Electrical Attachment Of Slider/head Patents (Class 360/234.5)
  • Patent number: 11854582
    Abstract: A suspension includes a load beam, a flexure and a dimple portion. The flexure includes a tongue. The dimple portion swingably supports the tongue at least over a first position and a second position. In the tongue, first pillow portions supporting a slider and an adhesive portion fixing the slider are provided. In the load beam, a second pillow portion protruding towards the slider is provided. The second pillow portion is in contact with the slider when the tongue is located at the first position, and separates from the slider when the tongue has moved to the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuhiko Nishida, Akira Nojima
  • Patent number: 11670328
    Abstract: A disk-drive suspension includes a load beam, a flexure laid on top of the load beam, a first terminal provided on the flexure, and a first bump arranged on a top surface of the first terminal. The first terminal includes a narrow part having a first width in a first direction and including a center of the first terminal, and a wide part having a second width in the first direction greater than the first width. The wide part and the narrow part are arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The first bump has, at the center, a first height from a bottom surface of the first terminal. The first height is greater than the first width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kai Chung Ng, Wen Tao, Zhen Zhou Qi, Jun Zeng
  • Patent number: 11626133
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a head gimbal assembly includes a head connecting step which a thermally assisted magnetic head is connected to a suspension. The head connecting step includes a solder ball arrangement step which a solder ball is arranged so that a laser diode of the thermally assisted magnetic head is connected to a flexure of the suspension, in an assembly structure which a slider of the thermally assisted magnetic head is adhered to the suspension. The solder ball arrangement step is performed using a connecting ball, as the solder ball, having a size smaller than a wiring gap between an electrode surface of the laser diode and the flexure, and being in melted-particle condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: SAE Magnetics (H.K.) Ltd.
    Inventors: Ka Yip Wong, Chi Hung Yuen, Ryo Hosoi, Seiichi Takayama
  • Patent number: 11410693
    Abstract: A flexure assembly is described. The flexure assembly includes a gimbal portion on configured to receive a slider. The gimbal portion includes a first surface and a second surface which is opposite to the first surface. The slider is mounted on the second surface. The flexure assembly also includes a pair of microactuator elements. The flexure assembly also includes a tongue of the gimbal portion on which the slider is mounted. The tongue includes a dimple point which represents the center of the tongue. The flexure assembly also includes a pair of first supporting portions and a pair of second supporting portions of the gimbal portion. A pair of end portions are individually secured to the tongue and the first supporting portions and the pair of second supporting portions. The flexure assembly also includes a conductive circuit portion unsupported between a first stationary part and the pair of end portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Magnecomp Corporation
    Inventors: Kuen Chee Ee, Long Zhang, David Glaess
  • Patent number: 10978633
    Abstract: An actuator device is provided. The actuator device includes: a first substrate including a contact; and a second substrate including a trace electrically connected to the contact. A portion of the second substrate is laminated to the first substrate in a first direction. The portion of the second substrate is adhered to the first substrate. A portion of the trace overlaps the contact in the first direction. A portion of the trace includes a plurality of terminals and a base section. The plurality of terminals are separated from each other. The base section is coupled to the plurality of terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toru Kakiuchi
  • Patent number: 10949009
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes a display unit including a display panel and a display circuit board connected to the display panel. An input sensing unit includes a touch panel which includes an active area and a peripheral area adjacent to the active area and includes sensor patterns disposed in the active area, and a touch circuit board connected to the peripheral area of the touch panel. A polarizing film is disposed on the input sensing unit and is configured to polarize incident light. A step-difference compensation member is disposed between the polarizing film and the input sensing unit and includes a main portion overlapping the active area and a plurality of slit portions disposed between the main portion and the touch circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Inventors: Byeongkyu Jeon, Jungmok Park, Heewoong Park, Jeongheon Lee, Heeyeon Choi
  • Patent number: 10910003
    Abstract: A system and methods for manufacturing devices such as flexures using process coupons are described are described. The method including performing a test on at least one feature of a coupon, the coupon is included on an assembly sheet used in manufacturing flexures. The at least one feature is produced by a manufacturing processing step that is used to produce a portion of a flexure. And, the physical characteristics of the feature include at least one physical characteristic that is different than physical characteristics of the portion. The method also including determining the manufacturing processing step will produce an abnormal portion of a flexure based on the performed test. Further, the method includes adjusting the manufacturing processing step and manufacturing a portion of a flexure using the adjusted manufacturing processing step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Hutchinson Technology Incorporated
