Abstract: The present invention enhances the reliability of wire-bonding strength by reducing a variation in the entire transformation amount of a wire. At point P1, a bonding wedge 21 abuts the wire 71, whereby a load is exerted on the wire 71. The wire 71 transforms by an amount of transformation A, and the transformation stops at point P2. The transformation amount A varies greatly. At point P3 (T1), ultrasonic wave vibration is exerted and the transformation of the wire 71 is restarted. At this stage, a variation in the transformation amount A is absorbed by an amount of transformation B and therefore a variation in the transformation amount A+B becomes small. At point P4 (T1+T2), the transformation amount A+B is maintained substantially constant. At this point P4, the transformation amount of the wire 71 is set to 0 and the measurement of the transformation amount of the wire 71 is started.

Abstract: A slider and suspension of a hard disk drive are joined with a low modulus epoxy adhesive. The slider and suspension are set in a bonding jig while they are moving from process to process or subjected to a thermosetting treatment in a controlled temperature chamber. The slider and suspension must be kept bound together with the bonding jig until the adhesive is cured through a thermal treatment. The low modulus epoxy adhesive is cured with heat from a laser beam. In addition, a resistance value of the head disposed at the slider is measured so as to monitor the temperature of the head, thereby deciding both output and irradiation time of the laser beam for obtaining a desired strength of the bond within a predetermined temperature range.

Abstract: A jig for inspecting the appearance of small parts with an optical microscope, the jig is equipped with a base, having an upper flat surface which becomes a mounting stage of the optical microscope, and is also provided with a member for moving the upper flat surface at least in a direction approximately parallel to a direction of an optical axis of an objective lens of the optical microscope in order to focus the optical microscope on an inspection portion of the small parts mounted on the upper flat surface. The jig is also equipped with an inspection-object supporting portion, provided with a member for supporting the small parts at the predetermined portion on the base. Furthermore, the jig is equipped with reflecting mirrors which have a mirrorlike surface with an inclined angle of approximately 45 degrees to the upper flat surface of the base.

Abstract: The present invention provides flame retardants which can provide high flame retardancy by means of silicon compounds.

Abstract: A method of wiring a head suspension assembly includes fixing a tube binding a plurality of wires on a suspension assembly, and fixing the wires extending from the fixed tube on the suspension while leading them to a top side of the suspension. The suspension has a tab frame with first and second frames. Each wire led to the top side of the suspension is bonded to the second frame of a tab frame. An insulation film is removed from each connecting portion of the wires to connect the wires to respective connecting pads of the slider. A first frame is bent substantially perpendicular to the suspension, and the second frame is bent substantially perpendicular to the first frame, thereby positioning the wires bonded to the second frame at the connecting pads on the slider. The wires are then ultrasonically welded to the respective connecting pads on the slider.

Abstract: The present invention provides a head supporting arm that allows for laser tacking while having a merging lip and limiters for loading/unloading respectively. A head supporting arm according to the present invention includes a load beam, and a flexure connecting the load beam to a slider. The load beam having a dimple for generating a gimbal motion between the flexure and the slider. The slider having a head connected to its one end. The head supporting arm of the present invention further including an exposure opening formed in the load beam. The exposure opening allowing for the exposing of the bonding portion of the flexure that is bonded to the other end of the slider. The exposure opening further providing an opening to extend the limiters formed unitarily with the flexure 36 onto a surface of the load beam that is opposite to the surface on which the flexure 36 is provided. The extended limiters are hooked to the load beam at the opposite surface.

Abstract: In devices for solder-ball bonding of a bonding pad of a slider of a head gimbal assembly to a lead pad of a lead, although a device that can perform (1) the supply of solder balls, (2) the positioning of a solder ball, (3) the blowing of nitrogen gas N2, and (4) the melting of the solder ball by laser radiation in one device is available, there are various problems that cannot improve the efficiency of laser radiation, maintenance, or operation efficiency, due to spatial restriction, difficulty of weight reduction, or fixed operation procedures. A solder-ball holder and an optical device are configured separately, and a vacuum pad is provided. A solder ball held in a solder-ball holding hole of the solder-ball holder is transported by the vacuum pad to a connecting portion of a head gimbal assembly, and solder reflow is carried out by the optical device.

Abstract: The present invention enhances the reliability of wire-bonding strength by reducing a variation in the entire transformation amount of a wire. At point P1, a bonding wedge 21 abuts the wire 71, whereby a load is exerted on the wire 71. The wire 71 transforms by an amount of transformation A, and the transformation stops at point P2. The transformation amount A varies greatly. At point P3 (T1), ultrasonic wave vibration is exerted and the transformation of the wire 71 is restarted. At this stage, a variation in the transformation amount A is absorbed by an amount of transformation B and therefore a variation in the transformation amount A+B becomes small. At point P4 (T1+T2), the transformation amount A+B is maintained substantially constant. At this point P4, the transformation amount of the wire 71 is set to 0 and the measurement of the transformation amount of the wire 71 is started.

