Abstract: A head-gimbal assembly (HGA) is disclosed. The HGA comprises a slider, a flexure that includes a tongue, and an adhesive material bonding the slider to the tongue. The tongue includes a plurality of stand-offs that contact the slider, and a plurality of adhesive receptacles. Each of the plurality of adhesive receptacles is disposed adjacent to a corresponding one of the plurality of stand-offs. At least a portion of each of the plurality of adhesive receptacles is disposed between the adhesive material and a corresponding one of the plurality of stand-offs.

Abstract: A novel method and device to align a flexure tail of a head gimbal assembly (HGA) to a flex cable of a head stack assembly (HSA) is disclosed and claimed. An alignment pin is passed through a first alignment hole in the flex cable, and a second alignment hole in the flexure tail. The second alignment hole is disposed in a region of the flexure tail that lies in a flexure tail plane that is approximately parallel to the flex cable plane adjacent the first alignment hole. A novel head gimbal assembly (HGA) has a flexure tail that includes a first bend line. The flexure tail is bent out-of-plane about the first bend line to create a residual bend angle in the range 10° to 80°. The first alignment tab is abutted against a first guide surface of an alignment fixture.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension assembly includes a load beam, a first hinge arm, a second hinge arm, a base plate, and a flexure that includes a head mounting surface. The base plate has a first base plate layer that includes a first base plate side and an opposing second base plate side. The first base plate side has a main base plate surface and a recessed base plate surface parallel to and offset from the main base plate surface. A first hinge arm is attached to the main base plate surface. A second hinge arm is attached to the recessed base plate surface. The first and second hinge arms are attached to the load beam. The base plate has a first thickness at the main base plate surface and a second thickness at the recessed base plate surface that is the same as the first thickness.

Abstract: Actuation mechanisms driven by rotary motors are described whereby linear movement of a mechanical component, typically a lens barrel, is effected without rotating the linear moving component. For mechanisms driven by miniature piezoelectric motors, this is accomplished by driving a rotor which in turn causes linear, and only linear, movement of a lens barrel according to structures described in different embodiments. A preferred embodiment includes a threaded rotor moving both rotationally and axially that drives a two-piece lens barrel assembly. Another embodiment includes a rotor having a grooved split ring on its outer surface that does not move axially and drives a lens barrel through a threaded interface. Another embodiment includes a two-piece rotor that does not move axially and drives a lens barrel through a threaded interface. Typically, anti-rotation pins and corresponding grooves in a fixed structure are used to prevent the lens barrel from rotating.

Abstract: A suspension assembly includes a load beam having a protruding dimple and a laminate flexure. The laminate flexure includes a structural layer that is attached to the load beam, and a dielectric layer. The laminate flexure includes a flexure tongue for mounting a head. The flexure tongue includes the structural layer and the dielectric layer and a hole that extends through the structural layer but not through the dielectric layer. The dimple contacts the dielectric layer via the hole.

Abstract: A flexure for supporting a head in a disk drive includes a tongue including a head mounting surface for attaching the head. The flexure further includes a first arm on a first side of the tongue. The first arm includes a structural material and has a first cross-sectional area in a plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface. The first cross-sectional area has a first centroid. The flexure further includes a second arm on the first side of the tongue. The second arm includes a conductive material layer. The second arm has a second cross-sectional area in the plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface. The second cross-sectional area has a second centroid. The second centroid is not offset from the first centroid by more than 10 microns in a direction perpendicular to the head mounting surface.

Abstract: A miniature piezoelectric motor is described whereby in one embodiment teethed protrusions emanating inward from an annular-shaped stator engage with a rotor as the stator deforms in response to stresses applied to the stator by PZT pads attached thereto. The PZT pads are driven by voltage waveforms according to either a standing or traveling wave method and each deformation of the stator applies a tangential force to the rotor via a plurality of teethed protrusions, thereby moving the rotor a small amount. Flat PZT pads attached to flat facets on conductive surfaces of the stator are utilized in order to increase manufacturability and reduce cost. Configuration of the facets tunes the resonant frequency of the stator ensuring that the motor operates in the ultrasonic range, and also tunes the voltage level of drive signal required. Placement of PZT elements on the inner circumferential surface further optimizes overall motor size.

Abstract: A flexure is provided for a HGA suspension. The flexure includes a metal base layer, a trace layer, and a dielectric layer disposed between the trace and base layers. The metal base layer includes a heat sink portion. The trace layer includes a plurality of conductive traces, each conductive trace having a curved section that terminates in a trace termination pad. The dielectric layer includes a portion that underlies the trace termination pads and overlies the heat sink portion. The base layer and the dielectric layer each also include a window. The curved section of each conductive trace extends over the window of the base layer. The curved section of each conductive trace may at least partially extend over the window of the dielectric layer.

Abstract: There is provided a head stack assembly (HSA) for a disk drive. The head stack assembly includes an actuator, a flex cable attached to the actuator, and a head gimbal assembly (HGA) attached to the actuator. The HGA includes a read head and a flexure attached to the read head. The flexure includes a dielectric layer and a plurality of patterned conductive traces on the dielectric layer. The flexure terminates in a flexure tail including a flexure tail hole. The flexure tail includes at least three fingers that project radially inward into the flexure tail hole. There is also provided methods of attaching the flex cable assembly to the flexure.

