Granted Patent B1

US 8,094,396 · App. 12/704,105 · Granted Jan 10, 2012

Abstract

Claims (102)

1. A disk drive comprising:

a disk comprising a plurality of data tracks;

a head actuated over the disk; and

control circuitry coupled with the head operable to:

write data to the plurality of data tracks;

read a first data area of a first data track to generate a first read back signal;

determine a first quality metric and a channel flag in response to the first read back signal;

determine that the first quality metric exceeds a first threshold and is below a third threshold;

apply additional stress to the first data area;

reread the first data area to generate a second read back signal;

determine a second quality metric in response to the second read back signal; and

determine whether the second quality metric exceeds a second threshold.

2. The disk drive as recited in claim 1 , wherein when the second quality metric exceeds the second threshold, detect the defect in the first data area of the first data track.

3. The disk drive as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first and second quality metric comprise percentage amplitude drop-outs of the read back signal.

4. The disk drive as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first threshold comprises a first percentage amplitude drop-out of the read back signal.

5. The disk drive as recited in claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further operable to reread the first data area Y times to determine the second quality metric and detect the defect when the second quality metric exceeds the second threshold X of Y times.

6. The disk drive as recited in claim 1 , wherein each data track comprises a plurality of data wedges defined by a plurality of servo sectors and the control circuitry is operable to read data from each data wedge and detect the defect in one of the data wedges.

7. The disk drive as recited in claim 1 , wherein control circuitry coupled with the head operable to apply additional stress to the first data area comprises control circuitry operable to adjust a write current of the head.

8. The disk drive as recited in claim 1 , wherein control circuitry coupled with the head operable to apply additional stress to the first data area comprises control circuitry operable to adjust a fly-height of the head.

9. The disk drive as recited in claim 1 , wherein control circuitry coupled with the head operable to apply additional stress to the first data area comprises control circuitry operable to adjust a write current overshoot of the head.

10. The disk drive as recited in claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is further operable to determine that the first quality metric is below the third threshold, wherein the third threshold indicates a hard defect.

11. The disk drive as recited in claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry comprises a read/write channel.

12. A disk drive comprising:

a disk comprising a plurality of data tracks;

a head actuated over the disk; and

control circuitry coupled with the head operable to:

write data to the plurality of data tracks;

read a first data area of a first data track to generate a first read back signal;

determine a first quality metric and a channel flag in response to the first read back signal;

determine that the first quality metric exceeds a first threshold;

apply additional stress to the first data area;

reread the first data area to generate a second read back signal;

determine a second quality metric in response to the second read back signal; and

determine whether the second quality metric exceeds a second threshold,

wherein the first and second quality metric comprise percentage amplitude drop-outs of the read back signal, and wherein the percentage amplitude drop-outs of the read back signal comprises an average value of an amplitude drop-out averaged over a sample period P of the read back signal.

13. A disk drive comprising:

a disk comprising a plurality of data tracks;

a head actuated over the disk; and

control circuitry coupled with the head operable to:

write data to the plurality of data tracks;

read a first data area of a first data track to generate a first read back signal;

determine a first quality metric and a channel flag in response to the first read back signal;

determine that the first quality metric exceeds a first threshold;

apply additional stress to the first data area;

reread the first data area to generate a second read back signal;

determine a second quality metric in response to the second read back signal; and

determine whether the second quality metric exceeds a second threshold, and

wherein the control circuitry coupled with the head operable to apply additional stress to the first data area comprises control circuitry operable to apply additional stress to the first data area in response to the channel flag.

14. The disk drive as recited in claim 13 , wherein the channel flag represents at least one of a long drop-out, a long drop-in, a short drop-out, a short drop-in, a timing error, and a thermal asperity error of the read back signal.

15. A disk drive comprising:

a disk comprising a plurality of data tracks;

a head actuated over the disk; and

control circuitry coupled with the head operable to:

write data to the plurality of data tracks;

read a first data area of a first data track to generate a first read back signal;

determine a first quality metric and a channel flag in response to the first read back signal;

determine that the first quality metric exceeds a first threshold;

apply additional stress to the first data area;

reread the first data area to generate a second read back signal;

determine a second quality metric in response to the second read back signal; and

determine whether the second quality metric exceeds a second threshold, and

wherein the control circuitry coupled with the head operable to apply additional stress to the first data area comprises control circuitry operable to write data to a second data area adjacent to the first data area in response to the channel flag.

16. The disk drive as recited in claim 15 , wherein control circuitry is further operable to write data to the second data area M times.

17. The disk drive as recited in claim 16 , wherein the second data area is offset N tracks from the first data track.

18. The disk drive as recited in claim 17 , wherein the second data area is determined by analyzing the channel flag generated in response to the read back signal.

19. A method of detecting a defect on a disk comprising:

writing data to a plurality of data tracks on the disk;

reading a first data area of a first data track to generate a first read back signal;

determining a first quality metric and a channel flag in response to the first read back signal;

determining that the first quality metric exceeds a first threshold and is below a third threshold;

applying additional stress to the first data area;

rereading the first data area to generate a second read back signal;

determining a second quality metric in response to the second read back signal; and

determining whether the second quality metric exceeds a second threshold.

20. The method as recited in claim 19 , further comprising detecting the defect in the first data area of the first data track when the second quality metric exceeds the second threshold.

21. The method as recited in claim 19 , wherein the first and second quality metric comprise percentage amplitude drop-outs of the read back signal.

22. The method as recited in claim 19 , wherein the first threshold comprises a first percentage amplitude drop-out of the read back signal.

23. The method as recited in claim 19 , wherein the channel flag represents at least one of a long drop-out, a long drop-in, a short drop-out, a short drop-in, a timing error, and a thermal asperity error of the read back signal.

24. The method as recited in claim 19 , further comprising rereading the first data area Y times to determine the second quality metric and detecting the defect when the second quality metric exceeds the second threshold X of Y times.

25. The method as recited in claim 19 , wherein applying additional stress further comprises adjusting at least one of a write current of a head, a read bias of a head, a fly-height of a head, a write current overshoot of a head, an equalizer parameter for configuring an equalizer circuit, and a gain control parameter for configuring a gain control circuit.

26. The method as recited in claim 19 , further comprising determining that the first quality metric is below the third threshold, wherein the third threshold indicates a hard defect.

27. A method comprising:

writing data to a plurality of data tracks on the disk;

reading a first data area of a first data track to generate a first read back signal;

determining a first quality metric and a channel flag in response to the first read back signal;

determining that the first quality metric exceeds a first threshold;

applying additional stress to the first data area, wherein applying additional stress comprises applying additional stress in response to the channel flag;

rereading the first data area to generate a second read back signal;

determining a second quality metric in response to the second read back signal; and

determining whether the second quality metric exceeds a second threshold.

28. A method comprising:

writing data to a plurality of data tracks on the disk;

reading a first data area of a first data track to generate a first read back signal;

determining a first quality metric and a channel flag in response to the first read back signal;

determining that the first quality metric exceeds a first threshold;

applying additional stress to the first data area, wherein applying additional stress comprises writing data to a second data area adjacent to the first data area in response to the channel flag;

rereading the first data area to generate a second read back signal;

determining a second quality metric in response to the second read back signal; and

determining whether the second quality metric exceeds a second threshold.

29. The method as recited in claim 28 , further comprising writing data to the second data area M times.

30. The method as recited in claim 29 , wherein the second data area is offset N tracks from the first data track.

31. The method as recited in claim 30 , wherein the second data area is determined by analyzing the channel flag generated in response to the read back signal.

Assignments (7)