Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Kenichi Murata

Yuhsuke Matsumoto

Yusuke Matsumoto

Hiroyasu Tsuchida

Tatsumi Tsuchiya

Irizo Naniwa

Kohichiroh Naka

Tatsushi Yoshida

Yuichi Mori

David Patrick Druist

Glenn Paul Gee

Mark Moravec

Adisak Tokaew

Eiki Oosawa

Michael Ranes

Takeshi Hyugano

Peter Paolo Dilla

Masafumi Umeda

A hard disk drive flexure assembly includes an insulative base layer over a metal substrate, a first conductive layer over the base layer, a plurality of electrical pads each comprising a second conductive layer over the first conductive layer, a pre-formed bump of solder material positioned over each pad, and a conductive cover layer over at least a portion of each pre-solder bump. With the conductive cover layer, e.g., gold, solder material from each pre-solder bump is inhibited from transferring to a probe during electrical check of the flexure, the solder material is inhibited from oxidizing, and solder splash is inhibited. These techniques are especially relevant with narrow, high-density, small pitch electrical pads.

Pre-solder bump preventive overcoating

A hard disk drive flexure assembly includes a base layer, a conductive layer, a plurality of electrical pads over the conductive layer, and a sidewall layer including sidewalls on each side of and extending higher than a corresponding electrical pad. Pre-solder bumps are formed between the sidewalls and over each pad. Use of sidewalls prevents the pre-solder bumps from undesirably bridging to an adjacent electrical pad and forming a short circuit, which might otherwise cause head-gimbal assembly (HGA) manufacturing failures and consequent increased cost. These techniques are especially relevant with narrow, high-density, small pitch electrical pads.

Hard disk drive suspension pad pre-solder sidewalls

A solder ball bonding (SBB) tool includes a rotatable feed plate for transporting solder balls from a translatable solder ball reservoir to a nozzle unit, which is a position at which a laser light source can irradiate and thus melt the solder balls. The SBB tool includes a gap between the reservoir and the feed plate positioned over the reservoir, and a feed mechanism coupled with the reservoir, where the feed mechanism is driven by a pressurized gas to translate the reservoir upward across at least a portion of the gap in preparation for movement of a solder ball to the feed plate and downward in preparation for rotation of the feed plate after a solder ball is moved to the feed plate. The gap may have a maximum size that exceeds a nominal size of the solder balls contained in the reservoir.

Reliable transportation mechanism for micro solder balls

A hard disk drive head slider housing a read-write transducer includes a plurality of electrical connection pads, where each electrical pad includes an interconnection portion configured for electrically connecting to an interconnected component, such as a lead suspension, a probe contact portion configured for electrical testing the head slider, and at least one slit positioned between the interconnection portion and the probe contact portion, thereby physically distinguishing and separating the two portions of a multiple-portion pad to inhibit undesirable solder flow to the wider probe contact portion on the slider side of each pad. A more controlled solder joint is provided, while the probe contact portion can remain relatively wide for probe contact and the interconnection portion can remain relatively narrow to reduce solder bridges among the pads.

Multiple-portion hard disk drive slider pad configuration

A hard disk drive suspension assembly includes a pad base layer, a pad-end fixing layer, and a plurality of electrical pads each comprising a conductive layer on the pad base layer, where the base layer extends to the fixing layer, to which a distal end of the base layer is fixed. This configuration inhibits the delamination or deformation of the end edge of each pad. An additional cover layer may be implemented to cover the distal end of the conductive layer(s), further inhibiting deformation of the pads. These techniques are especially relevant with narrow, high-density, small pitch electrical pads.

Hard disk drive suspension pad peel-prevention configuration

Disclosed herein is a magnetic storage device that comprises a suspension arm co-movably fixed to a carriage arm. The suspension arm comprises a slider attachment side and at least one first electrical contact pad on the slider attachment side. The suspension arm also comprises a slider co-movably fixed to the suspension arm. The slider comprises a suspension attachment side, a non-head side facing the suspension arm and intersecting the suspension attachment side at a first slider edge of the slider, a head side facing away from the suspension arm, and at least one electrical contact component on the suspension attachment side up to the first slider edge. At least one solder weldment is directly coupled to the at least one first electrical contact pad and the at least one electrical contact component. Additionally, a read-write head is coupled to the head side of the slider.

Slider and suspension arm interconnection for magnetic storage device

A solder ball bonding tool includes a nozzle having an inner bore having a plurality of columnar surfaces and interposed retention structures that are positioned within the nozzle to retain a solder ball therein. A projection or projected shape formed by intersecting the retention structures may be generally circular, having a diameter less than the diameter of the solder balls for which the retention structures are positioned to retain. The nozzle may comprise a cemented carbide having less than or equal to a cumulative 4.5% of cobalt and gold serving as a binder.

Solder ball jet nozzle having improved reliability

Devices including a suspension pad shape and layout that avoids shorts caused by solder bridging during coupling of leads thereto. One embodiment includes a plurality of slider pads and a plurality of suspension pads being generally aligned with the slider pads. A conductive material electrically couples each of the suspension pads to the slider pad aligned therewith. At least one of the suspension pads is characterized as follows. The suspension pad has a proximal edge positioned closest to the associated slider pad, a distal edge positioned opposite the proximal edge, and side edges extending between the proximal and distal edges. At least a portion of the suspension pad tapers toward the proximal edge.

Suspension pad for head-gimbal assembly that inhibits formation of an inter-pad solder bridge

Approaches to a solder ball bonding (SBB) tool and a method for solder ball bonding work pieces. The SBB tool comprises a rotatable feed plate for transporting solder balls from a reservoir to a nozzle, which is a position at which a laser light source can irradiate and melt the solder balls. The melted solder ball is then ejected from the nozzle and onto one or more work pieces, for electrically interconnecting the work pieces. The feed plate is configured with first holes and second holes, the first holes for receiving and transporting solder balls and the second holes for providing an aperture for the laser light to irradiate the solder balls, as the feed plate rotates and the holes are moved to positions in relation to the reservoir and the nozzle.

High-speed transportation mechanism for micro solder balls

Approaches to an electrical contact to electrically connect a laser module and a suspension that houses a head slider, in the context of a hard disk drive, involves a laser sub-mount electrical contact that includes a metal barrier layer underneath an electrode layer, where the barrier layer material has a lower heat transfer coefficient than the sub-mount material. Consequently, during the soldering process the diffusion of heat to the sub-mount is inhibited and the wettability of the solder is improved.

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Ebina, Japan

Kenichi Murata