    Inventors: Kurt C. Swanson, Brian D. Boudreau
  • Patent number: 10789978
    Abstract: A dual stage actuated suspension has a first piezoelectric microactuator on the trace gimbal assembly (TGA), and a pseudo feature located laterally opposite the microactuator. The pseudo feature is formed integrally with the TGA from at least one of the base metal layer, the insulative layer, and the conductive layer that make up the TGA. The pseudo feature helps to balance the suspension. The suspension can optionally have a second microactuator located proximal of the first microactuator in order to perform coarser positioning than the first microactuator, such that the suspension is a tri-stage actuated suspension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Magnecomp Corporation
    Inventors: Kuen Chee Ee, Long Zhang, David Glaess
  • Patent number: 10761660
    Abstract: A touch display device includes a touch display panel on which a plurality of touch electrodes is arranged, at least one dam arranged in one direction in an outer edge area of the touch display panel and protruding from a bottom surface on which the dam is arranged, a plurality of touch lines arranged along a shape of the at least one dam in a direction intersecting the at least one dam, and a compensation pattern located in a lower boundary portion of the at least one dam between two adjacent touch lines among the plurality of touch lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yangsik Lee, JaeGyun Lee, Hyangmyoung Gwon, DeukSu Lee
  • Patent number: 10706880
    Abstract: A magnetic recording head is provided including a body with a trailing surface, a plurality of bond pads in a row, each of which is spaced by a gap from an adjacent bond pad along a width of the trailing surface. Each bond pad includes a base layer having a top surface, a coating layer covering at least a portion of the top surface of the base layer, two side edges spaced from each other across a width of the bond pad, wherein a width of the gap between adjacent bond pads is defined by one side edge of each of two adjacent bond pads, a top edge extending between the two side edges, and at least one solder dam comprising a nonwettable, electrically conductive material positioned adjacent to the top edge of at least one of the bond pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Robbee Lee Grimm, Greg Arthur Schmitz, Venkateswara Rao Inturi, Aaron Michael Collins
  • Patent number: 10600435
    Abstract: A method for programming a head gimbal assembly. The method includes building a plurality of transducers into a slider, and testing the plurality of transducers to select one of the plurality of transducers for field operation. The method also includes providing an interconnect assembly having a plurality of traces with at least one of the plurality of traces having a plurality of electrically coupled bond pads. One of the plurality of bond pads is bonded electrically to the selected transducer out of the plurality of transducers, and the other bond pads of the plurality of bond pads are not electrically coupled to any of the plurality of transducers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventor: Jon Karsten Klarqvist
  • Patent number: 10600436
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a slider body with a first portion formed of a first insulating material and a second portion formed of a second insulating material that is different from the first insulating material. The second portion of the slider body is at a trailing edge of the slider body and the second portion includes a bearing surface and a top surface opposite the bearing surface. A plurality of bond pads are disposed on the top surface of the second portion such that an entire bottom surface of each of the plurality bond pads is attached to the top surface of the second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Paul Davidson, Aaron Collins, Scott D. Matzke
  • Patent number: 10460754
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a magnetic storage device that comprises a suspension arm co-movably fixed to a carriage arm. The suspension arm comprises a slider attachment side and at least one first electrical contact pad on the slider attachment side. The suspension arm also comprises a slider co-movably fixed to the suspension arm. The slider comprises a suspension attachment side, a non-head side facing the suspension arm and intersecting the suspension attachment side at a first slider edge of the slider, a head side facing away from the suspension arm, and at least one electrical contact component on the suspension attachment side up to the first slider edge. At least one solder weldment is directly coupled to the at least one first electrical contact pad and the at least one electrical contact component. Additionally, a read-write head is coupled to the head side of the slider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Yuhsuke Matsumoto, Kenichi Murata, Adisak Tokaew, David Druist, Glenn Gee, Mark Moravec, Michael Ranes, Peter Paolo Dilla
  • Patent number: 10187991
    Abstract: A suspension board with circuit includes a metal supporting layer, a base insulating layer, a conductive pattern including a wire, and a cover insulating layer. The conductive pattern includes a terminal for being connected to a piezoelectric element, connected to the wire, and disposed next to the base insulating layer in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction. The terminal is exposed from the metal supporting layer and the base insulating layer when viewed from the other side in the thickness direction, and extends along the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction so as to go away from the base insulating layer next thereto. At least a portion of a peripheral end surface of the terminal is covered with the cover insulating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takatoshi Sakakura, Tomoaki Okuno
