Abstract: A method for manufacturing a disk drive head suspension having a plated load point dimple. An aperture is etched into the spring metal member. A photoresist mask having an opening with load point-defining side walls and a load point diameter is formed over a portion of a spring metal member including the aperture. Metal is plated onto the spring metal member and into the aperture in the opening to form a load point having the load point diameter on the spring metal member.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to approaches to effectively let noise on a head slider bonded to a silicon substrate of a microactuator, escape to the ground. A head gimbal assembly (HGA) according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a microactuator bonded to a gimbal tongue. The microactuator comprises a piezoelectric element and a movable part for moving in response to expansion or contraction of the piezoelectric element. The motion of the movable part causes a head slider to slightly move. The microactuator further comprises a conductive path including an impurity-containing silicon layer formed on the silicon substrate. The conductive path transmits electric charge of the head slider to a suspension. The conductivity of the impurity-containing silicon layer is lower than the one of the silicon substrate so that the noise charge of the head slider may escape to the suspension.

Abstract: Systems and methods for accurate position adjustment of thin-film PZT micro-actuators are provided. In certain example embodiments, a head gimbal assembly is provided. A suspension includes a suspension flexure located at one end of the suspension, and the suspension flexure includes a tongue region. At least one micro-actuator is mounted to a micro-actuator mounting region of the tongue region of the suspension flexure. Any gap between the slider and the at least one micro-actuator may be reduced and/or eliminated. A slider is substantially fully mounted on an insulating layer, and the insulating layer separates the slider from the at least one micro-actuator. The suspension flexure may be located substantially fully underneath the slider, and the tongue region of the suspension flexure may be substantially equally weighted around a dimple formed on the suspension. The rigidity of the suspension flexure may be increased by one or more supports formed thereon.

Abstract: A motor comprises a base, a rotor, a stator, and a circuit board. The base includes a sleeve. The stator includes at least one fastener. The sleeve has an inclined outer surface. The fastener extends to the circuit board and abuts the inclined outer surface to fasten the circuit board. A fan comprises a base, a hub, a shaft, a circuit board. The base has a sleeve. The hub comprises a plurality of blades disposed outwardly thereof. The shaft connects to the sleeve and is disposed in the hub. The stator has at least one fastener. The sleeve has an inclined outer surface. The fastener extends to the circuit board and abuts against the inclined outer surface to fasten the circuit board.

Abstract: This disclosure includes a system for aligning an unmounted head gimbal assembly (HGA) comprising a platform for a base plate of the HGA. The platform defines an X-Y plane. The system further comprises a compliant alignment pin extending beyond the platform in a Z-dimension perpendicular to the X-Y plane. The compliant alignment pin includes a tapered portion having a maximum diameter larger than a diameter of a boss hole in the base plate of the HGA. The compliant alignment pin is deflectable in the Z-dimension to allow the base plate of the HGA to register with the platform. The system further comprises a second alignment pin extending beyond the platform in the Z-dimension. The second alignment pin is configured to register with an HGA reference feature of the HGA when the boss hole of the HGA registers with the compliant alignment pin to precisely align the HGA relative to the compliant alignment pin and the second alignment pin.

Abstract: A suspension for disc drive has a load beam, a flexure, and a slider. The slider is mounted on a tongue portion of the flexure. When a disc rotates, air flows from an air inflow end (leading side) toward an outflow end (trailing side), whereupon an air bearing is formed between the disc and the slider. A dimple is provided on the distal end portion of the load beam. The slider is supported by the dimple so as to be swingable in a pitch direction and a roll direction. The dimple is formed in a position shifted to the trailing side from the center of the slider. The shorter the length of the load beam, the greater the amount of the shift is.

Abstract: A slider resistant to lubricant accumulation. The slider resistant to lubricant accumulation includes a positive-air-pressure portion of the slider configured to levitate the slider above a magnetic-recording disk and a negative-air-pressure portion of the slider configured to bring the slider into proximity with the magnetic-recording disk at a fly height sufficient for writing data to and reading data from the magnetic-recording disk. The slider resistant to lubricant accumulation also includes a lubricant-accumulation barrier disposed in proximity to a trailing edge of the slider. The lubricant-accumulation barrier is configured to reduce lubricant accumulation on the slider.

