International Business Machines Corporation

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Tatsushi Yoshida

Tatsumi Tsuchiya

Yoshio Uematsu

Yuhsuke Matsumoto

Takuya Satoh

Yasuhiro Mita

Hiromi Ishikawa Ishikawa

Hiroyoshi Yokome

Surya Narayan Pattanaik

Tadaaki Tomiyama

Takao Kidachi

Kenji Itoh

Hiroyasu Tsuchida

Yukihiro Nakamura

Hisashi Ohyama

Yohtaroh Ichimura

Eiki Oosawa

Naoki Kurosu

Nobuyuki Hashi

Takaaki Murokawa

Naoki Fujii

Hiroo Inoue

Seiji Nakagawa

Tatsumi Tuchiya

Kohichiroh Naka

Masaaki Nanba

Naoki Suzuki

Tatsuya Tanaka

Yuichi Mori

Noriyuki Saiki

Hideo Yamakura

Kenichi Murata

Takuma Muraki

Yukihiro Isono

Yusuke Matsumoto

Diane Sprandel O'Regan

Toru Koike

Masashi Fujimori

Tetsuji Ono

Yoskio Uematsu

Yurika Shimozawa

William A Childers

Akiko Hayashi

Lan Shi

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

An apparatus for interconnecting two connection pads in a head-gimbal assembly. The apparatus includes a conveyer for conveying a metallic slug, and a nozzle for ejecting the metallic slug toward the two connection pads. The nozzle includes a receiving portion for receiving the metallic slug from the conveyer, and a straight guide disposed downstream of the receiving portion. The straight guide has a maximum inner diameter that is smaller than a minimum inner diameter of the receiving portion. The apparatus also includes a laser for applying a laser beam from an inlet side of the nozzle to the metallic slug as the metallic slug passes along a path that includes a first portion through said straight guide and a second portion between the straight guide and the two connection pads. The laser is configured to melt the metallic slug for attaching the metallic slug to the two connection pads.

Apparatus for interconnecting connection pads of a head-gimbal assembly and manufacturing method for the head-gimbal assembly

A head-gimbal assembly (HGA) with a suspension-lead pad having a form that is configured to inhibit formation of an inter-pad solder bridge. The HGA includes a gimbal, a head-slider and a plurality of suspension-lead pads. The head-slider is coupled with the gimbal, and includes a plurality of head-slider pads. The plurality of suspension-lead pads is coupled with the plurality of head-slider pads by a plurality of solder bonds. A suspension-lead pad comprises a first lateral side, a second lateral side, a proximal side, disposed in proximity to a respective head-slider pad, and a distal side. A first width of the suspension-lead pad closer to the proximal side is substantially larger than a second width of the suspension-lead pad further from the proximal side than the first width. A disk drive including the HGA, and a head-slider with a head-slider pad having similar form to the suspension-lead pad are also provided.

Head-gimbal assembly with a suspension-lead pad having a form that is configured to inhibit formation of an inter-pad solder bridge

Embodiments of the invention provide a head gimbal assembly (HGA) provided with a solder ball connecting structure suitable for the re-utilization of a suspension assembly. In one embodiment, the HGA includes lead wires provided at front ends thereof with lead pads and also includes slider pads capable of being connected to the lead pads by solder ball bonding with the use of solder balls. Respective grooves formed in the surfaces of the slider pads inhibit the solder balls from rotating and moving over the surfaces of the slider pads and the lead pads before the radiation of a laser beam.

Head gimbal assembly provided with solder ball connecting structure allowing re-utilization of suspension

Embodiments of the invention provide techniques to prevent, when a bonding pad and a lead wiring pad are to be connected using a solder ball, the solder ball from deviating from a centerline and a soldering problem from occurring. In one embodiment, a head suspension assembly includes a solder ball disposed between a lead wiring pad provided for a flexure and a bonding pad provided for a slider. The solder ball is then melted for making a soldered joint between the lead wiring pad and the bonding pad. A through slot is provided at a position near a centerline on a front surface of the lead wiring pad. The solder ball is dropped into the through slot by gravity from the front surface of the lead wiring pad. A contact area in contact with the solder ball is thereby secured on a side of the slider.

Rotating disk storage device and integrated wire head suspension assembly

Embodiments of the invention correct the static attitude of a head gimbal assembly (HGA) with high accuracy. In one embodiment, a vector group that constitutes the shortest path from the initial attitude of the HGA to the final anticipatory attitude is formed. The vector group is formed of the plural displacement vectors that give a variety of variations in static attitude when unit shots of laser light are performed on the HGA. Displacement vectors are synthesized while the displacement vectors each giving the anticipatory attitude closest to a target attitude are being selected in order from the initial attitude, toward the target attitude. Unit shots equivalent to the number of displacement vectors are performed on irradiating positions related to the displacement vectors included in the vector group. The static attitude existing after the unit shots is measured, then the displacement vectors are corrected, and a vector group constituting the new shortest path is formed. Highly accurate attitude correction is thus realized.