  • Patent number: 10109307
    Abstract: A positioning method positions a flexure whose front end side is joined to an outside frame with respect to a load beam, keeps the positioned state of the flexure and load beam, plastically deforms the outside frame to bend the front end side of the flexure so that the position of a tongue of the flexure is adjusted to the position of a dimple of the load beam, and joins the flexure and load beam to each other to keep the position adjusted state of the tongue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Tokiwa, Naoki Moriya
  • Patent number: 10043541
    Abstract: In a disk drive having a flexible circuit tail that is routed within a recess in the actuator arm, a dielectric spacer is added to the top of the tail in order to space the circuit traces within the tail further away from the electrically conductive actuator arm, and to make more repeatable that spacing. The added spacing reduces electrical coupling and thus increases the bandwidth of the circuit. The spacer can be in the form of a section of the same viscoelastic material that is used elsewhere as a vibration dampener on the suspension, the viscoelastic material being adhered to the tail before the tail is inserted within the recess. Alternatively, the spacer can be a thickened region of the flexible circuit covercoat in the area where the tail will reside within the recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Magnecomp Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher G. Dunn, Benjapa Tanampee
  • Patent number: 10034388
    Abstract: A suspension board with circuit includes a metal supporting layer, a base insulating layer disposed at one side in a thickness direction of the metal supporting layer, a conductive pattern including a wire disposed at one side in the thickness direction of the base insulating layer and a terminal exposed from the metal supporting layer and the base insulating layer when viewed from the other side in the thickness direction, a piezoelectric element disposed at the other side in the thickness direction with respect to the terminal and including an element terminal electrically connected to the terminal, and a solder layer disposed between the terminal and the element terminal. The solder layer has a solder composition containing Sn, Ag, and Cu, and the solder layer has a thickness in the thickness direction of 50 ?m or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takatoshi Sakakura, Tomoaki Okuno, Takahiro Takano
  • Patent number: 10028378
    Abstract: A suspension board with circuit includes a metal supporting board, a base insulating layer disposed at one side in a thickness direction of the metal supporting board, and a conductor layer disposed at one side in the thickness direction of the base insulating layer and including a connecting terminal electrically connected to a slider. The base insulating layer has a terminal region, when projected in the thickness direction, overlapped with at least the connecting terminal and a circumferential region not overlapped with the terminal region and around the terminal region, and the thickness of the terminal region is thicker than that of the circumferential region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Tanabe, Naohiro Terada, Yuu Sugimoto, Daisuke Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 9858954
    Abstract: A test fixture for testing a slider configured for heat assisted magnetic recording. The test fixture has a three dimensional structure with contact pads configured to make contact with electrically conductive contact pads at the trailing edge of the slider. The test fixture also has a structure with a contact pad configured to make electrical contact with a contact pad formed at a backside surface of the slider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Noriyuki Saiki, Kazue Kudo, Takaharu Niimi, Yasunobu Yanagisawa
  • Patent number: 9837106
    Abstract: A two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) disk drive has a gas-bearing slider that includes first and second sensors with a first cross-track spacing electrically coupled to a first magnetic shield, and third and fourth sensors with a different cross-track spacing electrically coupled to a second magnetic shield. The different spacings results in the first and third sensors and the second and fourth sensors having a cross-track spacing to accommodate for the effect of head skew. Each sensor is connected to an associated amplifier by a suspension trace and a common trace connected to its associated shield. Switching circuitry selects either the first and third amplifiers or the second and fourth amplifiers as the active pair depending on the radial location where the data is to be read. Thus the appropriate pair of sensors are aligned with the data tracks despite the presence of high head skew.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: John Thomas Contreras, Howard Gordon Zolla
  • Patent number: 9792933
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic head includes an air bearing surface, a first surface on which contact pads connected to elements are provided, a pair of second surfaces provided respectively with a connection terminal connected to the contact pad, a main pole with a distal end portion extending to the air bearing surface, a write shield opposing the distal end portion of the main pole with a write gap therebetween, and a high-frequency oscillator provided between the main pole and the write shield within the write gap and electrically connected to the main pole and the write shield. The high-frequency oscillator includes a spin injection layer and an oscillation layer, and at least the oscillation layer is recessed in a direction away from the air bearing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Gaku Koizumi, Tomoko Taguchi, Katsuhiko Koui
