Disk drive having reduced variation of disk surface lubricant layer thickness
AssigneeHitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
InventorsBruno Marchon, Qing Dai, Ferdinand Hendriks, Ullal Vasant Nayak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A disk drive having a layer of lubricant on a disk surface, where an undesirable lubricant layer thickness modulation is reduced by varying ω/f during operation of the disk drive. Here ω is the angular velocity of the disk and f is a resonant frequency of a head assembly containing the head. In this manner, the amplitude of the lubricant thickness modulation is decreased, improving disk drive performance. The ratio ω/f is preferably varied by varying the disk angular velocity ω.
Claims12
A disk drive comprising:
- a) a magnetic recording disk having a layer of lubricant on a surface of said disk;
- b) a head assembly comprising a read/write head positioned in proximity to said magnetic recording disk;
- c) a motor for rotating said disk at an angular velocity ω;
- d) means for varying ω during operation of the disk drive, whereby thickness variation of said layer of lubricant is reduced;
- and
- wherein said read/write head and said disk are separated when said thickness variation of said layer of lubricant is reduced.
A method for operating a disk drive comprising:
- a) providing a magnetic recording disk having a lubricant layer on a surface of said disk;
- b) providing a head assembly in proximity to said disk, said head assembly comprising a read/write head;
- c) rotating said disk at an angular velocity ω;
- d) varying ω during operation of the disk drive, whereby thickness variation of said layer of lubricant is reduced;
- and
- e) separating said read/write head and said disk when said thickness variation of said layer of lubricant is reduced.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.