Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Nidec Corporation

Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd.

West Digital Technologies, Inc.

Kimihiko Sudo

Takako Hayakawa

Yuta Onobu

Seong-Hun Choe

Kazuhiro Nagaoka

Nobumasa Nishiyama

Yuichi Arai

Takehito Nagata

Kouki Uefune

Hiromitsu Masuda

Yuji Soga

Shigeo Nakamura

Norio Nakazato

Miki Namihisa

Hajime Eguchi

Kyosuke Yoshida

Hiroshi Matsuda

Satoshi Nakamura

Tomohiro Yoneda

Irizo Naniwa

Yasuhiro Matsuda

Yoshihiro Sakurai

Shinobu Hagiya

Takeshi Ohiro

Masahiro Akagi

Shigeyuki Sasaki

Jiro Kaneko

Takayuki Ishino

Akihiro Yudate

Toshinori Sugiyama

Yoshiyuki Hirono

Naoshi Mizumoto

Yukio Yamamoto

Sho Nakamura

Shigenori Takada

Naoki Yotsumoto

Noritaka Otake

Hiroshi Akai

Atsushi Hatakeyama

Takaaki Maruyama

Kouichi Tanabe

Kazuki Takeichi

Hiroshi Oyama

A flexible type electrical feed-through involves a flexible printed circuit (FPC) part constructed as a laminate structure of a base insulating layer, a conductor layer, and a cover insulating layer, where the FPC part is wrapped around a metal part, forming a connector assembly. Such a feed-through may be used at an interface between a hermetically-sealed internal environment, such as in a lighter-than-air gas filled data storage device, and the external environment. Multiple connector parts may be coupled to an inner side of the feed-through, to each mate with a respective flexible cable assembly electrically connected to a respective actuator of a multi-actuator hard disk drive. A floating board-to-board connector part may be coupled to the outer side of the feed-through, which in turn is electrically connected to a printed circuit board assembly of a hard disk drive, and which is able to tolerate connector mating misalignment.

Flexible type electrical feed-through connector assembly

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to hermetic electrical connectors used in hard disk drives. The hermetic electrical connector includes a barrier structure having a first plurality of connecting pads disposed on a first surface of the barrier structure and a second plurality of connecting pads disposed on a second surface of the barrier structure opposite the first surface. A plurality of conductors is disposed within the barrier structure, and each conductor is coupled to a connecting pad of the first plurality of connecting pads and a corresponding connecting pad of the second plurality of connecting pads. The barrier structure further includes a dielectric material between the first and second surfaces, and one or more layers embedded in the dielectric material. The addition of the layers helps choke the helium gas flow, thus improving sealing of the electrical connector while maintaining high-speed electrical transmission.

Hermetic sealed electrical connector with high-speed transmission for hard disk drive

A low permeability electrical feed-through involves a laminate structure having alternating conductive and insulating layers with a conductive through-hole positioned therethrough, by which a lower connector pad is electrically connected with an upper connector pad. Such a feed-through may be used at an interface between a hermetically-sealed internal environment, such as in a lighter-than-air gas filled data storage device, and the external environment. An insulating layer is positioned and configured such that an associated horizontal leak path can meet an allowable feed-through leak rate, while the collection of layers is configured such that an associated vertical leak path can meet the feed-through leak rate.

Low permeability electrical feed-through

A base member includes a recessed portion extending in radial directions and recessed upward from a lower surface of the base member, and a hole extending through the recessed portion in the vertical direction. The recessed portion includes a recessed portion loop-shaped surface defining a loop-shaped surface in the radial direction. A connector is located on a lower side of the recessed portion to cover the hole portion. An adhesive is located between the connector and the recessed portion. A minimum value of a gap distance in the radial direction between an outer end of the connector and an inner end of the recessed portion in which the outer end of the connector and the inner end of the recessed portion are opposed to each other with the adhesive therebetween is greater than a minimum value of a gap in the vertical direction distance between an upper surface of the connector and the recessed portion loop-shaped surface, in which the upper surface of the connector and the recessed portion loop-shaped surface are opposed to each other with the adhesive therebetween. The adhesive includes a filler.

