High-density image sensors rave microlens array to improve photosensitivity. It is conventionally fabricated by reflow process. The reflow process has some weak points. UV imprinting process can be proposed as an alternative process to integrate microlens array on photodiodes. In this study, the UV imprionting process to integrate microlens array on image sensor was developed using UV transparent flexible mold and simulated image sensor substrate. The UV transparent flexible mold was fabricated by replicating master pattern using siliconacrylate photopolymer. The releasing property and shape accuacy of siliconacrylate mold was analysed. After UV imprinting process, replication quality and align accuracy was analysed.

In this research, a wafer-level transfer method of cantilever away on a conventional CMOS circuit has been developed for high density probe-based data storage. The transferred cantilevers were silicon nitride ($Si_3N_4$) cantilevers integrated with poly silicon heaters and piezoelectric sensors, called thermo-piezoelectric $Si_3N_4$ cantilevers. In this process, we did not use a SOI wafer but a conventional p-type wafer for the fabrication of the thermo-piezoelectric $Si_3N_4$ cantilever arrays. Furthermore, we have developed a very simple transfer process, requiring only one step of cantilever transfer process for the integration of the CMOS wafer and cantilevers. Using this process, we have fabricated a single thermo-piezoelectric $Si_3N_4$ cantilever, and recorded 65nm data bits on a PMMA film and confirmed a charge signal at 5nm of cantilever deflection. And we have successfully applied this method to transfer 34 by 34 thermo-piezoelectric $Si_3N_4$ cantilever arrays on a CMOS wafer. We obtained reading signals from one of the cantilevers.

Stamper surface temperature is very critical in replicating the high density optical disc substrates using injection molding as the pit or land/groove patterns on the optical disc substrate have decreased due to the rapid increase of areal density. During the filling stage, the polymer melt in the vicinity of the stamper surfaces rapidly solidifies and the solidified layer generated during polymer filling greatly deteriorates transcribability and fluidity of polymer melt. To improve transcribability and fluidity of polymer melt, stamper surface temperature should be controlled such that the growth of the solidified layer is delayed during the filling stage. In this study, the effect of heating on replication process was simulated numerically. Then, an injection mold equipped with instant active heating system was designed and constructed to raise the stamper surface temperature over the glass transition temperature during filling stage of the injection molding. Also, the closed loop controller using the Kalman filter and the linear quadratic Gaussian regulator was designed. As a result. the stamper surface temperature was controlled according to the desired reference stamper surface temperature.

Study for toner adhesion is 3non as an important role in electrophotography. In this research, a centrifugal detachment method was used to measure the adhesion force of several hundred particles simultaneously and to determine its sensitivity to particle size. For uncharged toner particles, we estimated the van der Waals force based on the centrifugal force experiments. Then for charged toner particles, the centrifugal force experiments were carried out. The difference between the results for charged toner particles and the results for uncharged toner particles was compared with the image force calculated from a model which assumed that the toner charge was located at the center of the particle. In the calculations, experimental data obtained by E-SPART (Electrical-Single Particle Aerodynamic Relaxation Time) analyzer were used. The adhesion force of micro-sized toner particles deposited on the DR surface was found to be approximately $1{\sim}3$ nN.

The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of the flexibility of HDD base plates on spindle vibration via theoretical predictions and experimental measurements. The flexibility of the base plate can significantly affect HDD spindle vibration. This is the most prominent feature in 2.5 inch HDD. Nevertheless, theoretical analysis of the spindle vibration often neglects the flexibility of the non-rotating part including spindle, base plate, and top cover. Our theoretical model developed in University of Washington can include the flexibilities of spindle and base plate. As a result, our theoretical prediction generally agrees well with our experimental measurements in vibration analysis. Moreover, because of its small form factor, industrial practice is to use flanged disks instead of regular disks in vibration testing of prototypes. Our experimental measurements indicate that flanged disks and regular disks have very different behavior when the frequency is above 1 KHz.

A novel method to find interaction dynamics between focusing direction and tracking direction in an optical pick-up is proposed. and the decoupling control to reduce the interaction effect is discussed. First, the basic principle to detect dynamic interaction analysis using back electromotive force is introduced. Second, the interaction analysis between focusing and tracking direction of is analyzed for a commercial slim type optical pick-up. Finally. decoupling control process and its simulation results are shown.

