International Business Machines Corporation

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Darrell Dean Palmer

A David Erpelding

Surya Narayan Pattanaik

Oscar Jaime Ruiz

Tzong-Shii Pan

Satya Prakash Arya

Randall George Simmons

Yih-Jen Dennis Chen

Jai N Subrahmanyam

Drew B Lawson

Yiduo Zhang

John Thomas Contreras

David W Albrecht

Kirk Barrows Price

Jack M Chue

Yoshio Uematsu

Ta-Chang Fu

Wing Chun Shum

Victor Wing Shum

Steven Harry Voss

William Woodrow Brooks, Jr

Serge Hauert

Wesley LeRoy Hillman

Anthony Vesci

Stephen Arnold Olson

David Harwood McMurtry

Richard K Wilmer

Mathew Kayhan Shafe

Klaas Bevend Klaassen

A flexure is provided for a HGA suspension. The flexure includes a metal base layer, a trace layer, and a dielectric layer disposed between the trace and base layers. The metal base layer includes a heat sink portion. The trace layer includes a plurality of conductive traces, each conductive trace having a curved section that terminates in a trace termination pad. The dielectric layer includes a portion that underlies the trace termination pads and overlies the heat sink portion. The base layer and the dielectric layer each also include a window. The curved section of each conductive trace extends over the window of the base layer. The curved section of each conductive trace may at least partially extend over the window of the dielectric layer.

Flexure including a heat sink and a dielectric layer under trace termination pads

A head suspension for a head/gimbal assembly comprises a flexure attached to a load beam. The load beam includes a lifter tab configured to engage a lifting surface of a load/unload ramp. The flexure includes a limiter tab, extending from a trailing edge thereof, that is configured to engage with a gimbal-limiting surface of the load/unload ramp. The limiter tab comprises a metallic base layer, a metallic stiffening layer, and a non-metallic intermediate layer disposed between the base and stiffening layers. The stiffening layer can include both conductive traces that terminate with a set of bonding pads and an appendage that extends along a length of the limiter tab. The appendage portion of the stiffening layer serves to increase the thickness of the limiter tab to increase the stiffness of the limiter tab.

Head suspension with a reinforced limiter tab

A head stack assembly (HSA) is disclosed for use in a disk drive comprising a disk, wherein a merge tool is used to merge the HSA with the disk. The HSA comprises at least one actuator arm with a suspension connected to the distal end of the actuator arm. A multi-level shipping comb attached to the actuator arm comprises a finger having a first surface and a second, raised surface. During shipping of the HSA, the first surface of the finger contacts the suspension to protect against overstressing. During manufacture of the disk drive, the shipping comb is actuated so that the second surface contacts the suspension thereby bending the suspension in a vertical direction to facilitate the insertion of the merge tool.

Method of assembling a disk drive including actuating a shipping comb to bend a suspension vertically to facilitate a merge tool

A head stack assembly includes an actuator including an actuator arm, a load beam coupled to the actuator arm, and a gimbal coupled to the load beam. The gimbal is formed of an electrically conductive material. The head stack assembly further includes a dielectric layer disposed upon the gimbal. The head stack assembly further includes a slider supported by the gimbal. The head stack assembly further includes slider conductive pads disposed upon the dielectric layer with the dielectric layer interposed between the slider conductive pads and the gimbal. The slider conductive pads are electrically connected to the slider. The head stack assembly further includes a ground conductive pad disposed upon the dielectric layer with the dielectric layer interposed between the ground conductive pad and the gimbal. The ground conductive pad is electrically connected to the slider and the gimbal for electrically grounding the slider.

Head stack assembly including a ground conductive pad for grounding a slider to a gimbal

A Head Gimbal Assembly (HGA) for use in a disk drive and further includes a head having a read element and a write element; and a Trace Gimbal Assembly (TGA) attached to the head. The TGA includes a conductor array having a first end connected to the read element and the write element and a distal end for connecting the read element and the write element to a signal processing circuit, a conductive substrate supporting the head and the conductor array and a dielectric layer disposed between the conductor array and the conductive substrate. The TGA further includes a shunt connected at the distal end for shunting the read element; and an anti-static coating, covering a substantial portion of the conductor array for neutralizing electrostatic charge accumulation on the conductor array.

ESD-protected head gimbal assembly for use in a disk drive

A method for forming a head gimbal assembly in which the head gimbal assembly and a frame are formed from a continuous piece of laminated material comprised of a first layer, a second layer and a third layer. A plurality of electrical lines are formed in the third layer of the head gimbal assembly and a plurality of electrical line extensions are formed in the third layer of the frame. The slider is positioned at an angle to the frame and a plurality of termination pads on the slider are bonded to the electrical lines. The frame is partially separated from the head gimbal assembly and the relative position of the slider to the head gimbal assembly is changed by an amount sufficient to separate the plurality of electrical lines from the plurality of electrical line extensions.

Method of forming a head gimbal assembly

A suspension system for supporting a magnetic read/write slider comprising a load beam, a slider support member and a flexure comprised of a first flexure arm and a second flexure arm. A plurality of electrical conductors extend along the edge of the load beam on the side of the load beam farthest away from the disk hub. The electrical conductors are positioned adjacent to, but outside of, the second flexure arm, so as not to contribute to the stiffness of the second flexure arm. The electrical conductors are comprised of a laminated material which includes a conductor layer, such as a high strength copper alloy, a dielectric layer and a support layer. In another embodiment, the flexure includes a first flexible finger recion and a second flexible finger region. A first plurality of slots extend completely through the first flexible finger region, and a second plurality of slots extend completely through the second flexible finger region for providing regions into which the electrical conductors can move when the flexure undergoes deflections.

