Abstract: A base plate for a suspension has a swage hub whose inner diameter is offset from the outer diameter, and more specifically, the inner diameter of the swage hub is offset so as to be farther away from the head slider than is the outer diameter. The offset reduces variability in post-swaging deflection of the suspension at the distal end of the base plate to which the load beam is mounted.

Abstract: A microactuator assembly is formed by depositing PZT material over electrode gaps, the electrode gaps being defined by the spaces between interleaved fingers of metal that define alternating plus and minus electrodes. The PZT material is hardened and poled. The PZT material may be deposited and poled either as isolated islands of PZT material across respective electrode gaps, or as a continuous sheet of PZT material with localized areas of that material being poled and then activated. The individual PZT elements are arranged such that successive PZT elements extend in the same direction as across the electrode gaps. The resulting microactuator assembly acts in the d33 direction of the PZT elements. The electrodes have raised or recessed features such as ribs or castellations, with the PZT material mating with those features, thus anchoring the PZT material to the electrodes.

Abstract: A low impedance, low crosstalk disk drive suspension circuit has multiple traces carrying a first polarity of a differential signal, interleaved with multiple traces carrying the second polarity of a differential signal. Each pair of conductors consisting of a trace of the first polarity and a trace of the second polarity may cross over each other at multiple crossover points. The crossover connections may utilize a second layer of copper trace conductors over the first and main layer, or alternatively the crossover connections may utilize an isolated portion of the suspension substrate.

Abstract: A low impedance, low crosstalk disk drive suspension circuit has multiple traces carrying a first polarity of a differential signal, interleaved with multiple traces carrying the second polarity of a differential signal. Each pair of conductors consisting of a trace of the first polarity and a trace of the second polarity may cross over each other at multiple crossover points. The crossover connections may utilize a second layer of copper trace conductors over the first and main layer, or alternatively the crossover connections may utilize an isolated portion of the suspension substrate.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension circuit has copper signal conductors connected by vias through an insulative layer to respective stainless steel flying leads. The stainless steel flying leads are activated and plated with one or more metals, with a final layer over the flying lead being a layer such as gold, suitable for bonding to form bond pads. The gold bond pads may be attached using thermosonic welding, solder ball bonding, or other suitable methods to an electrical component such as wires or a the disk drive's pre-amp circuit.

Abstract: A method of preparing an additive suspension circuit for a hard disk drive suspension includes electrodepositing an alloy of copper using an electrolytic bath containing copper sulfate, tin, iron, sulfuric acid, and hydrochloric acid, using pulsed current of about 10-45 amperes per square foot.

Abstract: A structure for a load beam used in hard disk drive devices includes an asymmetric structure. The load beam exhibits longitudinal asymmetry (i.e., is asymmetric along its long axis) in regard to the weight distribution, but has a center of mass that lies along its longitudinal axis due to the provisioning of counterbalancing features, such as the addition of material, the removal of material, or a combination of adding material and removing material, or the use of an asymmetrical damping layer.

Abstract: A microactuator assembly for a hard disk drive head suspension has an expandable base of stainless steel sheet material defining a negative lead affixed to the negative electrode on the bottom surface of a piezoelectric element, and a piece of stainless steel sheet material defining a positive lead attached to the positive electrode on the top surface of the piezoelectric element. The leads may be affixed directly to the piezoelectric element via conductive adhesive. The microactuator assembly can be assembled separately, and then laser welded into place on a suspension. A bond pad made of stainless steel sheet material extends from the flexible circuit, is electrically connected to the microactuator driving voltage conductor within the flexible circuit through a via, and is electrically isolated from the suspension substrate by an insulating film. The microactuator unit positive lead is mechanically and electrically connected to the bond pad via laser welding.

Abstract: An additive process disk drive suspension interconnect, and method therefor is provided. The interconnect has a metal grounding layer of typically stainless steel or copper metallized stainless steel, a metal conductive layer and an insulative layer between the metal grounding layer and the conductive metal layer. A circuit component such as a slider is electrically connected to the conductive layer along a grounding path from the circuit component and the conductive layer to the metal grounding layer through an aperture in the insulative layer. For improved electrical connection a tie layer is provided through the insulative layer onto the grounding layer in bonding relation with the ground layer. A conductor is deposited onto both the conductive metal layer and the tie layer in conductive metal layer and tie layer bonding relation, and the circuit component is thus bonded to the grounding layer by the conductor.

