JP2007128634A - Method and system to test slider for head gimbal assembly of disk drive - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and system of testing the slider used in a head gimbal assembly and a disk drive to prevent defects in the manufacturing steps of a slider and cost increase in assembling steps. <P>SOLUTION: In the manufacturing method of a slider, a slider is mounted on a test head suspension assembly in a removable manner to test its dynamic performance before it is incorporated in an end product. The defective sliders found in the test are removed from the test head suspension assembly and rejected. The nondefective sliders are mounted on the HGAs. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information recording disk device, and more particularly to a test method and system for a slider for a head gimbal assembly of a disk device. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method and a slider test system for performing a dynamic performance test of a slider before manufacturing a head gimbal assembly or a head stack assembly of a disk device.

  One known information storage device includes a magnetic disk for storing data, a movable recording / reproducing head positioned on the magnetic disk and selectively recording / reproducing data with respect to the magnetic disk, There is a disk device with

  The user expects a higher speed and more accurate recording / reproducing operation as well as a larger storage capacity for the disk drive as described above. Thus, disk drive manufacturers have improved disk drives for higher capacity, for example, by increasing data track density, reducing track width, and / or reducing track spacing. I keep doing it. However, each increase in the track density corresponds to the increase in the track density in the positioning control of the recording / reproducing head in order to realize the recording / reproducing operation quickly and accurately using the high recording density disc. You need to be. As the track density increases, it is more difficult to quickly and accurately control the recording / reproducing head positioning on the target data track on the storage medium. Therefore, disk device manufacturers are constantly seeking ways to improve the recording and playback head positioning control in order to benefit from the ever-increasing track density.

  One technique that has been used effectively by disk drive manufacturers to improve the positioning control of read / write heads for high-density discs is to achieve quick and accurate positioning control of the read / write heads. There is a technique using an auxiliary actuator known as a microactuator that operates together with the actuator. A disk drive incorporating a microactuator is known as a two-stage actuator system.

  Conventionally, various two-stage actuator systems have been developed in order to increase the access speed or finely adjust the recording / reproducing head on a target track on a high-density recording medium. Such a two-stage actuator system generally includes a main voice coil motor (VCM) actuator and an auxiliary microactuator such as a PZT microactuator. The VCM actuator is controlled by a servo control system that rotates an actuator arm that supports a recording / reproducing head on a target data track on a recording medium. Also, the PZT microactuator is used in conjunction with the VCM actuator so as to increase the positioning speed and accurately position the recording / reproducing head on the target track. Therefore, the VCM actuator greatly adjusts the position of the recording / reproducing head, while the PZT microactuator finely adjusts the position of the recording / reproducing head relative to the recording medium. As described above, by the cooperation of the VCM actuator and the PZT microactuator, information can be recorded / reproduced on the high-density recording medium effectively and accurately.

  One known type of microactuator incorporates a PZT element for performing fine positioning adjustments of the read / write head. Such PZT microactuators are equipped with electronics that can excite PZT elements on the microactuator that cause its selective expansion and contraction. The PZT microactuator is configured such that expansion and contraction of the PZT element causes the operation of the microactuator, that is, the operation of the recording / reproducing head. Such an operation is used to adjust the position of the recording / reproducing head at high speed and with high accuracy, compared to a disk drive using only a VCM actuator. For example, Patent Document 1 (invention name: microactuator and HGA) and Patent Document 2 (invention name: head gimbal assembly including a micropositioning actuator, a disk drive using the same, and a head A manufacturing method of a gimbal assembly) discloses a typical conventional PZT microactuator.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram of a conventional disk apparatus, and shows a magnetic disk 101 mounted on a spindle motor 102 that rotates the disk 101. The voice coil motor arm 104 supports a head gimbal assembly (HGA) 100 having a microactuator 105 on which a magnetic head slider 103 incorporating a recording / reproducing head is mounted. The voice coil motor (VCM) is provided to control the operation of the motor arm 104. In other words, the voice coil motor (VCM) is provided to control the magnetic head slider 103 to move between tracks on the surface of the disk 101. ing. As a result, data can be recorded / reproduced on / from the disc by the recording / reproducing head. During operation, levitation force is generated by aerodynamic interaction between the magnetic head slider 103 in which the recording / reproducing head is incorporated and the rotating magnetic disk 101. This flying force is opposite to the spring force applied by the suspension of the HGA 100 so that a predetermined flying height is maintained above the surface of the rotating magnetic disk 10 during the radial movement of the arm 104. It is equally occurring.