Abstract: Flexure tails are provided for coupling heads of head gimbal assemblies to a flex cable in a disk drive. An exemplary flexure tail comprises a substrate including a non-straight edge defining a protruding portion and a recessed portion. The recessed portion includes a first number of bonding pads arranged in a primary row, and the protruding portion including a second number of bonding pads arranged in a secondary row. Flexure tails for up and down heads fit together to form a flexure tail assembly in which the respective secondary rows form a single row. Flexure tail assemblies are joined to the flex cable in disk drives of the invention.

Abstract: A suspension assembly for a disk drive includes a load beam and a flexure. The flexure has a first end including a plurality of bond pads for electrical connection to a slider and a second end having a tail for attachment to a flexible cable. The tail includes a support layer having a free end defining cutouts forming a plurality of peninsula-shaped regions, such that a plane oriented perpendicular to the support layer and disposed between the peninsula-shaped regions and extending beyond the free end of the tail does not cut through any support layer material. An insulating layer may be disposed on the support layer. A connection pad may be disposed on the insulating layer on each of the peninsula-shaped regions. Conductive traces may be disposed on the insulating layer to electrically connect each connection pad to a corresponding bond pad. A head is coupled to the bond pads.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a disk, and a head stack assembly (HSA). The HSA includes a preamplifier; an actuator assembly that defines an actuator arm; a load beam supported by the actuator arm, the load beam defining a registration feature. A flexure is coupled to the load beam, the flexure defining an opening that is centered on the registration feature and including a plurality of conductive formations. The conductive formations include a plurality of conductive flexure connection pads that collectively define a center point; a plurality of conductive traces to electrically couple the plurality of flexure connection pads to the preamplifier, and a conductive feature disposed away from and aligned with the center point, the conductive feature at least partially surrounding the opening within the flexure. A slider is coupled to the plurality of flexure connection pads for reading and writing to the disk.

Abstract: A method is provided for controlling the pitch static attitude of a slider in an integrated lead suspension head gimbal assembly. The integrated lead suspension includes a load beam, a mount plate, a hinge and a flexure made out of a multi-layer material. Localized heating is applied to the outrigger leads during the process of forming flexure legs to set a stable pitch static attitude, which does not change, by subsequent thermal exposures.

Abstract: A suspension load beam for carrying a slider and read/write head elements in a magnetic data storage device is formed from a composite laminate material sheet that includes first and second primary layers respectively comprising first and second structural load bearing material sheets sandwiching an intermediate secondary layer comprising a third structural load bearing material sheet. The secondary layer is made of a different material than either of the first and second primary layers. One or more areas of reduced thickness are etched into one or both of the primary layers down to the secondary layer at one or more locations on the laminate material sheet.

Abstract: A microactuator device for effecting fine positioning of a transducing head with respect to a selected track on a disk having: a C-shaped piezoelectric element having opposite ends, wherein one end of the piezoelectric element is affixed or connected to one end of the slider, and the other end is affixed or connected to the flexure member for obtaining rotational movement of the piezoelectric element to enable faster and more accurate tracking of the disk by head transducer. Alternately, the C-shaped piezoelectric element has one end affixed or connected to suspension mount plate and other end affixed or actuator arm to obtain larger head movement for further enhanced track following. The C-shaped element could be multiple layered or be shaped like a horizontal or vertical spiral to further increase the element and head movement and tracking accuracy along with faster seek and travel.

Abstract: A method is provided for controlling the pitch static attitude of a slider in an integrated lead suspension head gimbal assembly. The integrated lead suspension includes a load beam, a mount plate, a hinge and a flexure made out of a multi-layer material. The flexure legs and the outrigger leads are simultaneously plastically deformed to define the pitch static attitude. The flexure legs and the outrigger leads are deformed at approximately the same longitudinal location.

Abstract: The pitch static attitude of a slider in an integrated lead suspension head gimbal assembly of a disk drive is controlled at the manufacturing stage. The integrated lead suspension includes a load beam, a mount plate, a hinge and a flexure made out of a multi-layer material. The flexure legs and the outrigger leads are simultaneously plastically deformed to define the pitch static attitude. The flexure legs and the outrigger leads are deformed at approximately the same longitudinal location.

Abstract: A disk drive is provided with controlled pitch static attitude of the sliders in an integrated lead suspension head gimbal assembly. The integrated lead suspension includes a load beam, a mount plate, a hinge and a flexure made out of a multi-layer material. Localized heating is applied to the outrigger leads during the process of forming flexure legs to set a stable pitch static attitude, which does not change, by subsequent thermal exposures.

Abstract: A magnetic recording disk drive achieves continuous contact recording with a head-suspension assembly that compensates for the moment generated from an adhesive force between the head carrier or slider and the disk. The slider pivot point, which is the point where the load force is applied to the flexure that supports the slider, is located closer to the front end of the slider than the net force applied by the air-bearing surface of the slider when the disk is rotating at its operational speed. This assures that the net air-bearing force generates a moment about the pivot point to partially counteract the flexure moment and the moment generated from the adhesive force between the disk and the slider's contact pad.

Abstract: A servo writer generates a linear servo track timing based servo pattern comprised of transitions that extend laterally of the track. At least three spaced apart write elements, two of parallel azimuthal orientation, and at least one of a different azimuthal orientation, write patterns corresponding to the write elements, fixing both the distance between transitions having different azimuthal orientation, the “A” distance, and the distance between transitions having parallel azimuthal orientation, the “B” distance. The fixed distances provide precise sensing of lateral position based on a measure of time over the “A” distance compared to time over the “B” distance.