produces negligible surface waves when the disks are dipped in lubricant baths. The mandrel has inverted tear drop shaped supports for the disks. The supports are smaller in overall size than an inner diameter hole formed in the disks and diminish the formation of waves in the lubricant bath. | 11-05-2009 |
| 20100034966 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PLANARIZING MEDIA TOPOGRAPHY VIA SOAKING IN DILUTE NON-FUNCTIONALIZED POLYMER SOLUTION - A method for planarizing media disk surfaces with a polymer solution is disclosed. A non-functionalized lubricant is used to coat the disk surfaces without dewetting issues. The polymer is applied via soaking in a diluted solution for several minutes. The interaction of the polymer with the disk surface leads to preferential adsorption of lubricant into the valleys of the topography on the disk surface. | 02-11-2010 |
| 20100103557 | Lubricant with non-terminal functional groups - Lubricant with non-terminal functional groups. The location of the functional groups minimizes free chain length and molecular weight of a lubricant while simultaneously maximizing evaporation temperature. The locations of the functional groups to the backbone of the molecule of the lubricant allows for shorter lengths of free backbone length between functional groups attached to a lubricated surface. The lubricant lubricates mechanical devices including hard disk drives. | 04-29-2010 |
| 20100165512 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MASTER PATTERN GENERATION, INCLUDING SERVO PATTERNS, FOR ULTRA-HIGH DENSITY DISCRETE TRACK MEDIA USING E-BEAM AND SELF-ASSEMBLY OF BLOCK COPOLYMER MICRODOMAINS - A system, method, and apparatus for forming a high quality master pattern for patterned media, including features to support servo patterns, is disclosed. Block copolymer self-assembly is used to facilitate the formation of a track pattern with narrower tracks. E-beam lithography forms a chemical contrast pattern of concentric rings, where the spacing of the rings is equal to an integral multiple of the target track pitch. The rings include regions within each servo sector header where the rings are offset radially by a fraction of a track pitch. Self-assembly is performed to form a new ring pattern at the target track pitch on top of the chemical contrast pattern, including the radial offsets in the servo sector headers. When this pattern is transferred to disks via nanoimprinting and etching, it creates tracks separated by nonmagnetic grooves, with the grooves and tracks including the radial offset regions. | 07-01-2010 |
| 20100233940 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR POLISHING A MAGNETIC DISK - A polishing system and associated methods are described for polishing a magnetic disk used in a disk drive system. The polishing system includes a polishing film that is used to polish the magnetic disk. The polishing system also includes an actuator operable to move the polishing film across a surface of the magnetic disk to polish the magnetic disk. The polishing system also includes a pad having at least one protrusion extending from a surface of the pad. The protrusion is configured to contact the polishing film and press the polishing film against the magnetic disk. The protrusion is operable to compress to about the surface of the pad when in contact with the polishing film. Once polishing is complete, the pad retracts from the polishing film and the protrusion extends from the pad, reducing the adhesion force between the pad and the polishing film. | 09-16-2010 |
| 20100266754 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROCESSING A MAGNETIC DISK - A system and associated methods are described for preparing a magnetic disk for installation within a disk drive system. For example, a polyfunctional lubricant may be mixed with a chemical agent to esterify the polyfunctional lubricant and cap hydroxyl groups of the polyfunctional lubricant. The magnetic disk may then be dip coated with the polyfunctional lubricant and chemical agent mixture. A polishing system then polishes the magnetic disk via an abrasive polishing tape after dip coating the magnetic disk. A portion of the chemical agent is then removed from the magnetic disk to bond a portion of the lubricant to the magnetic disk to prevent the lubricant from interfering with a read/write head when installed within a disk drive system. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20110032640 | MULTI-LAYER, THIN FILM OVERCOAT FOR MAGNETIC MEDIA DISK - A thin film magnetic disk overcoat for perpendicular magnetic recording media comprises three layers. The initial layer comprises a dense mixture of both SiC | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110157739 | NEGATIVE BIASING A SLIDER WITH RESPECT TO A DISK TO REDUCE SLIDER WEAR AND PROVIDE BURNISH RATE CONTROL - In a method for negatively biasing a slider with respect to a disk to reduce slider wear and provide burnish rate control a negative bias voltage is generated between the slider and the disk surface respectively, the negative bias voltage causing slider/disk contact wear to occur on the disk instead of on the slider. | 06-30-2011 |
