Abstract: A magnetic head suspension assembly includes a load beam, a flexible member or flexure, and an air bearing slider. Disposed on the flexible member is a plurality of bonding pads. Bonding pads are also formed on the edge surfaces of the slider. The bonding pads of the slider and the corresponding bonding pads on the flexible member are attached to each other via bonding joints. One of the bonding pads is electrically linked to an electrostatic discharge (ESD) path and the other bonding pads are connected to electrical signal traces which convey electrical signals to and from magnetic transducers. The undesirable steps of epoxy application for adhering a slider to a flexure can be eliminated, thus resulting in a more reliable and accurately oriented slider in a magnetic head suspension assembly.

Abstract: The invention is a suspension gimbal-head assembly that includes a magnetic head having a leading edge and a following edge, a suspension gimbal, the magnetic head is mechanically connected to the suspension gimbal at the head leading edge and the head following edge. There is also provided a disk drive that includes a suspension gimbal-head assembly that includes a magnetic head having a leading edge and a following edge, a suspension gimbal, the magnetic head mechanically connected to the suspension gimbal at the head leading edge and the head following edge.

Abstract: An air bearing slider for a magnetic head assembly is configured with taper flat outer rails and a recessed region between the rails in one embodiment of the invention, a hard wear-resistant layer is deposited over part of the rail area, with a thin residual layer over the remainder of the slider area, yielding a step in thickness near the load point. In another embodiment, the wear resistant layer appears only on the side rails. In an alternative embodiment using a tripad configuration of the air bearing surface, the hard wear-resistant layer is disposed on portions of all three pads. The invention allows control and minimization of the stiction forces between an air bearing slider and a magnetic disk, particularly during liftoff at the start of disk drive operation.

Abstract: A magnetic head comprises a bump electrically connected to a head element on a side wall of a slider, and a pad covering a protective layer and a contact area of the bump exposed from an flat surface of the protective layer. In the magnetic head, since a bonding member for bonding a conductive pattern to the pad is bonded in a bonding area of the pad formed on the protective layer, secure bonding can be obtained regardless of the form of the contact area of the bump, and a highly reliable magnetic head, without bonding defects, can therefore be provided.

Abstract: A magnetic head device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided for improving the yield of flying performance of the slider and simplifying manufacturing steps so as to reduce lead time. A magnetic head slider is bonded to a flexure forming a slider supporter with an anisotropic conductive resin having a liquid form or a highly viscous form. As a result, the slider is fixed to the flexure and at the same time, signal electrodes of the slider are thereby each electrically connected to signal electrodes of the flexure, respectively. Furthermore, a ground electrode provided in the reverse (rear) portion of a magnetic head element of the slider is connected to a ground electrode of the flexure as well.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic head construction, a connection method and a connecting device by which excellent electrical connection can be carried out between a core electrode and a substrate land face on a flexure in a magnetic head employing the piggy back system. In order to attain the object of interest, in the present invention, a fine adjustment actuator is arranged between a core and a flexure; a projection portion which is projected from the fine adjustment actuator when viewed from the flexure is provided in the core; a hole is provided in the position, on the flexure, corresponding to the projection portion; only the core is fixed by a support portion provided through the hole portion and a clamp pin without applying any load to the fine adjustment actuator; and while maintaining this fixing state, an electrode and a substrate land are bonded to each other with a wire.

Abstract: An actuator beam that can be incorporated into an actuator arm assembly of a hard disk drive. The actuator beam may include a dynamic absorber that extends from a distal end of the beam. The dynamic absorber may attenuate any resonant displacement in the actuator beam induced by a shock load that is applied to the hard disk drive.

