Hutchinson Technology Corporation

John H Tangren

Todd A Krinke

Mark T Girard

Catherine A Morley

Daniel D Willard

A head suspension or head suspension component that includes a spring metal support layer, an insulating layer and a conductive layer, into which three dimensional heat dissipation structures have been integrally formed to dissipate heat from the head suspension, especially in an area adjacent to an integrated circuit mounted on the head suspension. The heat dissipation structures may include a plurality of heat fins formed into or onto one or more conductive traces of the conductive layer, or may include a plurality of projections or indentations formed into or onto conductive traces. Use of a partial etching technique allows for simultaneous etching of both the traces and the heat fins within the traces, thereby decreasing production costs and increasing head suspension reliability. Heat fins may also be formed into the support layer in a region adjacent to the conductive layer heat fins, if desired in order to dissipate even more heat from the region.

Heat dissipation structures for integrated lead disk drive head suspensions

A disk drive suspension in which resonance characteristics are adjustable and a method for such adjustment. The disk drive suspension includes a load beam, a head mounting region and one or more mass balancing structures. The mass balancing structures are adapted for permanent displacement or removal to adjust mass distribution of the load beam. In this way, resonance characteristics of the load beam can be adjusted. A method of adjustment includes determination of an adjust location on the load beam at which a resonance characteristic to be adjusted is sensitive to changes in mass. The mass distribution of the load beam are adjusted at this adjust location.

Mass balancing for optimizing suspension resonance performance

A magnetic head suspension and method of manufacture of the type having a dimple formed in a surface of the head suspension. The dimple comprises a solid protuberance that is partial etched in a surface of the head suspension and then coined by engaging a socket with the partial etched protuberance to form a convex tip portion. The socket can have a hemi-spherical interior surface to form a hemi-spherical coined partial etched dimple. Alternatively, the socket can have a conical interior surface to form a conical coined partial etched dimple. The dimple can be formed on a slider mounting surface of a flexure to act as a static attitude compensation dimple. Alternatively, the dimple can be formed in a loading region of a load beam or in a cantilever region of the flexure to act as a load point dimple.

Coined partial etched dimple in a head suspension and method of manufacture

A method of adjusting the static attitude of a head slider attached to a head suspension for use in a rigid disk drive. The head suspension includes a load beam having a mounting region, a rigid region, and a spring region. The head suspension also includes a flexure for supporting a head slider having a read/write head. The flexure is attached to the load beam at at least an attachment isolation structure. The attachment isolation structure includes an attachment area at which the flexure is attached to the load beam; at least one slot surrounding the attachment area; and at least one junction tab traversing the slot to connect the attachment area to the remainder of the head suspension. The attachment area can be displaced by permanently deforming the junction tab. Displacement of the attachment area places a torque on the flexure which causes a displacement, e.g. adjustment, of the head slider attached thereto.

Attachment isolation structures for adjusting head slider static attitude

A method for designing and manufacturing a head suspension assembly having a side profile in the radius and rigid regions which is optimized for first and second torsion or other resonance characteristics.

Method for designing and manufacturing a suspension having optimized

A method for manufacturing disk drive head suspensions of the type for supporting a transducer head in a loaded state at a fly height above an information storage disk. A desired loaded state side profile for the suspension is determined, for example, by experimental or numerical techniques. The nature and location of one or more weakening structures on the suspension are then determined. The weakening structures will cause the profile of the suspension to change as the suspension moves from an unloaded state to the loaded state, and to have the desired loaded state side profile when in the loaded state at the fly height. Experimental and empirical techniques can be used to determine the nature and location of the weakening structures. A plurality of the suspensions, each having the weakening structures, are then manufactured. Suspension manufactured by the method can be optimized for resonance and other performance-related characteristics.

Method for designing a suspension having weakening structures for

A moment-flex head suspension has a construction that reduces the pitch and roll stiffness of the read/write head support while maintaining the lateral stiffness of the flexure or gimbal of the head suspension sufficiently high.

Moment-flex head suspension

A head suspension for use in a rigid disk drive is provided having an improved load control as provided by its spring region for decoupling the effect of loading from torsion resonance performance and for reducing the load loss caused by backbending. The head suspension includes a load beam having an actuator mounting region, a rigid section, a flexure including a slider bond pad, and a spring region between the actuator mounting region and the rigid section, the spring region having a hinge line defined across its transverse width positioned to permit the offset height to varied from its predetermined position without substantially changing the longitudinal profile of the head suspension. The hinge line is preferably provided substantially at an interface of the actuator mounting region and the spring region to provide the decoupling function. The hinge line preferably comprises a trough partially through the thickness of the material of the spring region and extending completely across the spring region is preferred, which independently reduces load loss associated with backbending of the bend within the spring region. One or more additional partial thickness troughs may also be provided within the spring region for defining the loaded profile of the head suspension for optimizing resonance performance and for further reducing load loss.

Head suspension with modified spring region for improved load control

A load beam for a head suspension has high lateral and torsional stiffness across the entire length of the load beam to assure high lateral bending and torsional resonance frequencies. The load beam utilizes an optimized top profile for distributing mass transversely of the load beam and over the longitudinal length of the load beam in a way to increase lateral stiffness and torsional stiffness. To increase lateral stiffness, a wider and/or thicker region is provided near the actuator mounting side of the load beam, while torsional stiffness is enhanced by taking mass away from the outside edges in the remainder of the load beam extending toward its distal tip. A load beam top profile is defined by side edges, each providing a spring region and a proximal portion of the rigid region, a curve having a center of curvature within the load beam structure, while a more distal portion of the rigid region is defined by curves having a center of curvature outside the load beam material. Preferably, a stiffener member is provided covering at least a portion of the surface of the rigid region. The stiffener is wide where it covers the proximal portion of the rigid region for increasing lateral and torsional stiffness, and then decreases in width extending toward the distal end of the load beam.

Head suspension for use with a dynamic storage drive having an optimized

A disk drive suspension for mounting to the end of an actuator arm including a load beam having a rigid region, a base on a proximal of the load beam, and a flexure for receiving and supporting a read/write head on a distal end of the load beam. Gaps are cut out of high strain regions of the rigid region of the load beam and filled with damping material. The damper filled gaps reduce the amplitude of resonant frequency vibrations in the disk drive suspension.

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Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

John H Tangren