The head to disk spacing must be decreased to increase recording densities in hard disk drives. Recently, to decrease the head to disk spacing, smooth disk having no bumps onto the lading zone has used. In this research, we compared the number of particles generated ill HDD with smooth and textured disks. We used a sampling method using a particle sampler and a CPC (condensation particle counter) to detect particles in HDD. First, we sampled and counted particles generated with disk rotational speed and various rest times when the smooth disk and textured disks were used, then analyzed the sampled particles by SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and AES (auger electron spectroscopy). In results of measuring particles, more particles in case of LZT disk drive generated than that of the smooth disk drive in all test modes. The number of particles generated in the smooth disk was very low. The particle generation increased as the rest time increased (smooth/LZT disks) and more particles in case of LZT disk drive generated than that of the smooth disk drive. In results of analyzing particle components, Al, Ti, Si components were detected and we could not found differences between components in case of smooth/LZT disk drive.

The HDD(hard disk drive) using Load/unload(L/UL) technology includes the benefits which are increased areal density, reduced power consumption and improved shock resistance than those of contact-start-stop(CSS). It has been widely used in portable hard disk drive and will become the key technology for developing the small form factor hard disk drive. The main objects of L/UL are no slider-disk contact or no media damage. For realizing those, we must consider many design parameters in L/UL system. In this paper, we focus on lift-off force. The 'lift-off' force, defined as the minimum air bearing force, is another very important indicator of unloading performance. A large amplitude of lift-off force increases the ramp force, the unloading time, the slider oscillation and contact-possibility. To minimize 'lift-off' force we optimizes the slider and suspension using the integrated optimization frame, which automatically integrates the analysis with the optimization and effectively implements the repetitive works between them. In particular, this study is carried out the optimal design considering the process of modes tracking through the entire optimization processes. As a result, we yield the equation which can easily find a lift-off force and structural optimization for suspension.

We developed a numerical simulator in order to study the Super-RENS/ROM (Super REsolution Near-Field Structure, Read Only Memory) using 3-dimensional FDTD (finite difference time domain) method. The simulation can be performed by three steps. In the first step, we utilized the vector-diffraction theory to calculate the characteristics of incident laser beam from the object-lens to the surface of the disk. At the second step, we fed the calculated result as an input for the main FDTD simulations on the optical layers in the disk structure. After performed the FDTD simulations, we took near-to-far field transformation for the reflected signal, from the surface of the disk to the detector. Finally, we can get reflected signal at the photo-diode. Using this developed simulator, we were able to study about the reading signal from various disk structures as a function of a laser beam position. We calculated reading signals for various pit sizes for Super-ROM structure, and it is found that the simple optical diffraction theory can not explain the reading mechanism of Super-ROM, and more complicated temperature dependent physics must be involved.

Dynamic L/UL(Load/Unload) system has many merits. but it may happen an undesirable collision during the dynamic loading process. In this paper, the dynamics of negative pressure pico-slider was investigated through numerical simulation during the loading process. A simplified L/UL model for the suspension system has been presented and a simulation code has been developed to analyze the motion of the slider. A slider design has been simulated at various disk rotating speeds, skew angles of slider. We can decrease the possibility of collision and smoothen the loading process for a given slider-suspension design by selection an optimal rpm and pre-skew angle.

Vertical L/UL (Load/Unload) velocity is very important parameter to determine the L/UL performance, and the vertical velocity is determined by the actuator velocity and the ramp profile. However, it is not easy to precisely control the actuator rotating velocity during the L/UL process. Especially in emergency parking, servo system doesn't operate, it is impossible to control an actuator velocity. Then, the vertical unloading velocity depends on only ramp profile. The ramp height and the sliding length for L/UL process in SFF (Small Form Factor) HDD are restricted due to slimness and small media. For these reasons, it is very difficult to design the ramp profile in SFF HDD. Therefore, this study analyzes the unloading dynamic characteristics for various ramp profiles and makes the thesis for ramp profile design.

In this paper, we have investigated the disc warping in high-speed slim-type optical disc drive. The track density as well as high rotational speed of the information storage devices must be increased to enhance their recording capacity and data transfer rate. Generally, ODD used in the Lap-top computer has small inner space. So, the flow instability of the inner space is increased rapidly with its rotational speed. In extreme case, the flow instability may cause the malfunction of the read/write pick-up of drives. The experiments and numerical analysis were carried out for several cases and the result shows the influence of airflow to the disc warping.