Abstract: A magnetic head apparatus includes a slider with at least one magnetic head element, a suspension having one end portion, one surface and connection pads formed on the one surface, for supporting the slider at the one end portion, a head IC chip flip chip bonded on the connection pads, and an overcoat layer formed on the one surface of the suspension to cover at least a part of each of the connection pads, the overcoat layer with anti-running structures for controlling flow of solder while the IC chip is flip chip bonded.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension load beam suspension comprising a load beam and a flexure has an elongatable portion on the flexure frame attached to the flexure tongue tip for elongation by flexure tongue movement such that the flexure tongue is tethered against unduly large excursions but free to gimbal in the normal way as well.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head having a miniaturized slider, in which a wire connecting a head device with a bonding pad is free of a short circuit with an adjacent wire due to a ground layer for plating under a bump. A wire-insulating layer composed of an organic resin material and the like insulates the wires from each other and covers the upper layers thereof, and is provided with an opening so as to expose an end terminal. A manufacturing process is also disclosed.

Abstract: A transducer suspension system is comprised of a load beam and a flexure. The flexure has a platform for receiving a transducer head. The platform has a forward portion which has a forward facing tab which engages an aperture in the load beam above. The rear portion of the platform has a pair of forward facing rear tabs which engage an aperture in the load beam above. The tabs limit the motion of the flexure during violent shocks, thereby preventing damage to the flexure.

Abstract: A magnetic disc drive includes a magnetic disc having a surface for storing information. The disc drive includes a drive chassis which forms an electrical ground. A head assembly reads and write information on the disc surface. An armature extends across the disc surface and positions the head assembly over the disc surface. A gimbal assembly at the end of the armature couples to the head assembly. Electrically conductive metal paths extend between the head assembly and the gimbal assembly, thereby coupling the head assembly to electrical ground.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive has a magnetic disk and a magnetic head assembly mounted on an arm. The assembly is utilized in the recording and reproducing of data on and from a recording/reproducing surface of a magnetic disk. The magnetic head assembly includes a support body for connecting the magnetic head assembly to the arm and a head chip attached to the support body. The head chip is configured and arranged for making substantially continuous sliding contact with the recording/reproducing surface of the magnetic disk during recording/reproducing. The head chip includes a wafer base, a read/write element for recording/reproducing data from the recording/reproducing surface of the magnetic disk. The read/write element is formed from a plurality of thin film layers superposed upon the wafer base and the head is elongated in a direction generally perpendicular to a plane generally defined by the recording/reproducing surface.

Abstract: A slider suspension assembly for a data-recording disk file is disclosed. The slider suspension assembly uses an improved mechanical and electrical attachment arrangement to attach the slider to the suspension. The slider suspension assembly utilizes a load beam having an integrated cable formed at least partially within the load beam along the length thereof wherein the integrated cable includes a dielectric layer and a plurality of conductors disposed upon the dielectric layer. A slider mounted to a flexure at the end of the load beam includes multiple conductive pads disposed along one edge thereof.

Abstract: A magnetic head includes a metal plate having a conductive pattern, and a slider having a head element and a connecting terminal electrically connected to the head element, and fixed on the metal plate. The connecting terminal and the conductive pattern are connected by ultrasonically bonding a ball bump thereto. The ball bump has on its surface a projecting portion extending in the direction that links the connecting terminal and the conductive pattern. A bonding capillary for use in the ultrasonic bonding includes a tip section having a through hole for passing a wire therethrough. The tip section also has a recessed portion centered on the through hole, and a groove that reaches the outer surface of the tip section across the center of the recessed portion.

Abstract: The magnetic head assembly including a magnetic head having a terminal composed of a conductive film and a supporting spring. The supporting spring has interconnecting patterns (lines) on the top thereof and a projective electrode. The terminal of the magnetic head is electrically connected to the projective electrode of the supporting spring by a solderless, direct contact connection. The magnetic head is fixed to the supporting spring by using a non-electrical bonding agent. This structure makes it possible to stabilize the position of the magnetic head assembly and the relative speed variation between the magnetic head element and the magnetic disk, thereby enhancing the reliability of the magnetic disk apparatus.