Minimal stiffness conductors for a head gimbal assembly

A single piece head gimbal assembly comprised of a load beam, a pair of flexure arms, a slider support member and a plurality of electrical lines. The head gimbal assembly is formed from a laminated material comprised of a support layer, a dielectric layer and a high strength electrically conductive layer. The electrical lines are formed in the high strength electrically conductive layer and extend along the backside of the load beam. The backside surface of a slider is accessible through an aperture formed between the flexure arms and the electrical lines are terminated to the backside of the slider. Alternatively, the electrical lines extend along the backside or frontside of the load beam and are terminated to the trailing edge of the slider.

Head gimbal assembly with integrated electrical conductors

A suspension system comprises an actuator arm and two suspensions. Each suspension has a load beam and a laminated member comprised of a support layer, an electrically insulating layer, and an electrically conducting layer. The laminated members are etched to form electrical lines for each suspension. The laminate member of each suspension is bent along the side of the arm such that they overlap one another in order to reduce the required space.

Transducer suspension termination system

A transducer suspension system is comprised of a load beam and a flexure. The flexure has a platform for receiving a transducer head. The platform has a forward portion which has a forward facing tab which engages an aperture in the load beam above. The rear portion of the platform has a pair of forward facing rear tabs which engage an aperture in the load beam above. The tabs limit the motion of the flexure during violent shocks, thereby preventing damage to the flexure.

Transducer suspension system with limiter

A slider suspension assembly for a data-recording disk file is disclosed. The slider suspension assembly uses an improved mechanical and electrical attachment arrangement to attach the slider to the suspension. The slider suspension assembly utilizes a load beam having an integrated cable formed at least partially within the load beam along the length thereof wherein the integrated cable includes a dielectric layer and a plurality of conductors disposed upon the dielectric layer. A slider mounted to a flexure at the end of the load beam includes multiple conductive pads disposed along one edge thereof. A loop within the integrated cable of a radius sufficient to cause the integrated cable to overlie the selected edge of the slider is utilized to make electrical contact with the slider by providing an aperture within the dielectric layer of the cable at a point overlying the plurality of conductive pads such that the conductors within the integrated cable may be placed in electrical contact with the conductive pads.

Slider suspension assembly and method for attaching a slider to a suspension in a data-recording disk file including a flexible integrated cable having an aperture therein for permitting electrical contact

A transducer suspension system comprises an actuator arm and a suspension. The suspension is comprised of a load beam and a laminated member. The laminated member has an electrically conducting layer and electrical insulating layer, and an electrically conductive support layer. The electrical conducting layer is formed into electrical lines. The support layer is formed into a continuous underlying conductive plane. The conductive plane is connected to the arm by means of a frequency dependent shunt. The combination of the conductive plane and the shunt provide for higher frequency performance with reduced interference susceptibility.

Transducer suspension system including a frequency dependent shunt

A slider suspension system for use in a magnetic recording disk file comprised of a laminated suspension positioned between an actuator arm and a read/write slider. The laminated suspension is comprised of a conductor layer, a dielectric layer and a support layer. The conductor layer is comprised of a high strength conductive copper alloy selected from the group consisting of Cu--Ni--Si--Mg alloy, Be--Cu--Ni alloy, and Cu--Ti alloy, wherein the conductive layer has a thickness less than or equal to eighteen microns. The dielectric layer is comprised of an electrically insulating material such as a polyimide. The support layer is comprised of a rigid material such as stainless steel.

Integrated suspension using a high strength conductive material

An integrated suspension for a slider in a magnetic storage system has a simplified structure that is relatively easy to manufacture. The novel integrated suspension may be assembled from separate pieces, including a load beam, a flexure and a mounting plate. The load beam provides rigid structural support of the flexure. The flexure includes a flexible member and leads integrally formed thereon. A section of the flexible member is fixedly attached to the load member, and another section having the slider mounted thereon presses against a pivot projection in the load beam for gimbal motions. An interlocking structure is provided to limit the extent of gimbal motions of the flexible member, comprising a tab extending from the flexible member into an aperture in the load beam. Alternatively, a tang is formed in the flexible member which is used to form a clip which serves to limit gimbal motions as it interacts with the load beam.

Multi-piece integrated suspension assembly for a magnetic storage system

Disclosed are an electrical connection assembly for a data storage device and a method of fabricating the electrical connection between a transducer termination pad formed on a slider and a suspension having a conductive lead structure. A compliant cantilevered conductive pad is formed at the end of the conductive lead structure. A solder bump is formed on the transducer termination pad, and may be formed subsequent to dicing the sliders. The slider is placed in mechanical contact with the suspension for mechanical support such that the solder bump contacts the cantilevered conductive pad, which cantilevered conductive pad complies with the solder bump to absorb positional errors. Then, the solder bump is heated, preferably by a laser, so as to reflow the solder bump to make an approximately right angle solder fillet joint electrical connection with the cantilevered conductive pad.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Darrell Dean Palmer