  FIG. 2 shows a head gimbal assembly 100 (HGA) of the disk apparatus in the conventional example shown in FIG. 1 incorporating a two-stage actuator. However, the inherent accuracy error of the VCM and head suspension assembly adversely affects the performance of the recording / reproducing head for accurately recording / reproducing data on / from the disk, and the magnetic head slider 103 performs quick and minute positioning control. It cannot be realized. Accordingly, as described above, the PZT microactuator 105 is provided to improve the position control between the magnetic head slider and the recording / reproducing head. In particular, the PZT microactuator 105 corrects the positional deviation of the magnetic head slider 103 more minutely than the VCM in order to supplement the resonance resistance of the VCM and / or the head suspension assembly. For example, the microactuator 105 can be used for a smaller data track interval to increase the track per inch (track / inch (TPI)) value in the disk device by 50%. Similarly, the seek time and settling time of the head can be reduced more significantly. In this way, the PZT microactuator 105 can realize a disk device in which the surface recording density of the data storage disk used is greatly increased.

  3 and 4, the PZT actuator 105 in the conventional example includes two ceramic beams each having a PZT element 116 mounted thereon or a ceramic U-shaped frame having side arms 107. The ceramic beam 107 holds the slider 103 between them, and moves the slider 103 by the movement of the ceramic beam 107 by excitation of the PZT element 116. As shown in the drawing, the slider 103 is partially bonded to the two ceramic beams 107 at two predetermined locations, particularly with epoxy. This adhesion enables the slider 103 to move based on the operation of the microactuator 105 ceramic beam 107 without depending on the motor arm 104.

  The PZT microactuator 105 is physically connected to the flexure 114 of the suspension 113. Three electronic bonding balls 190 (gold ball bonding (GBB) or solder ball bonding (SBB)) are provided to bond the microactuator 105 to the suspension trace 110 located on the side of each ceramic beam 107. Yes. In addition, four metal balls 108 (GBB or SBB) are provided to join the slider 103 to the trace 110. When power is supplied through the suspension trace 110, the PZT element 116 expands and contracts, causing deformation of the two ceramic beams 107 of the U-shaped microactuator frame. Accordingly, the slider 103 is moved on the track of the disk to finely adjust the recording / reproducing head. In this way, the positioning control of the slider 103 can realize minute position adjustment.

  In order to smoothly move the slider 103 when the PZT element 116 is deformed, a parallel gap 120 is formed between the back surface of the slider and the suspension tongue 122 of the suspension. The dimples 124 of the suspension load beam 126 are provided to transmit force between the suspension load beam 126 and the suspension tongue 122.

The product of the microactuator HGA (as described above) is 10 to 50% relatively expensive due to the additional microactuator parts compared to the conventional HGA. When an HGA is manufactured and a defect is found in a component, the entire HGA is discarded. As a result, even if the component parts of the HGA are not defective, for example, all parts such as the suspension, the head slider, and / or the microactuator are discarded.
JP 2002-133803 A JP 2002-074871 A

  Although known in the art, the main problems of the head slider by application to a high-density HDD are shown. First, since the head sensor track width is narrower, it is very difficult to manufacture a head wafer. Also, stability is very important for high density HDDs. Due to various limitations, defects cannot be prevented without manufacturing the head slider and testing it. This places great pressure and difficulty on the industry.

  The second problem relates to the manufacture of the head slider. The current manufacturing process for head sliders is very complex and all processes require very precise control. Because the manufacturing process is limited, defects cannot be prevented before testing the head slider. As with limited static testing, current slider head performance is still poor. This means that dynamic performance testing is required before manufacturing the head gimbal assembly or head stack assembly. Otherwise, the HGA suspension and microactuator may be discarded due to the low performance of the slider head incorporated in the head gimbal assembly. On the other hand, even if a limited reassembly process is performed, it is costly to obtain low profits from the reassembly process, and the unit price of the HDD product may increase.