  • Patent number: 9728211
    Abstract: Devices including a suspension pad shape and layout that avoids shorts caused by solder bridging during coupling of leads thereto. One embodiment includes a plurality of slider pads and a plurality of suspension pads being generally aligned with the slider pads. A conductive material electrically couples each of the suspension pads to the slider pad aligned therewith. At least one of the suspension pads is characterized as follows. The suspension pad has a proximal edge positioned closest to the associated slider pad, a distal edge positioned opposite the proximal edge, and side edges extending between the proximal and distal edges. At least a portion of the suspension pad tapers toward the proximal edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenichi Murata, Yuhsuke Matsumoto, Masafumi Umeda, Hiroyasu Tsuchida
  • Patent number: 9704520
    Abstract: Described herein is a connector assembly that comprises a head-gimbal assembly (HGA) tail connector, a flex connector, and an adhesive. The HGA tail connector comprises a pad support, an HGA pad coupled to the pad support, and an HGA trace coupled to the pad support and electrically coupled to the HGA pad. The flex connector comprises a substrate, comprising a first side and a second side, where the first side is opposite the second side. The flex connector also comprises a flex pad coupled to the first side of the substrate, a flex trace coupled to the second side of the substrate, and a via extending through the substrate from the first side to the second side. The via electrically couples the flex pad and the flex trace. Also, the adhesive adheres the HGA pad of the HGA connector in electrical contact with the flex pad of the flex connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Shigeo Nakamura, Nobumasa Nishiyama, Takuma Muraki, Teruhiro Nakamiya
  • Patent number: 9607641
    Abstract: A slider of a magnetic recording head comprises a plurality of electrical bond pads coupled to bias sources. A first writer on the slider is coupled between first and second bond pads. A second writer on the slider is coupled between third and fourth bond pads. At least one heater is coupled between two of the first, second, third, and fourth bond pads. The first writer can have a center-tap coupled to first and second bond pads. The second writer can have a center-tap coupled to third and fourth bond pads. A first writer heater can be coupled between the center-tap of the second writer and the ground pad. A second writer heater can be coupled between the center-tap of the first writer and the ground pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Narayanan Ramakrishnan, Declan Macken
  • Patent number: 9508361
    Abstract: Transmission signals may generated based on three differential signals and transmitted along a channel. Each of the plurality of transmission signals may include a signal representative of each of the three differential signals. After receiving the transmission signals, the original three differential signals may be generated based on the transmission signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Bruce Buch, Stefan A. Ionescu
  • Patent number: 9502058
    Abstract: A suspension board with circuit includes a metal supporting layer, an insulating base layer on one side thereof in a thickness direction, a conductive pattern disposed on the insulating base layer, an insulating cover layer disposed on the insulating base layer so as to cover the conductive pattern, and a pedestal for supporting a slider which includes a thin pedestal portion. The thin pedestal portion includes a pedestal base layer included in the insulating base layer, a pedestal conductive layer included in the conductive pattern which extends over the pedestal base layer, and a pedestal cover layer included in the insulating cover layer and disposed on the pedestal conductive layer. The conductive pattern includes a first wire placed to extend over the insulating base layer which has a narrower portion, and a dimension of the pedestal conductive layer is 0.5 to 3 times the dimension of the narrower portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshito Fujimura, Hiroyuki Tanabe, Saori Kanezaki, Naohiro Terada, Yuu Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 9431032
    Abstract: A method and system provide a magnetic transducer including first and second read sensors, a shield and a conductive via. The shield is between the first and second read sensors. The magnetic transducer also includes first and second read shields. The shield has a top surface and a bottom surface opposite to the top surface. The bottom surface faces the first read sensor. The conductive via is isolated from the first read shield and the second read shield. The conductive via provides electrical contact to the shield and is electrically connected to the bottom surface of the shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL (FREMONT), LLC
    Inventors: Shaoping Li, Steven C. Rudy, Ge Yi, Gerardo A. Bertero, Qunwen Leng, Ming Mao
  • Patent number: 9406324
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic head slider includes: a leading edge, and a trailing edge; a media facing side (MFS) extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge; a first region located near the trailing edge, and a second region located between the first region and the leading edge; a center rail comprising: a forward segment protruding from the first region of the slider, and a posterior segment protruding from the second region of the slider; a rear rail protruding from the second region of the slider; and a secondary protective film deposited on one or more portions of the first region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: HGST Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Jan Vincent Cullano, Estela Paguio, Mary Agnes G. Perez