Abstract: A slim actuator and a micro-drive apparatus using the same are provided. The slim actuator includes a suspension having a head mounted at one end of the suspension to write/read data to/from a disk and a head gimbal assembly. The head gimbal assembly includes a unit-mounting portion having one end connected to the suspension, a fantail molding portion extending from the other end of the uni-mounting portion, and a voice coil which is mounted on the fantail mounting portion such that current flows in the voice coil. The voice coil rotates the suspension by an electromagnetic force created by interaction between the electric field of the current and an applied magnetic field. Thus, the slim actuator uses a single channel and has excellent resonance characteristics. Mobile micro-drive apparatuses employing the slim actuators can be obtained.

Abstract: A suspension for disc drive has a load beam, a flexure, and a slider. The slider is mounted on a tongue portion of the flexure. When a disc rotates, air flows from an air inflow end (leading side) toward an outflow end (trailing side), whereupon an air bearing is formed between the disc and the slider. A dimple is provided on the distal end portion of the load beam. The slider is supported by the dimple so as to be swingable in a pitch direction and a roll direction. The dimple is formed in a position shifted to the trailing side from the center of the slider. The shorter the length of the load beam, the greater the amount of the shift is.

Abstract: A suspension for a disc drive has a load beam, a flexure, a slider, etc. A tongue portion and a pair of outrigger portions are formed on the flexure. Slits are formed between the outrigger portions and opposite side edges of the tongue portion. The tongue portion and the outrigger portions are connected by connecting portions. Limiter members are formed on the load beam. Each limiter member has a bent portion, which is inserted in its corresponding slit, and an extending portion. The extending portion faces its corresponding connecting portion. A trace member is electrically connected to the slider. The trace member passes outside the limiter members and extends along the outrigger portions.

Abstract: A suspension includes a load beam section and a gimbal section, which is formed with the load beam section as a single, continuous piece of material, having a top surface and a bottom surface. The gimbal section has a first end formed with to the load beam section and is bent along the first end such that the bottom surface of the material along the gimbal section faces the bottom surface of the material along the load beam section.

Abstract: A head support mechanism of the invention comprises a head (1011) for recording on a disk or reproducing a disk, a head support member composed of this head (1011) and a support arm (2) having this head (1011) attached to one end portion thereof, a base arm (12) including a rotation support part (11) for supporting the head support member rotatably in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the disk, and an elastic member (4) of which one end portion is connected to other end portion of the support arm (2) and other end portion is connected to the base arm (12) for thrusting the head support member in the disk direction. Therefore, the support arm (2) can be formed of a member of high rigidity, and the slider (1) is prevented from colliding against the disk if an impact force acts from outside.

Abstract: A static posture correcting apparatus has a controller preparing a correction recipe-table, a measuring unit measuring a pitch angle and a roll angle of a head portion of a flexure of a head suspension, a laser irradiating unit irradiating laser beams on irradiation lines of a flexure of an objective head suspension, the controller selecting an effectual correction recipe from the correction recipe-table and controlling the laser irradiating section to irradiate laser beams on the irradiation lines of the flexure of the objective head suspension according to the selected correction recipe, wherein the controller considers variations among reference values of pitch angle and roll angle changes of the sample head suspensions when preparing the correction recipe-table and selects the recipe so as to diminish an expected variation in target static posture angle characteristic due to correction.

Abstract: An integrated suspension assembly including interconnect is used to provide an electrical and mechanical connection between an actuation system and a slider. The suspension assembly includes a multi-layer laminate substrate having a base layer, an insulator layer and a conductor layer. The laminate substrate further includes an attachment region for attaching the suspension assembly to an actuator arm, a load beam region, a flexure region for supporting the slider, and an interconnect path. The interconnect path extends along the flexure region, the load beam region and the attachment region wherein the path terminates at the attachment region at a connection point to provide an electro-mechanical attachment to the actuator arm.

Abstract: A write-inhibit signal is generated by a head-disk interaction sensor during a write process that is integrated with a suspension of a hard disk drive (HDD) when fly-height modulation of the slider is detected during a write process The suspension load beam includes a dimple and a laminated flexure. The laminated flexure includes a surface that is adapted to receive a slider and a surface that is adapted to contact the dimple. The head-disk interaction sensor is fabricated as part of the laminations of the flexure. The head-disk interaction sensor can be an accelerometer that senses an acceleration of the flexure when the slider contacts the disk of the disk drive and/or a pressure sensor that senses a pressure between the flexure and the dimple when the slider contacts the disk. A write-inhibit circuit is responsive to the sensor signal by inhibiting the write process.