  As mentioned above, it is known to perform static tests to test slider head performance during the slider manufacturing process. However, this test is still limited and cannot remove 100% of all defective slider heads. Therefore, even if the slider dynamic test is performed at the HGA stage, if the slider is defective, the entire HGA is discarded. This means that many constituent materials are discarded at the HGA stage due to poor quality slider heads.

  Therefore, there is a need for a method and system for testing the sliders used in head gimbal assemblies and disk drives that ameliorate the disadvantages described above.

  One aspect of the invention relates to a method and system for dynamically testing a slider for a head gimbal assembly prior to mounting the slider on the head gimbal assembly.

  Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of manufacturing a slider into a product. In this method, a slider is mounted on a test head suspension assembly so that it can be removed, and a dynamic performance test of the slider is performed before the slider is manufactured into a product.

  Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention is a slider dynamic performance test method. The method includes providing a slider to be tested, mounting the slider to the test head suspension assembly in a removable manner, mounting the test head suspension assembly to a dynamic test system, and dynamic performance of the slider. A step of performing a test, a step of removing the slider from the test head suspension assembly, and a step of mounting the slider on the HGA based on a result of a dynamic performance test of the slider.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is a test head suspension assembly used for performing a dynamic performance test of a slider. The test head suspension assembly includes a suspension and a support structure joined to the suspension. The support structure is configured to removably support a slider to be tested on the suspension.

  Other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the detailed description which follows, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the nature of the invention.

  Various preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Like reference numbers represent like parts throughout the various views. As described above, the present invention is designed to reduce the manufacturing cost of a head gimbal assembly (HGA). Aspects of the present invention provide a method and system for dynamically testing a slider for a head gimbal assembly before the slider is mounted on the head gimbal assembly.

  Several embodiments of methods and systems for dynamically testing a slider for a head gimbal assembly before the slider is mounted on the head gimbal assembly are described below. Some embodiments are illustrated and described as being implemented in a head gimbal assembly (HGA) of the type described above with reference to FIGS. However, the present invention is not limited to such examples. On the contrary, the method and system for dynamically testing the slider before it is mounted on the head gimbal assembly applies to any device having a slider that is desired to be tested, regardless of the slider or HGA structure shown. May be. This means that the present invention can be used for apparatuses having sliders in all industries.

  FIG. 5 shows the test head suspension assembly 10 in the first embodiment of the present invention. Details will be described below. The slider 12 is detachably mounted on the test head suspension assembly 10, and a dynamic performance test is performed on the slider 12 before the slider 12 is mounted on the HGA of the disk device. If the slider 12 is not defective based on the test, the slider 12 having no defect is then mounted on the HGA. In this step, the defective slider can be discarded rather than the entire HGA. As a result, this process significantly improves process efficiency and greatly reduces manufacturing costs.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a test head suspension assembly 10 (or test head gimbal assembly (test HGA)) includes a suspension 14 and a support structure 16 that supports a slider 12 to be tested. .

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the suspension 14 includes a base plate 18, a load beam 20, a hinge 22, a flexure 24, and a suspension trace 26 formed on the flexure 24. The base plate 18 is provided with a mounting hole 28 used to join the suspension 14 to the test carriage of the dynamic test system. The base plate 18 is also formed with holes 30 for reducing the weight. The shape of the base plate 18 can vary based on the structure of the test carriage. The base plate 18 is made of a relatively hard material such as a metal or a rigid material in order to stably support the suspension 14 on the test carriage.

  The hinge 22 is mounted on the base plate 18 by welding, for example. As illustrated, the hinge 22 has holes 32 and 34 corresponding to the holes 28 and 30 formed in the base plate 18. The hinge 22 includes a holder bar 36 for supporting the load beam 20.

  The load beam 20 is mounted on the two holder bars 36 of the hinge 22 by welding or the like. The load beam 20 includes a dimple 38 formed to support the flexure 24. The load beam 20 is provided with an optional lift tab 40 for lifting the test head suspension assembly 10 from the disk when the disk is not rotating. Further, a limiter 42 that restricts the operation and deformation of the suspension tongue 44 is provided on the load beam 20 (see FIG. 10).