  • Patent number: 9390737
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording head slider is disclosed. A plurality of bond pads are formed in a linear arrangement adjacent one another on a trailing edge of a slider body. Each of the plurality of bond pads comprises a probe contact area and a soldering contact area with each area being laterally bounded in a width dimension, along the trailing edge, by respective edges of the pads wherein a width of the probe contact area is greater than a width of the soldering contact area of each respective pad whereby the probe contact area is larger than the soldering contact area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Western Digital (Fremont), LLC
    Inventors: Wachira Puttichaem, Adisak Tokaew, Tzong-Shii Pan
  • Patent number: 9236070
    Abstract: A suspension flexure is provided. The suspension flexure includes a steel layer, a polyimide layer above the steel layer, and a copper layer on the polyimide layer comprising a plurality of dual opposing cantilevered copper pads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Alex Enriquez Cayaban
  • Patent number: 9208811
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are implemented to cause a first contact event between a slider and a magnetic recording medium at a first operating temperature, the slider comprising at least a writer, a writer heater, a reader, and a reader heater. Methods and apparatuses are implemented to cause a second contact event between the slider and the medium at a second operating temperature different from the first operating temperature, determine a flying height displacement of the slider for the contact events, and optionally store the flying height displacement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Tae won Kim, Tae Young Kim
  • Patent number: 9202498
    Abstract: A head transducer comprises a reader coupled to reader bond pads and configured to interact with a magnetic storage medium. A first thermal sensor is configured to produce a first sensor signal. The first sensor is biased relative to a common mode voltage at the reader bond pads. A second thermal sensor is configured to produce a second sensor signal. One of the first and second sensors is situated at or near a close point of the head transducer in relation to the magnetic storage medium, and the other of the first and second sensors spaced away from the close point. Circuitry is configured to combine the first and second sensor signals and produce a combined sensor signal indicative of one or both of a change in head-medium spacing and head-medium contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventor: Declan Macken
  • Patent number: 9171561
    Abstract: Assemblies and methods that include a flex circuit having a slider facing surface and an opposing back surface; a slider having a back surface and an opposing air bearing surface (ABS), the slider including an electrical connection region; and a through circuit electrical connection, that is in electrical connection with the electrical connection region of the slider, the back surface of the slider interfacing with the slider facing surface of the flex circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Jason B. Gadbois, Bradley Ver Meer, Joseph Stephan, Scott Matzke, Ravishankar Ajjanagadde Shivarama, Christopher Unger
  • Patent number: 9135935
    Abstract: System and methods are illustrated for customizing the HGA bonding skew angle of a TDMR slider including a plurality of readers to adjust reader alignment relative to a track location on disk media. Overlay error caused by manufacturing variations is compensated for by adjusting the skew angle of the slider when it is bonded to the suspension to form the HGA. Process operations for manufacturing a TMDR HDD include manufacturing a multiple reader, multiple layer TDMR slider, determining an overlay error in the slider, determining a slider bonding skew angle based on the determined overlay error and other parameters, and bonding the slider to a HDD suspension at the determined bonding skew angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael L. Mallary, Gerardo A. Bertero, Shaoping Li
  • Patent number: 9072207
    Abstract: A suspension board with circuit includes a metal supporting board, a conductive layer laminated on the metal supporting board, and a via layer interposed between the metal supporting board and the conductive layer. The conductive layer includes a conductive pattern, and a reference portion serving as a positioning reference for placing the suspension board with circuit on a load beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunari Ooyabu, Tetsuya Ohsawa, Emiko Tani
  • Patent number: 9058829
    Abstract: A apparatus includes first and second read transducers arranged on a media-facing surface. The read transducers detect magnetic fields of a recording medium. First and second heaters are disposed proximate the respective first and second read transducers. The first and second heaters independently control respective first and second protrusions of the first and second read transducers from the media-facing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: John Wolf, Erik Hutchinson
  • Publication number: 20150098151
    Abstract: A read head with at least two separately addressable read transducers that are coplanar in a cross track direction. The read transducers have a cross track width, wr, and a center-to-center separation distance between the two read transducers either greater than 3wr or the distance of two tracks of an associated medium in the cross track direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2013
