Seagate Technology Incorporated

Hutchinson Technology Corporation

Gary Berscheit

Razman Zambri

Jackson William Brandts

Joel B Douglas

Ryan Kariniemi

Michael Ray Tiller

Duane A Lundin

Rohit Deokar

Mark M Kiviahde

Shawn P Henze

Shane D Kruse

A head gimbal assembly for supporting a disk drive includes a slider, a load beam, a ring gimbal affixed to the load beam, a plurality of microactuators, and a flexure. The flexure includes a first end extending along the load beam through a center region of a longitudinal axis of the head gimbal assembly and second end that includes a plurality of bond pads electrically coupled to the slider. The flexure includes a plurality of support features. Each support feature of the plurality of support features spans a respective microactuator of the plurality of microactuators. Each support feature includes a support protrusion and a support base. Each support protrusion is coupled to the ring gimbal at a distal side of the respective microactuator and each support base is coupled to the flex circuit on a proximal side of the respective microactuator.

Head gimbal assembly with structural yaw stiffener

A data storage device can employ a microactuator system that efficiently translates longitudinal microactuator strain into movement in-plane with a mid-plane of a gimbal tongue. A gimbal tongue may be suspended from a load beam with a transducing head mounted to the gimbal tongue and the transducing head separated from a magnetic recording medium by an air bearing. A microactuator attached to the gimbal tongue can be positioned so that a mid-plane of the microactuator is congruent with a mid-plane of the gimbal tongue.

In-plane gimbal tongue microactuator system

Disk drives including head suspensions within dual stage actuation systems have improved electrical connectivity between electrical connection pads from flexible circuits as are applied to head suspension assemblies with piezoelectric microactuators as also provided to head suspension assemblies. A more robust electrical connection provides for better control of microactuator actuation for fine movements and positioning of magnetic read/write heads relative to disk data tracks as part of dual stage actuated suspension systems. Electrical connections utilize conductive epoxy for physically and electrically connecting electrically conductive trace connection pads with one or more surfaces of piezoelectric microactuators. Electrical connections include better conductivity by utilizing plural surface portions of electrical connection pads. The result is a more robust and predictable performance for high data resolution within disk drives.

Circuit connection pad design for improved electrical robustness using conductive epoxy

A baseplate for attaching at least two elements includes a flange having at least one first portion with a first uniform thickness and having at least one second portion with a second uniform thickness. The second uniform thickness is less than the first uniform thickness. The baseplate further includes a boss tower that protrudes from and is contiguous with the flange. The boss tower protrudes from the at least one second portion of the flange.

Reduced-thickness baseplate

A load beam or load beam component having rails for use with a disk drive head suspension. The load beam or component is formed from a sheet of material having a first thickness. One or more polygons, beams or other structures having the full first thickness are formed in the rails by partial etching other portions of the rails to a non-zero second thickness that is less than the first thickness. The multi-thickness structures in the rails enhance the operational performance characteristics of the load beam or load beam component.

Varying thickness partial etch rails for disk drive head suspensions

A disk drive head suspension, including a load beam formed from one or more layers of material, and a flexure mounted to the load beam. The load beam has an offset aperture and stiffening rails, and is characterized by a Z-height dimension between the one or more layers of material and the free end edges of the stiffening rails. The flexure has a slider-receiving region extending at least partially through the offset aperture and located within the Z-height dimension of the load beam. A load point structure is provided on the load beam and/or the flexure for restraining movement of the slider receiving region and for permitting slider-receiving region to pivot in under aerodynamic forces.

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Watertown, MN, United States of America

Gary Berscheit