Apparatus for laser texturing disks

USRE37145E · kind E · reissue

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Michael Barenboim · Boca Raton, US
• Peter Michael Baumgart · San Diego, US
• Peter P. Chrusch · Boynton Beach, US
• Benjamin Karni · San Jose, US
• Pieter J. Kerstens · Boca Raton, US
• Thao A. Nguyen · San Jose, US
• Hong S. Seing · San Jose, US
• Andrew Ching Tam · Saratoga, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 13, 1999
• Grant date: Apr 24, 2001
• Expiry date: Aug 13, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC —): General

Abstract

A disk texturing tool is used, for example, to provide textured spots in an annular portion of both sides of a hardfile disk. Disks are moved into and out of the texturing process in cassettes, through two disk-handling stations. In each disk-handling station, a lifter raises each individual disk from the cassette. The individual disk is then transferred to a pick-and-place mechanism, which moves it to a spindle. The spindle spins and translates the disk, so that both sides of the disk are exposed to beams derived from a pulsed laser. The pick-and-place mechanism then returns the disk to the lifter, which lowers it into the cassette pocket from which it was taken. The pick-and-place mechanism simultaneously moves one disk from the lifter to the spindle and another from the spindle to the lifter. While disks are moved by the pick-and-place mechanism of one disk-handling station, a disk in the spindle of the other disk-handling station is exposed to the laser beams.