    Publication date: April 9, 2015
    Applicant: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Jason Bryce Gadbois, Steven A. Mastain, James K. Price
  • Publication number: 20150098152
    Abstract: An apparatus such as a magnetic recording head with at least two separately addressable read transducers that are coplanar in a cross track direction. The apparatus includes first coplanar electrical contacts respectively disposed on and in electrical contact with first surfaces of the at least two read transducers and an electrically insulating magnetic material disposed between the electrical contacts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2013
    Publication date: April 9, 2015
    Applicant: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Jason Bryce Gadbois, Steven A. Mastain, James K. Price
  • Patent number: 8995091
    Abstract: A slider for magnetic data recording in a thermally assisted recording system. The slider has a slider body and a magnetic recording head formed on a trailing edge of the slider body. A first terminal is formed on a trailing edge surface of the recording head, and a second terminal is formed on a backside surface both the magnetic recording head and the slider body so as to extend across both the magnetic recording head and the slider body. An electrically conductive lead formed within the magnetic recording head connects the first lead with the second lead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: HGST Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Tomomitsu Inoue, Hideo Yamakura, Hidetoshi Anan, Hiroshi Ishizaki
  • Patent number: 8995090
    Abstract: A wiring circuit substrate, comprising: a metal support layer; an insulating layer formed on the metal support layer; a conductive layer for wiring formed on the insulating layer; and an opening formed so as to open at a same location in the insulating layer and the conductive layer for wiring, wherein the metal support layer includes: a support section that supports the insulating layer and the conductive layer for wiring, and a terminal section that extends from one edge side to the other edge side of the opening, the terminal section being separated from the support section; and the conductive layer for wiring includes a wiring that is connected to the terminal section by a connecting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin Nishiyama, Yuji Narita
  • Patent number: 8988829
    Abstract: Disk drive embodiments with common lead connections in the slider, suspension, and preamplifier are described. The arm electronics IC includes a preamplifier with single-ended input from the set of signal traces that include a common signal return lead for the plurality of read transducers (readers) in the slider. Two embodiments of the preamps are described that include a single-ended design and a pseudo-single-ended design. Each embodiment supplies the required bias to each read transducer using an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) that drives a variable current source connected to the transducer. The positive input to the OTA is a DC voltage with the AC signal from the transducer imposed on it. The negative input is a DC reference voltage. Various embodiments of the signal trace configuration on the suspension are described including a single and double layer embodiments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: HGST Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: John Contreras, Joey Martin Poss, Rehan Ahmed Zakai
  • Patent number: 8947830
    Abstract: A method for forming an electrical interconnection between a slider pad and a suspension pad that is adjacent to and positioned at an angle relative to the slider pad, which includes the steps of forming a solder bump on a first surface of the slider pad, reshaping the solder bump into a protrusion having an ellipsoidal shape that extends from the slider pad and contacts the suspension pad, and applying a laser to the ellipsoidal protrusion to reflow the solder bump while simultaneously applying a downward pressure to the solder bump in order to form a solder fillet between the slider pad and the suspension pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Aaron Michael Collins, Scott Matzke, Christopher Unger, Paul Davidson, Daniel Richard Buettner
  • Publication number: 20140368954
    Abstract: In a first terminal portion, a first conductor, a terminal element as a first protection, and a first gold-plating layer are provided. The first terminal element is thicker than a base nickel layer of a slider terminal portion. The first gold-plating layer is provided with a first roughening processed portion. An electrically conductive paste contacts the roughening processed portion. In a second terminal portion, a second conductor, a terminal element as a second protection, and a second gold-plating layer are provided. The second terminal element is thicker than the base nickel layer. The second gold-plating layer is provided with a second roughening processed portion. An electrically conductive paste contacts the second roughening processed portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Publication date: December 18, 2014
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaru INOUE, Sei KAWAO, Rintarou NIWA
  • Patent number: 8913348
    Abstract: A suspension board with circuit includes a metal supporting layer, an insulating base layer formed on the metal supporting layer, a conductive layer formed on the insulating base layer, and a slider supported on the metal supporting layer via a pedestal. The conductive layer includes a conductive overlapping portion which overlaps a plane on which the slider is projected when projected in a thickness direction. The conductive overlapping portion is provided to be spaced apart from the slider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