Abstract: A head gimbal assembly is provided with a slider that flies above the surface of a disk, and a head for reading/writing data from/onto the surface of the disk. One or more conductive wires are connected to the head and are used to transmit data. A load beam supports the wire(s) thereon and holds the head/slider near a front end of the load beam. Each wire forms a wire loop between the head connecting point edge and the wire fixing point. A predetermined portion of each wire loop is pressed from above on the surface of the load beam, and then pushed toward the head connecting point edge, thereby plastically deforming a section between the head connecting point edge and the predetermined portion of the wire loop.

Abstract: In devices for solder-ball bonding of a bonding pad of a slider of a head gimbal assembly to a lead pad of a lead, although a device that can perform (1) the supply of solder balls, (2) the positioning of a solder ball, (3) the blowing of nitrogen gas N2, and (4) the melting of the solder ball by laser radiation in one device is available, there are various problems that cannot improve the efficiency of laser radiation, maintenance, or operation efficiency, due to spatial restriction, difficulty of weight reduction, or fixed operation procedures. A solder-ball holder and an optical device are configured separately, and a vacuum pad is provided. A solder ball held in a solder-ball holding hole of the solder-ball holder is transported by the vacuum pad to a connecting portion of a head gimbal assembly, and solder reflow is carried out by the optical device.

Abstract: A spirally corrugated pipe elbow according to the present invention is constructed in such a manner that after a bend forming portion of a pipe body P having a given length and including a spirally corrugated pipe wall 1, with a partial portion a of the pipe wall 1 existing in the peripheral direction of the pipe body P left uncut, is cut and removed from the pipe body P in the form of a cut portion having a substantially V-like shape when it is viewed from the side surface side thereof, the thus obtained two cut surfaces are then bent and contacted with each other with the uncut pipe wall portion a set on the large diameter side, and the thus contacted portions t are connected together in a watertight manner using connecting material m. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an elbow having a structure free from the above water leakage and a method capable of manufacturing such elbow easily and quickly.

Abstract: Apertures are formed in the portion of a flexure adjacent to the soldered portions between the bonding pads of the slider and the lead pads of lead end portions. With this, an adhesive agent for bonding the slider to a flexure tongue is moved downward from the apertures so there is no fear that the adhesive agent will contact the lead pads and the bonding pads. This design prevents the protrusion of an adhesive agent from short-circuiting the flexure, and absorbs a warp produced by shrinkage of a soldered portion by decreasing rigidity of the flexure. When both the bonding pad formed on the slider and the lead pad of a lead fixed to the platform of the flexure are disposed and soldered, the quality of the soldered portion is improved by locating the pads as close to each other as possible.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: An integrated suspension for a slider in a magnetic record system has a simplified structure relatively easy to manufacture. This new integrated suspension is assembled from separate pieces including a load beam a flexure and a mount plate. The flexure includes a flexible member and a conductive lead integrally formed thereon. Since the flexible member is of super-thin type, the flexion of the flexure is minimized by the support using a platform support in an ultrasonic bonding of its conductive lead with a bonding pad of the slider. Besides, to minimize the deflection, an ultrasonic bonding is executed in close order of distance to support portion. Furthermore, a tab extending from the tip of the load beam is used so as not to affect the flexure regarded as a fine piece.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a structure of a head supporting arm for preventing a read/write head from being damaged during a heating process for bonding a slider to a flexure and a method for fabricating the head supporting arm with preventing the read/write head from being damaged during the heating process. A head supporting arm of the present invention comprises: a load beam, a flexure including a portion coupled to said load beam and a bonding portion; and a slider bonded on said bonding portion by an adhesive; wherein said bonding portion of said flexure includes an edge placed on a surface of said slider; and wherein an exposing aperture, which exposes both a portion of a surface region, including said one edge, of said bonding portion and a portion of said surface of said slider, is formed on said load beam.

Abstract: A set of bonding pads are ultrasonically connected to a set of leads. The bonding pads are formed on a predetermined plane of a slider held by a slider holder accessible to the recording plane of a disk in a disk drive. The leads are held by the slider holder and have joints that are formed so as to respectively face each of the bonding pads. A front end plane of a wedge working on the joints is tilted in a direction in which the first sides of the joints correspond to external connection sides. The ultrasonic connection is completed by pressing the joints of the leads against the faced boding pads.

Abstract: A capillary tube for a solder ball connection device connects a first connection surface of a pad to a second connection surface of a pad with a solder ball. The first connection surface is formed at a slider held by a slider holder in a disk unit. The second connection surface is formed at an end of a lead wired to the slider holder. The capillary tube has a ball regulator with a substantially conic, hollow portion. The solder ball regulator has an opening at its top that opens to the tip of the hollow portion. The center axes of the hollow portion and the opening are common. The solder ball regulator also has a pair of projections along the center axis around the opening, where the projections face each other with the center axis therebetween. The projections regulate the movement of the solder ball. The tip of the hollow portion is tapered when viewed from a line connecting the pair of projections and the extreme tips of the tapered tip portions.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A plurality of bonding pads formed on a slider are integrally joined to an elastic flexure for a disk drive suspension. The pads are ultrasonically bonded to the slider with leads that are held by the flexure. The bonding portions of the leads face and are pressed against the pads with ultrasonic waves. The leads are plastically deformed during these steps to prevent the flexure from being deformed after the ultrasonic bonding process.