Abstract: A microactuator assembly for a hard disk drive head suspension has an expandable base of stainless steel sheet material defining a negative lead affixed to the negative electrode on the bottom surface of a piezoelectric element, and a piece of stainless steel sheet material defining a positive lead attached to the positive electrode on the top surface of the piezoelectric element. The leads may be affixed directly to the piezoelectric element via conductive adhesive. The microactuator assembly can be assembled separately, and then laser welded into place on a suspension. A bond pad made of stainless steel sheet material extends from the flexible circuit, is electrically connected to the microactuator driving voltage conductor within the flexible circuit through a via, and is electrically isolated from the suspension substrate by an insulating film. The microactuator unit positive lead is mechanically and electrically connected to the bond pad via laser welding.

Abstract: An additive process disk drive suspension interconnect, and method therefor is provided. The interconnect has a metal grounding layer of typically stainless steel or copper metallized stainless steel, a metal conductive layer and an insulative layer between the metal grounding layer and the conductive metal layer. A circuit component such as a slider is electrically connected to the conductive layer along a grounding path from the circuit component and the conductive layer to the metal grounding layer through an aperture in the insulative layer. For improved electrical connection a tie layer is provided through the insulative layer onto the grounding layer in bonding relation with the ground layer. A conductor is deposited onto both the conductive metal layer and the tie layer in conductive metal layer and tie layer bonding relation, and the circuit component is thus bonded to the grounding layer by the conductor.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension interconnect, and method therefor. The interconnect has a metal grounding layer, a metal conductive layer and an insulative layer between the metal grounding layer and the conductive metal layer. A circuit component such as a slider is electrically connected to the conductive layer along a grounding path from the circuit component and the conductive layer to the metal grounding layer through an aperture in the insulative layer. For improved electrical connection a tie layer is provided through the insulative layer onto the grounding layer in bonding relation with the ground layer. A conductor is deposited onto both the conductive metal layer and the tie layer in conductive metal layer and tie layer bonding relation, and the circuit component is thus bonded to the grounding layer by the conductor.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension interconnect, and method therefor. The interconnect has a metal grounding layer, a metal conductive layer and an insulative layer between the metal grounding layer and the conductive metal layer. A circuit component such as a slider is electrically connected to the conductive layer along a grounding path from the circuit component and the conductive layer to the metal grounding layer through an aperture in the insulative layer. For improved electrical connection a tie layer is provided through the insulative layer onto the grounding layer in bonding relation with the ground layer. A conductor is deposited onto both the conductive metal layer and the tie layer in conductive metal layer and tie layer bonding relation, and the circuit component is thus bonded to the grounding layer by the conductor.

Abstract: A head suspension assembly couples a baseplate to a rotatable load through a planar triangular piezo microactuator for effecting hingeless rotation of the load. The microactuator expands, responsive to an excitation voltage, with greater magnitude in one direction than in another direction normal to the first direction, resulting in an angular movement of the hypotenuse thereby rotating the load. The upper surface of the microactuator is grounded to a bottom surface of the baseplate or load beam to position the microactuator lead connection surface closest to the load to facilitate trace routing. A load beam grounding surface may be raised to accommodate the microactuator and fix the lead connection surface on a common plane with the unraised surface to further minimize trace routing and provide access for bonding the trace to the load beam.

Abstract: A structure for a load beam used in hard disk drive devices includes an asymmetric structure. The load beam exhibits longitudinal asymmetry (i.e., is asymmetric along its long axis) in regard to the weight distribution, but has a center of mass that lies along its longitudinal axis due to the provisioning of counterbalancing features, such as the addition of material, the removal of material, or a combination of adding material and removing material, or the use of an asymmetrical damping layer.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a flexible circuit interconnect comprising a conductive pattern on a flexible substrate comprising layers of different components having different coefficients of thermal expansion, including exposing the flexible substrate sequentially to different temperature regimes tending to differentially expand the flexible circuit components, dimensionally stabilizing the flexible substrate with an added stainless steel layer only during said exposing to different temperature regimes, and removing stainless steel of the added layer from the flexible circuit after exposing the flexible circuit.

Abstract: Shaping of a gimbal suspension element for a disk drive suspension using fewer process steps includes disposing an element, precursor assembly of a plastic film layer and a copper layer with an interlayer of a copper seed layer and a Monel alloy for etching, and etching the assembly with an etchant such as cupric chloride for both the alloy and the copper seed layer of the interlayer.

Abstract: A method of seamlessly combining best practices in information technology delivery (ITIQ) with those of organizational effectiveness (OE) strategy to improve the overall success rate in delivering information technology projects to clients.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for imprinting information, particularly identifying an intensifying screen and cassette used to produce a radiograph, permanently on the radiograph.