UNNATIVIETNAMONALIVERSITY HCMC -

INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

THE PRINCIPLE OF HARD

DISK

Student : Tran Nguyen Phuong An

Student ID : SESEIU22050
Lecturer : Prof. Phan Bao Ngoc
 I. History Of Hard Disk
1.1 Punch Card
The origins of the hard disk can be traced back to 1804, when Joseph-Marie Jacquard was searching
for a more efficient way to produce complex patterns for his weaving machine. His solution was the
punch card, a rectangular piece of stiff paper that contained information in the form of holes
punched in predefined positions, representing the presence or absence of certain data. This
groundbreaking technique automated processes and made it possible for unskilled workers to create
intricate patterns.
1.2 The Principle Of Punch Card In Storing Data
The revolution usage of punch card can be traced back to German American inventor Herman
Hollerith in 1980. The data is recorded onto the card by punching holes in specific columns that
correspond to the letters or numbers being stored. To retrieve this data, the card must be run through
a machine that can detect or sense the location of each hole. Specifically, the punch holes are passed
between the contact roller A and brusher B. A electric current is simultaneously supplied while the
card C is passing through, if there was a hole in the card C the brush then makes contact with the
roller thus completing the circuit. On the other hand, when there was no punches, the card act like
an insulate surface between the contact roller and the wire brushes. Each impulses timed so that the
signals can tell which data is coming first.

Figure 1 : Herman Hollerith’s tabulating machine for the 1980 census

II. The Principle Of Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
2.1 Formation
2.1.1 Disk (platter)
Responsible for storing data by spinning on a spindle that runs through the center of
all of the platters. Each platters have two sides for storing information with unique
ID, the ID for the first face is 0 ad the underneath is 0 and each side increase by 1
Moreover, each side contains 500000 concentric tracks and divided in multiple of
sections, these tracks are evenly spaced across the platter’s surface. The disk is
composed of an aluminum magnesium alloy (about 12000nm thick) with multiple
coating of other alloys (Ni-P sublayer 10000nm). The magnetic function layer is 120
nanometer thin layer of cobalt chromium tantalum alloy which has small magnetic
domain whose direction can be manipulated via external magnetic fields. The platters
are mounted on a spindle which is place at the center of all the disks is rotating with
the speed 7200 rpm. Using the brushless DC motor at the center.
2.1.2 Head Stack Assembly
This arm is used to record and read the data from the platters by composing one arm
above ad one arm below each disk compact with Slider and Read/Write Head at the
end of each arm. The structure is uniquely designed such that it catches the airflow
generated by ludicrously fast-spinning disk to float only 15 nanometers above the
surface. The arm assembly flies on top of spinning disk, it only brought over when
the the disk is accelerated at full speed, when the disk is not spinning, the arm
assembly is parked to the side of small piece of plastic aside.

2.1.3 Neodymium Magnets

A voice coil motor composed a coil of wire and two strong Neodymium magnets
above and below. The magnet is used to move the entire arm stac. When the electric
current run through the coil, it will create electromagnetic field to move the Head
Stacker in or out the disks.

2.1.4 Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

The hard disk drive is equipped with several components that allow it to receive and
process data from external sources. These components include a processor, a DRAM
chip that serves as a scratchpad for the processor and a buffer for incoming and
outgoing data, a controller chip that manages the DC spindle motor, a SATA
connector located on the edge of the printed circuit board (PCB), which is used to
connect the hard drive to the motherboard, and a separate connector for power supply.
Together, these components enable the hard disk drive to efficiently and reliably store
and retrieve large amounts of data.

2.1.5 Gasket
The hard disk drive is designed with a gasket that seals the disk from the external
environment, as well as two filters that are capable of capturing any stray dust
particles. These filters are essential because the read/write heads, which are located
just 15 nanometers from the platter, are highly sensitive to even the smallest particles
of dust. A single dust particle, which can be up to 10,000 nanometers in size, can
cause the head stacker to encounter difficulties when attempting to read or write data
from the platters. By utilizing a gasket and filters, the hard disk drive is able to
maintain a clean and stable environment for data storage and retrieval.

2.2 Working principle of Hard Disk

Each sector is preamble or synchronization zone which tell the read/write head the
exact speed of spinning disk and the length of each bit of data. The next section is the
address which help the read/write head to locate the exact positions.After that, we
have the actual data that can store up to 4 kilobytes of data per sector.Next is an area
for correcting code (ECC) which is used to verify the data is accurately written and
properly read. There will be a gap between each sector and the next which allows the
read/write head some tolerance when writing the contents of the block.
Writing the data to the disk is done by manipulating the direction of magnetization of
a localized region or domain of the cobalt-chromium-tantalum layer in the disk and
forcing the region to be magnetized in the up direction or down direction. This tiny
magnetic domain or region is around 90 by 100 by 125 nanometers and when
magnetized, all the atoms will have their tinier magnetic north/south poles pointing in
the same direction.In order to magnetize a single domain which is equivalent to
writing a single bit of data, a current is-applied to a coil of wire at the back of the
read/write head, thus create a string extend magnetic field back-here. The magnetic
field is channeled through the write head and focused into small point at the tip and
then jumps across the 15 nanometers air gap and into the disk. When the focused
magnetic field passes into the single domain of cobalt-chromium-tantalum, all these
atoms are focused to align their tiny atomic magnetic fields.