Method for manufacturing a magnetic disk device with improved head gimbal assembly

Embodiments of the invention relate to making reconnection when a soldered connection fails in a head/slider used in a magnetic disk drive. In one embodiment, a solder mass deposited on a slider pad of a head/slider is separated from a lead pad and a solder ball connection is yet to be made between the slider pad and the lead pad. A shaping tip is heated to a temperature near a melting point of a solder. The shaping tip is moved in parallel with a surface of the slider pad toward the side of the lead pad to soften the solder mass. The solder mass is thereafter irradiated with a laser beam so as to form a solder fillet, thereby making a soldered connection between the lead pad and the slider pad.

Head gimbal assembly method with solder fillet formed by laser irradiating a shaped solder mass

Embodiments of the invention provide a head gimbal assembly (HGA) capable of effecting solder ball connection with use of low energy. In one embodiment, the HGA includes a head/slider. In the head/slider, slider pads and lead wire pads are connected to each other by reflow of solder balls under the radiation of a laser beam. Lead layers are connected to a magnetic head and electrode studs are connected to the lead layers, respectively, and are also connected to the slider pads. The diameter R (m) of a solder ball and a sectional area S (m) of an electrode stud are in a relation of R&#x2267;4S.

Head gimbal assembly and magnetic disk drive with specific solder ball or slider pad and electrode stud dimensioning to produce reliable solder ball connection using laser energy

A method of assembling a head gimbal assembly. The method comprises a series of steps which include: stacking a base plate, a load beam, and a flexure to form a three-layered stacked series with at least a bottom layer being a base plate series; joining portions of the load beam to the base plate, and the flexure to the load beam in the three-layered stacked series to make a suspension section; attaching a slider to the flexure in the suspension section to make a head gimbal assembly; load-bending a hinge portion formed in the head gimbal assembly; and heating the hinge portion in order to adjust a bending load on the hinge portion at a predetermined bending angle to a predetermined value.

Method of assembling a head gimbal assembly

A method for removing a lead-free solder from a slider pad is provided to permit re-utilization of a head/slider used in a magnetic disk drive. In one embodiment, a slider pad formed on a head/slider and a lead pad are connected to each other through a lead-free solder fillet. A cutting tool is heated beforehand to a temperature near the melting point of the lead-free solder. The cutting tool is moved in parallel with a surface of the slider pad to cut the solder fillet while softening the solder fillet. The solder fillet is removed so as not to impose a stress on the slider pad and in a state in which the head/slider can be re-utilized.

Method of removing lead-free solder from slider pad and magnetic disk drive

A base plate and load beam for an HG assembly are formed in series, stacked, and transferred by a transfer system in the form of the stacked-layer series to undergo the necessary assembly processes such as layer joining, slider attachment, and electrical connections between the terminals thereon. When uncompleted HG assemblies are transferred for each of the manufacturing processes, the uncompleted HG assembly is mounted on the assembly jig such as a tray or a block for transference. For this reason, assembling jigs, the number of which is at least equal to the number of the uncompleted HG assemblies remaining at the respective assembly processes would be needed. Accordingly, the efficiency of work space is reduced, and a rise in manufacturing cost is brought about by the need for the assembling jigs.

Transfer system for assembling a head gimbal assembly

A base plate and load beam for an HG assembly are formed in series, stacked, and transferred by a transfer system in the form of the stacked-layer series to undergo the necessary assembly processes such as layer joining, slider attachment, and electrical connections between the terminals thereon. The base plate structure comprises a band portion having conveying holes and positioning holes formed at a predetermined pith respectively in a longitudinal direction. A plurality of the base plates are disposed via connecting portions integrally formed at a predetermined pitch at edges on one side of the band portion.

Base plate structure, transfer system, and method and apparatus for assembling a head gimbal assembly

A head gimbal assembly, which is a component of a hard disk drive, has a bending portion that has elasticity and is bent at a predetermined angle under an unloaded condition, and a slider is bonded to a holding portion thereof by mounting the head gimbal assembly on a bonding jig in a state in which the bending portion is stretched. When the head gimbal assembly is separated from the bonding jig after bonding, the bending portion is not restored freely, so that the head gimbal assembly is caught by the bonding jig during the separating process and a locked state is sometimes established.

Apparatus and method for separating head gimbal assembly from bonding jig

Apparatus for assembling a head gimbal assembly

An apparatus joins bonding pads of a slider and lead pads of lead wires in a head gimbals assembly to improve efficiency, downsizing, and maintenance of solder-ball disposing devices, and solder-ball reflow devices for reflowing solder balls. The solder-ball disposing apparatus discharges solder balls from solder-ball discharging holes of a solder-ball feeder unit which are evacuated by a suction pad. An environmental space and an inert-gas supply portion for forming inactive atmosphere are formed on a table to eliminate an inert-gas supply unit from an optical unit, so that converged laser beams are directly radiated onto the solder balls.

Solder ball disposing apparatus, solder ball reflow apparatus, and solder ball bonding apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Tatsushi Yoshida