Patent ID: 7502205
Filing Date: 2009-03-10
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A method of operating read and write transducers in a disk drive system, the method comprising: providing a read/write head and an adjacent data storage disk for a disk drive system, the head having a read transducer, a write transducer, and a thermal actuator located therein, the head having a read mode of operation and a write mode of operation; driving the thermal actuator with electrical current to heat up the thermal actuator and portions of the head so that at least portions of the head expands and a distance between the head and the adjacent storage disk decreases; and controlling the thermal actuator for different levels of thermal actuation; detecting the mode of the read/write head; wherein a first level of thermal actuation is provided in response to the detection of a write mode, and a second level of thermal actuation, different from the first level of thermal actuation, is provided in response to the detection of a read mode.