Seagate Technology Incorporated

Christopher Unger

Ravishankar Ajjanagadde Shivarama

Bradley Jay Ver Meer

Joseph Michael Stephan

Aaron Michael Collins

Paul Davidson

Scott Daemon Matzke

Jason Bryce Gadbois

Erik Jon Hutchinson

Kevin Jon Schulz

Gordon Merle Jones

Daniel Richard Buettner

Douglas Hampton Cole

Jackson William Brandts

Scott Damon Matzke

An apparatus includes a slider which includes a slider body with a leading edge and a trailing edge and a plurality of slider bond pads disposed at the trailing edge. The slider bond pads are configured to align opposite to suspension trace bond pads on a suspension to form a solderable gap between the slider bond pads and the suspension trace bond pads.

Slider with bondable surface opposite suspension trace

A slider adhesion system can be practiced in a data storage device with a flexure suspended from a load beam and a slider mounted to a gimbal tongue of the flexure. The slider can be aligned with an aperture of the gimbal tongue and attached to an adhesion feature of the gimbal tongue with an adhesive layer. The adhesion feature may consist of a plurality of cantilevered tabs extending into the aperture of the gimbal tongue.

Slider adhesion system

A method for assembling a head-gimbal assembly of a hard disk drive, the method including the steps of dispensing adhesive onto a top surface of a gimbal tongue, wherein the gimbal tongue is positioned adjacent to a load beam with a dimple extending from its top surface, and wherein the gimbal tongue is configured with at least one support feature that inhibits its deformation toward the dimple when subjected to downward pressure with respect to the dimple; positioning a slider on which a magnetic head is mounted adjacent to the top surface of the gimbal tongue; and pressing the slider onto the adhesive and toward the dimple of the load beam.

Gimbal detection inhibitor for head gimbal assembly

Gimbal deflection inhibitor for head gimbal assembly

Disclosed is an embodiment of a suspension for a disk drive having a slider configured for bonding with a gimbal using an adhesive. Embodiments of the slider include one or more cavities in a portion of a slider mounting surface of the slider. The one or more cavities are configured for increasing a volume of the adhesive between the slider mounting surface and the gimbal. A method of forming the one or more cavities on the slider mounting surface, and bonding together the gimbal and the slider is disclosed.

Slider cavity feature for gimbal attachment

Assemblies and methods that include a flex circuit having a slider facing surface and an opposing back surface; a slider having a back surface and an opposing air bearing surface (ABS), the slider including an electrical connection region; and a through circuit electrical connection, that is in electrical connection with the electrical connection region of the slider, the back surface of the slider interfacing with the slider facing surface of the flex circuit.

Assemblies and methods for slider electrical connection containing through circuit electrical connections

A method for forming an electrical interconnection between a slider pad and a suspension pad that is adjacent to and positioned at an angle relative to the slider pad, which includes the steps of forming a solder bump on a first surface of the slider pad, reshaping the solder bump into a protrusion having an ellipsoidal shape that extends from the slider pad and contacts the suspension pad, and applying a laser to the ellipsoidal protrusion to reflow the solder bump while simultaneously applying a downward pressure to the solder bump in order to form a solder fillet between the slider pad and the suspension pad.

Method of forming electrical connections from solder posts

An electrical connection between a first element and a second element formed by a solder ball bridge having at least three solder balls in physical contact with each other extending to electrically connect the first element and the second element. The solder ball bridge is particularly suitable for a disc drive system, to form an electrical connection between two elements such as between a piezoelectric microactuator element and the suspension assembly. Methods of making a solder ball bridge are also provided.

Solder ball bridge, and methods of making

An apparatus has a slider body that includes an upper surface opposed to a media-facing surface. The slider body has an edge joined between the media-facing surface and the upper surface and facing a coupling region. The slider body includes a first bond pad on the edge and a laser submount coupled to the upper surface of the slider body. The laser submount has a second bond pad facing the coupling region. The apparatus includes a trace-gimbal assembly having first and second electrical traces facing the coupling region and electrically coupled to the respective first and second bond pad via first and second solder joints. An extension of the trace-gimbal assembly extends between the first and second solder joints preventing contact therebetween.

Trace-gimbal assembly with extension that prevents contact between solder joints

A slider includes a slider body and a bond pad. The bond pad is positioned on the slider body and has a bonding surface with a recessed channel for directing solder flow. Separately related, an assembly includes a suspension assembly including a suspension mounting surface and a suspension pad on the suspension mounting surface. A slider is positioned adjacent the suspension mounting surface, with a slider pad aligned with the suspension pad. A recessed channel is in at least one of the slider pad or the suspension pad. A solder joint is formed between the suspension pad and the slider pad and extends into the recessed channel.

Growing community of inventors

Chanhassen, MN, United States of America

Christopher Unger