Abstract: A hard disk drive assembly that includes a device for limiting a movement of a head of a head gimbal assembly from a surface of a disk. The head is coupled to the disk and attached to a suspension of the head gimbal assembly. The invented device limits a distance that the head can move away from a surface of the disk. Limiting the distance that the head can move away from the surface of the disk, may reduce the impact force associated with the head slapping the disk, which may reduce damage associated with head slapping.

Abstract: A suspension includes a load beam, a flexure fixed to the load beam for determining a flying attitude of a head slider provided with at least one head element, the flexure having a slider supporting section for supporting the head slider, and a load adjustment mechanism formed at the slider supporting section of the flexure, for adjusting a load imposed on the head slider.

Abstract: A magnetic head assembly equipped with a slider and a gimbal spring to which the slider is secured with an adhesive agent. According to one aspect, at least one slit is formed in the gimbal spring opposing the adhesion surface of the slider, so that expansion and contraction of the gimbal spring caused by a change in the temperature is hardly transferred to the slider. According to a second aspect, the Young's modulus after hardening of the adhesive agent applied onto thee adhesion surface of the slider is selected to be smaller than about {fraction (1/13000)} of the Young's modulus of the slider material or of the gimbal spring material. According to the first aspect, therefore, the area of the gimbal spring on which the adhesive agent is applied is limited by the slit. According to the second aspect, the Young's modulus of the adhesive agent after hardening is so small that the warping amount of the slider caused by a change in the temperature lies within a predetermined range.

Abstract: A suspension assembly is designed to carry a slider and read/write head elements in a magnetic data storage device. The suspension assembly is formed from a composite laminate structure that includes first, second, third, fourth and fifth material layers. The layers are arranged such that the second layer is disposed between the first and third layers, and the fourth layer is disposed between the third and fifth layers. The laminate structure is configured using a suitable removal process, such as partial chemical etching, to define a mount plate, a hinge, a load beam functional end, and an electrical lead system. The laminate structure may be further formed with a flexure gimbal system that comprises the third, fourth and fifth layers.

Abstract: A magnetic head supporting mechanism includes a head positioning actuator having an arm, and a load beam connected to the arm. The load beam has a gimbal. The gimbal includes a magnetic head slider fixing portion on which a magnetic head slider having a magnetic head is mounted, a first pair of beams extending from opposite sides of the magnetic head slider fixing portion along a traverse direction of the load beam perpendicular to a longitudinal direction thereof, and a second pair of beams respectively connected to the first pair of beams and extending so as to face the opposite sides of the magnetic head slider fixing portion.

Abstract: A head assembly for an information storage device that includes a head slider with a read/write element for reading/recording information to/from a disk and a suspension for supporting the head slider. The suspension includes a generally planar sheet that extends in a longitudinal direction from a first end to second end and an arm attaching portion located near the first end of the generally planar sheet of the suspension. The arm attaching portion is adapted to be attached to a head arm. The suspension also includes a slider attaching portion positioned near the second end of the generally planar sheet of the suspension, where the slider attaching portion extends generally in the longitudinal direction and is surrounded by a generally U-shaped opening in the generally planar sheet. The slider attaching portion faces a securing surface of the head slider.

Abstract: A single piece suspension and actuator arm includes a load beam having an integrated flexure and hinge each formed of the same web as the load beam, the flexure being foldable at the hinge to lie over the load beam engaged therewith to secure the flexure in its folded over condition. The load beam defines an additional attachment structure that attaches to cooperating attachment structure on the actuator arm, with one or more of the attachment structures comprising a tab and slot arrangement.

Abstract: A flexure for an integrated lead head suspension comprising a metal spring layer having a metal base region, a metal head bonding platform, and one or more metal spring arms connecting the metal head bonding platform to the metal base region for flexure motion. The flexure also includes a conductive lead layer having lead base region portions extending over the metal base region and lead suspended portions spaced from and adjacent to at least one of the metal spring arms. The flexure further includes an insulator layer between the metal spring layer and the conductive lead layer that has insulator base region portions for bonding the lead base region portions to and insulating the lead base region portions from the metal base region. The insulator layer also has insulator suspended portions on a lower surface of the lead suspended portions and insulator spring arm portions on an upper surface of the metal spring arms adjacent to the lead suspended portions.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension has a lower stiffness gimbal flexure formed in one piece with a load beam by setting off the flexure frame from the load beam rigid portion, reducing the frame thickness by partial etch, maintaining the flexure tongue thickness at that of the load beam rigid portion, and completing the flexure frame with flexible conductor connected to the distal end of the frame, metal layer in the flexible conductor being removed to maintain low stiffness while connecting the flexible conductor to the flexure tongue in motion limiting relation.

