W
hen the monitor, CD-ROM or RAM malfunctions, the
problem is limited to that particular part. However,
malfunction in the HDD means far more greater problems in
other components. It is because most PC users consider their
HDD as the final storage device for their data. Therefore,
damage in the HDD generally causes enormous intellectual
property loss. This makes PC manufacturers consider the HDD
as the most important component to prevent hardware failure and data loss, as well as
the brand image loss that would soon follow. Samsung Electronics recognizes that
product reliability is the most important aspect of our business, and answers the needs of
PC manufacturers, while it leverages our most strategic investments. As a result, the
Samsung HDD has been recognized as the most reliable products by major PC OEM
manufacturers, which has advanced Samsung's global OEM position. This page provides a
brief description of how Samsung improved product reliability.
It would have been impossible to achieve the recent advances in the high product
reliability of our HDD product by improving single aspects of the technology or process.
Therefore, it could only be achieved by innovation of the entire process from the product
design to quality assurance. The most frequent problem that causes HDD malfunction is
the collision of the head and disk, a result of the shock that occurs during the
transporting or installation of the HDD. Therefore, reducing the possibility of collision
between the head and the disk was seen by Samsung to be very important, if significant
enhancement of product reliability was to be achieved. By optimizing the head actuator
design in the early product design stage, Samsung eventually succeeded in maximizing
he shock-resistance without the degradation of the performance. ImpacGuard
TM
,
Samsung's patented technology, is designed to prevent any head actuator vibration
during a non-operating environment, which reduces the possibility of collision between
the head and the disk even further. Besides, HDD parts can also fail due to corrosion or
contamination. Samsung analyzed and eliminated these kinds of problems, at the source,
and in advance, by applying the best failure analysis technology adapted from our
experience in the semi- conductor business. For example, the microscopic pin holes on
the disk surface causes corrosion, which then causes one type of hardware failure.
Samsung analyzed this fact to solve the problem in cooperation with our disk component
suppliers. Automation of the manufacturing process was inescapable, since the HDD
consists of microscopic parts using a micrometer. For example, four screws are used to
assemble the disk onto the HDD. When this process is performed by manual labor, the
torques for each screw will be different, which, in turn, causes minute, but critical,
distortions of the disk. Also, when assembling the head actuator onto the disk, even an
infinitesimal misalignment can cause the head to scratch the disk. With the most
advanced automated manufacturing line in the industry, Samsung minimizes this
potential quality deviation that is possible by changes in the manufacturing process. In
addition, our specialized technology for HDD manufacturing is applied in the quality
assurance stage of production. As a result, our customers are allowed to focus on their
core business, reliably, in the most stable storage environment available, anywhere on
earth.
Samsung Hard Disk Drive 2007 Product Guide
Maximize the Confidence
in Data Storage