With the applied magnetic field from the write head. Thus, turning a small domain
into the permanent magnet. The key is that even when the write head is moved away,
the the direction of the magnetic domain in this layer will last for decades. Moreover,
they emit a permanent magnetic field which can be repeatedly sensed by the read
head every time a reading process is conducted. Until the write head rewrite the new
bit of data to the domain by either flipping the direction or keeping it the same

The read head is designed to detect the changes in orientation from magnetic domain
pointing in the one direction and then the adjacent domain that pointing in the
opposite direction. Because the emitted magnetic fields from the adjacent region that
switch the orientation is much stronger than the emitted field from just a single
domain pointing one direction or the other. Therefore, each change in magnetic
domain pointing from one direction the opposite direction is assigned as 1, and an
absence of a transition from one domain to the next is assigned as 0. Thus, the write
head would record a binary sequence of 0 and 1.

Inside the read head is a multilayer conductive material composed of alternating

layers of ferromagnetic and non-magnetic material. This multilayer material has a
property called giant magnetoresistance (GMR), it a material that can change the
resistivity depending on the strength of magnetic field that pass through it. Using
GMR is just simply measure the resistivity, and when there is a low resistivity that
means there are strong field below the read head resulting from the change in domain
orientation and it’s a 1, when there is a high resistivity and no change it’s a 0. The
ECC can fixed and record all the number if there is a string of dozens non-changing
domain.

2.3 Ferromagnetic Material

2.3.1 Ferromagnetic properties
Ferromagnetism is a unique magnetic behavior exhibited by certain materials, such as
iron, cobalt, and various alloys. This phenomenon results in these materials acquiring
permanent magnetism or attractive powers due to the alignment of atomic dipoles,
which are arranged in small regions called domains. These domains exhibit a net
magnetic moment even in the absence of an external magnetic field, but the magnetic
moments of neighboring domains are oriented in opposite directions and cancel each
other out. Ferromagnetic materials display strong magnetism in the direction of an
applied magnetic field, and this property is not only dependent on the chemical
makeup of the material but also considers its microstructure and crystalline structure.

For example: Magnetite, a ferromagnetic material formed by the oxidation of iron

into an oxide, has the strongest magnetism of all natural minerals on Earth and has a
Curie temperature of 580°C. Ferromagnetic materials are primarily metals, but
metallic alloys and rare earth magnets are also classified as ferromagnetic materials .

Figure 2: The demonstration of magnetized a ferromagnetic material.

2.3.2 Hysteresis Loop

These materials exhibit hysteresis, where they retain magnetization even after the
external magnetic field is removed. The magnetization of ferromagnetic materials is
measured in terms of magnetic flux density (B) plotted against the external applied
magnetic field intensity (H) in a hysteresis loop. Ferromagnetic properties depend on
temperature, and above the Curie temperature, ferromagnetic substances become
paramagnetic, where the atoms have unpaired electrons that align themselves weakly
in the direction of the applied magnetic field.
 Figure 3: Hysteresis Loop of a ferromagnetic material

The hysteresis loop illustrates the relationship between the magnetic flux density and
the magnetizing field strength of a ferromagnetic material. The loop is generated by
measuring the magnetic flux emitted by the material while altering the external
magnetizing field. By plotting the results of magnetic flux density (B) versus
magnetizing field strength (H), a hysteresis loop is formed.

Initially, with an increase in the magnetizing field strength, magnetic flux density
increases until it reaches point A, which is known as the saturation point, where B
becomes constant. Upon decreasing the magnetizing field strength, magnetic flux
density also decreases. However, when B and H both equal zero, the material retains
some magnetism, which is referred to as retentivity or residual magnetism. As the
magnetizing field strength decreases towards the negative side, magnetism also
decreases until point C, where the material is completely demagnetized. The force
required to remove the retentivity of the material is called coercive force (C).

The cycle is continued in the opposite direction, where the saturation point is D, the
retentivity point is E, and the coercive force is F. The complete cycle is referred to as
the hysteresis loop. When a ferromagnetic material is magnetized by an external
magnetic field, it will not return to its zero-magnetization position after the magnetic
field is removed, and this amount of magnetization is known as retentivity.
Retentivity is the material's ability to retain a certain amount of magnetic property
even when the external magnetizing field is removed. The value of B at point b in the
hysteresis loop represents retentivity. Coercivity is the amount of reverse external
magnetizing field required to completely demagnetize the substance, and the value of
H at point c in the hysteresis loop represents coercivity.

