Slider that dynamically adjusts the head-to-disk spacing in a disk drive
US7724480B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 14, 2006 |
| Grant date | May 25, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 22, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B5/6005
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A disk drive includes a drive circuitry, a storage disk and a slider having a slider body. The storage disk has a data surface, and the slider magnetically interacts with the storage disk to transmit a signal between the storage disk and the drive circuitry. The slider includes a leading surface, an opposed trailing surface, a data transducer positioned near the trailing surface, and a piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element receives a driving voltage from the drive circuitry to adjust a distance between the data transducer and the data surface. The slider includes a piezoelectric element supporter having a modulus of elasticity of less than that of the slider body and/or the piezoelectric element. In one embodiment, the piezoelectric element supporter is positioned between the slider body and the piezoelectric element and/or the data transducer. Further, in this embodiment, the piezoelectric element may or may not have one or more exposed surfaces.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.