Electrostatic discharge protection system for mr heads

Abstract

An MR head receives ESD protection from a mechanism that automatically and releasably shorts the MR head whenever a suspension assembly on which the head is mounted is not installed in an HDA. The suspension assembly includes a flexure underlying a load beam, which is connected to an actuator arm. The MR head is mounted to a distal end of the flexure, leads from components of the MR head being brought out in the form of MR wire leads running along the load beam and the support arm to a nearby terminal connecting side tab. The conductors are separated and exposed at a designated point along the flexure to provide a contact region. A shorting bar, which comprises an electrically conductive member attached to the actuator arm, automatically connects the MR wire leads at the contact region when absence of support for the MR head permits the load beam to bend sufficiently toward the shorting bar. Thus, when the assembly is removed from installation in an HDA, the flexure is permitted to move toward the shorting bar, bringing the contact region and the shorting bar in electrical contact to short the MR wired leads and thereby disable the MR sensor. When the assembly is installed in an HDA, the MR head is supported by an air bearing or the disk itself, depending upon whether the disk is rotating or stopped, respectively. In either case, the load beam is not permitted to droop and the shorting bar cannot contact the conductors, thus activating the MR sensor. Temporary ESD protection mechanisms are also provided, these being removable prior to operation of the HDA by breaking and removing various temporary shorting mechanisms.