    Inventors: Naotaka Higuchi, Hitoki Kanagawa, Tadashi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8902547
    Abstract: A multiple layered interconnect structure to provide an electrical interface between one or more electrical elements on a head to read/write circuitry is disclosed. The interconnect structure includes first and second interconnecting layers. The first interconnecting layer is formed on a slider body of the head and includes a first or lower bond pad connectable to one or more electrical elements on the slider body through the first interconnecting layer. The second interconnecting layer includes a second or upper bond pad connectable to the one or more transducer elements through the second interconnecting layer. The second interconnecting layer is on top of the first interconnecting layer and the structure includes an insulating layer between the first and second interconnecting layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventor: Lijuan Zhong
  • Publication number: 20140307349
    Abstract: A magnetic transducer has an air-bearing surface (ABS). The magnetic transducer has a main pole, at least one coil for energizing the main pole and at least one additional pole. The main pole has a yoke and a pole tip having an ABS facing surface. The at least one additional pole is adjacent to the main pole in a down track direction. The additional pole is recessed from the ABS, has a front surface facing the ABS, has at least one side surface, and has at least one flare angle between the front surface and the at least one side surface. The at least one flare angle is measured from the ABS to the at least one side surface and is at least fifty degrees and less than ninety degrees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2013
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Inventors: FENG LIU, ZHANJIE LI, ZHIGANG BAI
  • Patent number: 8861142
    Abstract: A suspension board with circuit includes a metal supporting board, a first insulating layer laminated on a top surface of the metal supporting board, a second insulating layer laminated on a back surface of the metal supporting board, a first conductive pattern laminated on the surface of the first insulating layer and including a first terminal connected to the magnetic head, and a second conductive pattern laminated on the surface of the second insulating layer and including a second terminal. In a slider mounting region, the slider is mounted on the surface and an electronic element mounting space is formed. Respective end edges of the first and second insulating layers are spaced apart from and located at positions inwardly protruded in the electronic element mounting space from an end edge of the metal supporting board, and the second terminal is disposed to face the electronic element mounting space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuya Ohsawa
  • Publication number: 20140240871
    Abstract: Approaches for an interface voltage control (IVC) system in a hard-disk drive (HDD), whereby the IVC operating point determination scheme utilizes non-contact spacing signals for calibration of IVC. While applying a series of input voltages to a slider, head-disk spacing signals are monitored, such as spacing signals from an embedded contact sensor or Wallace spacing loss spacing signals. Based on the relation between the spacing signal values and the series of input voltages, the IVC operating point is identified and stored within the HDD. The IVC operating point corresponds to the IVC input voltage necessary to neutralize the natural slider-disk voltage potential that would otherwise cause an electrostatic force that pulls the slider closer to the disk and can cause lubrication transfer from disk to slider.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: HGST NETHERLANDS B.V.
    Inventors: Sripathi Vangipuram Canchi, John Thomas Contreras, Saurabh Deoras, Samir Y. Garzon, Remmelt Pit
  • Patent number: 8817423
    Abstract: An Extended Circuit Integrated Suspension (ECIS) design and manufacture thereof, to allow for circuit elements to be disposed onto the load beam on the opposite side of the flexure circuit. An Extended Circuit Integrated Suspension (ECIS) may include a load beam; a flexure circuit comprising a plurality of traces; and a connection portion which connects the load beam laterally to the flexure circuit. The load beam, the flexure circuit, and the connecting portion may be formed as a single component from a single panel, and the connection portion is oriented so that the connection portion is folded to place the flexure circuit onto a first side of the load beam. Applications for the use of the extended circuit are many, and a semi-collocated micro-actuator (SCLMA) is illustrated for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Nitto Denko Corporation
    Inventors: Martin John McCaslin, Alex Enriquez Cayaban
  • Patent number: 8810965
    Abstract: A magnetic head includes a slider substrate having a trailing edge and multiple bonding pads arranged on the trailing edge in a row. Each of the bonding pads includes a seed layer adhered to the trailing edge and electrically connected with the slider substrate, a soldering layer formed on the seed layer and adapted for connecting with a suspension, and at least one solder nonwettable layer adhered to the trailing edge and connected with at least one side of the seed layer. The structure of the magnetic head is simple and stable, which can prevent the bonding pads bridging and shorting-circuit. An HGA and a disk drive unit with the same, a manufacturing method for the magnetic head are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: SAE Magnetics (H.K.) Ltd.
    Inventors: Li ping Peng, Shen kuang Sidney Chou, Chi hung Yuen, Yan bin Wang, Lu Xiao