Base unit and disk drive apparatus

A misalignment-tolerant flexible type electrical feed-through assembly, which is able to tolerate connector misalignment, involves a flexible circuit assembly (FCA) part constructed as a laminate structure of a base insulating layer, a conductor layer, and a cover insulating layer, where the FCA part is wrapped around a plurality of metal parts, where the metal parts are slidable relative to each other. Such a feed-through assembly may be used at an interface between a hermetically-sealed internal environment, such as in a lighter-than-air gas filled data storage device, and the external environment.

Misalignment-tolerant flexible type electrical feed-through

An electrical feed-through assembly includes electrically conductive pins having a top apex and a bottom apex, where the pins extend through at least a majority of an electrically non-conductive material. The top apexes, the bottom apexes, or both the top and bottom apexes of the pins have an electrically conductive connection pad material, such as a solder pad, coupled thereto. In variations, the top and/or bottom apexes may be slightly recessed from a corresponding surface of the non-conductive material, such that the connection pads fill the respective recesses; and/or the top and/or bottom apexes barely extend from a corresponding surface, such that the connection pads bulge out from the corresponding surface. Such a feed-through configuration may inhibit pin bending, in addition to enabling use of more types of connectors beyond pin-and-socket type connectors.

Electrical feed-through and connector configuration

Hermetic sealing with high-speed transmission for hard disk drive

In the context of a hard disk drive (HDD), an adhesive leak channel structural feature is positioned in an area at which an electrical feed-through is adhered with an adhesive to an enclosure base, where the leak channel feature inhibits the leakage of gas through the adhesive. Embodiments include providing the leak channel feature on the base and/or on the feed-through. Embodiments may further include application of an electrodeposition coating to the base in an area at which the adhesive is in contact.

Adhesive leak channel structure for hermetic sealing of a hard disk drive

A hermetically-sealed hard disk drive (HDD) utilizes a laminated film seal to seal an interface of an electrical feed-through connector and an HDD enclosure base. The laminated film seal may be constructed of a heat sealant layer that bonds with a surface of the base and a surface of the electrical connector, a barrier layer which inhibits gas from escaping from inside the HDD, and a film surface protective layer which protects the heat sealant and barrier layers. Embodiments may include a heat sealant layer comprising a thermoplastic polymer such as polypropylene, a barrier layer comprising a metal such as aluminum, and a film surface protective layer comprising a thermoplastic polymer such as polyethylene terephthalate.

Hermetic sealing of hard disk drive using laminated film seal

A hermetically-sealed hard disk drive (HDD) utilizes a laminated film seal to seal an HDD cover-to-base interface. The laminated film seal may be constructed of a heat sealant layer hermetically-coupled to and forming a seal with the base, a barrier layer which inhibits gas from escaping from inside the HDD, and a film surface protective layer which protects the heat sealant and barrier layers. Embodiments may include a heat sealant layer comprising a thermoplastic polymer such as polypropylene, a barrier layer comprising a metal such as aluminum, and a film surface protective layer comprising a thermoplastic polymer such as polyethylene terephthalate.

A hermetically-sealed hard disk drive (HDD) utilizes a laminated film seal to seal an interface of an electrical flexible cable assembly and an HDD enclosure base. The laminated film seal may be constructed of a heat sealant layer that bonds with a surface of the base and a surface of the flex cable, a barrier layer which inhibits gas from escaping from inside the HDD, and a film surface protective layer which protects the heat sealant and barrier layers. Embodiments may include a heat sealant layer comprising a thermoplastic polymer such as polypropylene, a barrier layer comprising a metal such as aluminum, and a film surface protective layer comprising a thermoplastic polymer such as polyethylene terephthalate.

A hermetically-sealed hard disk drive (HDD) utilizes a laminated film enclosure to hermetically seal an HDD within. The laminated film enclosure may be constructed of a heat sealant layer hermetically-sealed around the HDD, a barrier layer which inhibits gas from escaping from inside the laminated film enclosure, and a film surface protective layer which protects the heat sealant and barrier layers. Embodiments may include a heat sealant layer comprising a thermoplastic polymer such as polypropylene, a barrier layer comprising a metal such as aluminum, and a film surface protective layer comprising a thermoplastic polymer such as polyethylene terephthalate.

Laminated film-packed hard disk drive for hermetic sealing

A hard disk drive including a plurality of magnetic disks and a voice coil motor. The voice coil motor includes a coil and a first damper plate for dampening vibrations generated by the coil. The first damper plate is disposed within the voice coil motor.

Low profile damper plates for a yoke of a voice coil motor

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Kimihiko Sudo