2.3.3 Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR)

The microscopic mechanism of conduction in metals involves electrons colliding with
atoms in the lattice position, causing the electrons to change direction after each
scattering, instead of moving straight along the electric field when conducting
electricity. The motion of the electrons is a combination of the directional
acceleration of the electric field and the scattering, with the average distance between
two scatterings known as the mean free path. The resistivity of the metal is lower
when the probability of electron scattering is smaller, and the mean free path is
longer.

In the absence of an external magnetic field, the magnetic moments of the upper and
lower ferromagnetic films are anti-parallel, resulting in antiferromagnetic coupling
due to minimal energy. However, when a strong external magnetic field is applied,
the magnetic moment of the ferromagnetic film aligns with the direction of the
external magnetic field, causing the two layers of ferromagnetic film to switch from
anti-parallel coupling to parallel coupling.

The giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect, which is crucial for the accurate reading
of data from hard disk drives, relies on two types of spin-dependent scattering.
Specifically, in the absence of an external magnetic field, the magnetic fields of the
upper and lower ferromagnetic films are oriented in opposite directions. This
configuration results in a high probability of electron scattering on the surface,
leading to a high resistance state. When an external magnetic field is applied, the
magnetic fields of the upper and lower ferromagnetic films are in the same direction,
resulting in a low scattering probability of electrons on the interface and
corresponding to the low resistance state. As the external magnetic field increases, the
resistance gradually decreases until it reaches magnetic saturation, where the
resistance no longer decreases. When the magnetic field is decreased from the
magnetic saturation state, the resistance gradually increases. The magnetoresistance
characteristics are symmetrical when the reverse magnetic field and the forward
magnetic field are added.
 Figure 4: Structural Chart of Multilayer GMR

The giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect is achieved by changing the relative

orientation of the magnetic field of the two ferromagnetic layers in multilayer
structures. the behavior of electrons is influenced by their spin and the orientation of
the magnetic material. Specifically, the scattering rate of electrons is dependent on the
direction of both spin and magnetization. When the spin direction is the same as the
magnetization direction of the magnetic material, the electron scattering rate is low,
resulting in a low impedance. Conversely, when the spin direction is opposite to the
magnetization direction of the magnetic material, the electron scattering rate is high,
resulting in a high impedance. The coupling state of the structure and the absence of
an external magnetic field determine the GMR effect.
Figure 5: Schematic Diagram of Electron Spin and Magnetization Direction

The diagram in Figure 5 illustrates the behavior of electrons passing through a

multilayer structure consisting of thin film layers of magnetic and non-magnetic
materials. The blue layers on both sides represent the thin film layers of magnetic
material, and the orange layer in the middle represents the film layer of non-magnetic
material.In Figure 5, the magnetization direction of the magnetic material is indicated
by the green arrow, while the spin direction of the electron is represented by the gray
arrow. The black arrow denotes the scattering of the electron. As shown in the left
diagram, when the magnetization directions of the two layers of magnetic material are
the same, electrons with the same spin direction as the magnetization direction can
easily pass through both layers, resulting in a low impedance.

The right diagram in Figure 5 shows that the magnetization directions of the two
layers of magnetic materials are opposite. when a beam of electrons with spin
direction aligned to the magnetization direction of the first layer of magnetic material
passes through, the electrons are able to pass through with greater ease. However, it is
difficult for electrons to pass through the second layer of magnetic material, which
has an opposite direction of magnetization and electron spin, thus presenting a high
impedance.

III. Application
Hard disk drives (HDDs) are a type of non-volatile storage device that uses rotating
disks coated with a magnetic material to store data. The disks are divided into tracks
and sectors, and the read/write head of the disk drive accesses the data by moving
over the disk to read or write data to specific tracks and sectors.
The GMR effect is used in the read head of an HDD to detect the magnetic field of
the disk, which represents the stored data. The read head consists of a GMR sensor
that detects the changes in the magnetic field as it moves over the disk. When the read
head is positioned over a particular track on the disk, the GMR sensor detects the
magnetic field of the disk, allowing the data to be read.

The GMR effect has greatly increased the storage capacity of HDDs. In the early days
of computing, HDDs had very low storage capacities and were very expensive.
However, with the advent of the GMR effect, the storage capacity of HDDs has
increased dramatically while the cost has decreased. Today, HDDs are the most
common form of non-volatile storage in computers and are used in a wide range of
applications, from personal computers to large data centers.

While solid-state drives (SSDs) have become increasingly popular in recent years due
to their faster read and write speeds, HDDs still have several advantages, such as
higher storage capacities and lower cost per gigabyte. As a result, HDDs continue to
be an essential component of modern computing and are expected to remain so for the
foreseeable future.

IV. Reference
http://www.kynixsemiconductor.com/News/74.html
https://byjus.com/jee/ferromagnetic-materials/
https://youtu.be/wtdnatmVdIg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferromagnetism#:~:text=Ferromagnetic%20materials%2
0are%20familiar%20metals,of%20an%20external%20magnetic%20fielD
https://byjus.com/jee/hysteresis/