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Flying head with adjustable actuator load

  • US 6,178,157 B1
  • Filed: 02/21/1997
  • Issued: 01/23/2001
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1996
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A flying head mechanism having a controllable load force, for flying an optical head at a flying height between a minimum glide height which is just greater than a height of asperities on a recording medium and a height at which evanescent wave coupling at a wavelength of interest occurs, the mechanism comprising:

  • a suspension;

    an optical head having an air bearing surface and a solid inmersion lens (SIL), the head being mounted by the suspension such that relative motion between a surface of the recording medium and the air bearing surface will cause an air bearing to develop therebetween;

    a force actuator, connected to the suspension, to apply an adjustable load force to the head through the suspension in opposition to a separating force generated by the air bearing, the force actuator having a control input to receive a control signal and being responsive to the control signal to adjust the load force; and

    a controller having a control output, connected to the control input of the force actuator, that carries the control signal, the controller generating the control signal, to cause the actuator to produce a load force which acts to substantially maintain the head at the flying height between the minimum glide height just greater than the height of asperities above the surface of the recording medium and the height at which evanescent wave coupling at the wavelength of interest occurs.

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