Abstract: A head suspension including a one-piece load beam and flexure structure wherein the flexure structure includes partially etched connecting bars. The load beam and flexure structure is fabricated from a single piece of spring steel, and the structure comprises a rigid region, a mounting region on a proximal end of the rigid region, and a flexure region. The flexure region has a planar support region and an integral flexure, and the integral flexure includes a slider-receiving region and connecting bars that connect the slider-receiving region to the support region of the integral flexure. A head slider is mounted to the slider-receiving region. The connecting bars of the integral flexure are thinned by partial etching in order to reduce the stiffness of the connecting bars, and thereby allow the head slider to gimbal in response to aerodynamic forces.

Abstract: A very low cost disk drive suspension is a unitary structure carried in a strip with other structures that comprise a load beam and a flexure, the flexure having a head portion that forms a gimballing platform from inner and outer leaves carried on a frame leg, the load beam having an aperture with guiding fingers to receive and guide an axial connector that can be coined to mount the load beam on an actuator arm in lieu of using a mounting plate.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension has a lower stiffness gimbal flexure formed in one piece with a load beam by setting off the flexure frame from the load beam rigid portion, reducing the frame thickness by partial etch, maintaining the flexure tongue thickness at that of the load beam rigid portion, and completing the flexure frame with flexible conductor connected to the distal end of the frame, metal layer in the flexible conductor being removed to maintain low stiffness while connecting the flexible conductor to the flexure tongue in motion limiting relation.

Abstract: A magnetic disk apparatus for recording information on and reproducing information from a magnetic disk with a magnetic head. A magnetic head supporting device includes a slider having the magnetic head mounted thereon, a flexible section supporting the slider, and a supporting section connected to the flexible section. The slider, the flexible section, and the supporting section are integrally formed from a same material. A rotary-type or linear-type positioning mechanism positions the magnetic head at a predetermined radial position of the magnetic disk.

Abstract: In a magnetic disk drive, a head carriage assembly includes a slider which is directly adhered to a carriage. The assembly, therefore, needs a minimum of constituent parts and a minimum of assembling steps. The absence of a conventional metal plate reduces the thickness of the assembly and, therefore, the overall thickness of the disk drive. The weight of the assembly is reduced in the front part of the carriage. This successfully reduces a period of time necessary for an overshoot and vibration occurring during seek due to a drive motor to attenuate, thereby reducing the reading time and writing time.

Abstract: A magnetic head suspension assembly is fabricated with an integral piece which includes a load beam section, a flexure section, a rest mount section and a leaf spring section between the load beam and rear mount. A tongue extends from the load beam to the flexure and has a down-facing load dimple which contacts the non-air bearing surface of an attached air bearing slider. The flexure includes narrow thin legs adjacent to a cutout that delineates the load beam tongue. The head suspension is characterised by a high first bending mode frequency and low pitch and roll stiffness.

Abstract: A magnetic head suspension assembly is fabricated with an integral piece which includes a load beam section, a flexure section, a rear mount section and a leaf spring section between the load beam and rear mount. A tongue extends from the load beam to the flexure and has a down-facing load dimple which contacts the non-air bearing surface of an attached air bearing slider. The flexure includes narrow thin legs adjacent to a cutout that delineates the load beam tongue. The head suspension is characterized by a high first bending mode frequency and low pitch and roll stiffness.

Abstract: A magnetic head suspension assembly is fabricated with an integral piece which includes a load beam section, a flexure section, a rear mount section and a leaf spring section between the load beam and rear mount. A tongue extends from the load beam to the flexure and has a down-facing load dimple which contacts the non-air bearing surface of an attached air bearing slider. The flexure includes narrow thin legs adjacent to a cutout that delineates the load beam tongue. The head suspension is characterized by a high first bending mode frequency and low pitch and roll stiffness.