Recordable disc with fluid bearing features

• US 20080174915A1
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Amin, Nurul, Rafaelof, Menachem, White, Andrew D., Hipwell, Roger L., Bonin, Wayne A., Pendray, John R., Leuthold, Hans L., Ver Meer, Bradley J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,957,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 360/234
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/123 Mounting arrangements of constructional parts onto a chassis

Abstract

A device comprises a fluid bearing including a textured fluid bearing surface and a second surface and a recordable disc. The recordable disc includes a substrate, a recordable media layer on the substrate, and at least one of the textured fluid bearing surface and the second surface. The device may be manufactured using MEMS techniques. MEMS techniques provide the high precision necessary to create the textured fluid bearing surface. MEMS techniques also allow the recordable disc to be batch-fabricated with one or more additional recordable discs.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a fluid bearing including a textured fluid bearing surface and a second surface; and

a recordable disc, the recordable disc including,

a substrate,

a recordable media layer on the substrate, and

at least one of the textured fluid bearing surface and the second surface.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the recordable disc is one of at least two recordable discs batch-fabricated on the substrate.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is manufactured using MEMS manufacturing processes.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the recordable disc includes a flexible portion.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the flexible portion includes at least one of the textured fluid bearing surface and the second surface.

6. The device of claim 4, further comprising one or more electrodes that secure the recordable disc when the device is not operating.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the fluid bearing surface is substantially parallel to the recordable media layer.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the fluid bearing constrains the recordable disc about a substantially fixed axis.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the recordable disc further includes a thin-film lubrication layer.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the thin-film lubrication layer is on top of the one of the group consisting of the textured fluid bearing surface and the second surface.

11. The device of claim 10, further comprising a head that reads data from the recordable media layer, wherein the one of the group consisting of the textured fluid bearing surface and the second surface includes a landing zone for the head that reads data from the recordable media layer.

12. The device of claim 10, further comprising a head that reads data from the recordable media layer, wherein the thin-film lubrication layer covers a landing zone for the head.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the thin-film lubrication layer is selected from a group consisting of:

diamond-like carbon; and

PolyTetraFluoroEthylene.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the fluid bearing is on the same side of the recordable disc as the recordable media layer.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the fluid bearing surface is part of a multi-level support bearing.

16. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one permanent magnet that levitates the recordable disc during operation of the disc drive.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the recordable disc rotates at a rotational velocity of greater than 25,000 revolutions per minute.

18. The device of claim 1,

wherein the fluid bearing a first fluid bearing,

wherein the first fluid bearing is located on a first side of the recordable disc,

the device further comprising a second fluid bearing located on a second side of the recordable disc and opposite to the first fluid bearing,

wherein the recordable disc is suspended between the first fluid bearing and the second fluid bearing during operation of the disc drive.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate of the recordable disc is a spin-on glass.

20. A device comprising:

a recordable media including,

a substrate,

a recordable media layer on the substrate, and

a thin-film lubrication layer on the recordable media layer;

a head used to communicate with the recordable media, wherein the thin-film lubrication layer provides lubrication between the recordable media and the head;

a housing; and

a fluid bearing including a surface of the housing and a surface of the recordable media.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the thin-film lubrication layer is selected from a group consisting of:

diamond-like carbon; and

PolyTetraFluoroEthylene.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the recordable media is one of at least two recordable discs batch-fabricated on the substrate.

23. The device of claim 20, wherein the recordable media layer is magnetically recordable.

24. The device of claim 20, wherein the device is manufactured using MEMS manufacturing processes.

25. A disc drive comprising:

a recordable disc including a first surface and a second surface; and

a housing including a third surface and fourth surface;

wherein the first surface and third surface combine to form a first fluid bearing adjacent to a first side of the recordable disc,

wherein the second surface and fourth surface combine to form a second fluid bearing adjacent to a second side of the recordable disc and opposite to the first side of the recordable disc,

wherein the recordable disc is suspended between the first fluid bearing and the second fluid bearing during operation of the disc drive.

26. The disc drive of claim 25, wherein the recordable disc rotates at a rotational velocity of greater than 25,000 revolutions per minute.

27. The disc drive of claim 25, the recordable disc is flexible and the first and second fluid bearing surfaces constrain the disc in a substantially fixed plane.

28. The disc drive of claim 25, further comprising a hub at the center of the recordable disc, wherein the hub includes a third fluid bearing at the interface of the recordable disc and the hub.

29. The disc drive of claim 28, wherein the recordable disc includes an annular chuck mechanism at the interface of the recordable disc and the hub.

30. The disc drive of claim 29, wherein the annular chuck mechanism comprises a piezoelectric material.

31. The disc drive of claim 25, further comprising a third fluid bearing at an outer diameter of the recordable disc, wherein the third fluid bearing surface constrains the recordable disc to about a substantially fixed axis.

32. The disc drive of claim 25, further comprising:

an actuator assembly including an actuator arm; and

a motion limiter to prevent the actuator assembly from contacting the recordable disc, wherein the motion limiter is located at a distance of less than 25 micrometers from the actuator arm.

33. A method of fabricating recordable discs for disc drives comprising:

forming recordable media layer on a substrate;

forming a textured fluid bearing surface on the substrate; and

partitioning the substrate to form at least two recordable discs from the substrate.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising forming a thin-film lubrication layer on the substrate.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the recordable media layer is magnetically recordable.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein forming a textured fluid bearing surface on the substrate includes using at least one MEMS manufacturing process.