  The flexure 24 is mounted on the hinge 22 by welding, for example. The flexure 24 includes a suspension tongue 44 for joining the support structure 16 to the suspension 14. A suspension trace 26 is also provided on the flexure 24 to electrically connect a plurality of bond pads 46 (connected to the test flexure of the dynamic test system) to the slider to be tested. The suspension trace 26 is a flexible printed circuit (FPC) and includes an appropriate number of signal lines. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the bonding pad 48 is directly connected to the suspension trace 26, and the suspension trace 26 is electrically connected to the bonding pad 50 provided on the slider 12 to be tested.

  FIG. 8 shows the support structure 16 removed from the suspension 14. As shown in the figure, the support structure 16 includes a top arm 52, a bottom arm 54, and a support beam 56 that connects the top arm 52 and the bottom arm 54 to each other. The support structure 16 is formed by forming support beams 56 on both sides of the support structure 16 in the first stage. In another stage, the top arm 52 is divided into two parts. In the second formation stage, a parallel gap 58 of, for example, 30 to 100 μm (micrometers) is formed between the top arm 52 and the bottom arm 54. The support structure 16 can be formed of metal or other suitable rigid material such as ceramic, polyimide, polymer, rubber, for example.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the bottom arm 54 is configured to join the support structure 16 to the suspension 14. In particular, the bottom arm 54 is mounted on the suspension tongue 44 of the flexure 24 by, for example, epoxy, resin, laser welding, or the like.

  Top arm 52 is configured to allow removal of slider 12 to be tested on suspension 14. In particular, the slider 12 to be tested is mounted on the top arm 52 by an attachment material such as a water-soluble resin or adhesive. These attachment materials release the slider 12 from the support structure 16 when the test of the slider 12 is complete. However, other suitable attachment materials such as epoxy, anisotropic conductive film (ACF), resin, etc. may be used.

  After the slider 12 is removably mounted on the support structure 16, the slider 12 is electrically connected to the suspension trace 26. In particular, the slider 12 has a plurality of bonding pads 50, for example, four bonding pads, connected to the bonding pads 48 of the suspension 14 at one end. The bonding pads 48 of the suspension 14 are electrically bonded to the plurality of bonding pads 50 provided on the slider 12 using, for example, an electrical connection ball 60 (GBB or SBB) or solder paste. As a result, the slider 12 and its recording / reproducing element are electrically connected to the bonding pad 46 connected to the test flexure.

  FIG. 12 shows another example of the support structure 216 used on the suspension 14. In this example, the support structure 216 is formed by dividing the bottom arm 254 into two parts. Similar to the support structure 16 of the reference numeral 16, the support structure 216 is formed by forming support beams 256 on both sides of the support structure 216 in a first stage. In another stage, the bottom arm 254 is divided into two parts. In the second forming step, a parallel gap 258 is formed between the top arm 252 and the bottom arm 254.

  FIGS. 13a to 13j and FIG. 14 show main steps included in the method for testing the slider 12 incorporated in the head gimbal assembly in the first embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, after the start process (step 1 in FIG. 14), the test slider 12 (having four bond pads as shown in FIG. 13a) is provided with four solder balls 60 in the solder pre-bump process. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13b, the four solder balls 60 are bumped or adhered in advance to each bonding pad 50 on the slider 12, for example, by laser irradiation or heating (step of FIG. 14). 2).

  Thereafter, the slider 12 on which solder bumps are formed in advance is mounted on the test head assembly 10. As described above, the test head assembly 10 includes the support structure 16 having the top arm 52 that supports the test slider 12 at a distance from the suspension tongue 44 of the suspension 14, as shown in FIG. 13c. Further, the bonding pad 48 connected to the suspension trace 26 is disposed in the vicinity of the top arm 52 in order to electrically connect the suspension trace 26 and the test slider 12.

  As shown in FIG. 13d, the pre-bumped slider 12 is detachably mounted on the top arm 52 with a water-soluble resin or adhesive (step 3 in FIG. 14). As a result, the electrical connection balls 60 provided on the slider 12 are positioned corresponding to the bonding pads 48 on the suspension 14.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 13e, a solder reflow process is provided to the slider 12 and the suspension 14 to electrically connect the bonding pad 50 of the test slider 12 and the bonding pad 48 of the suspension 14. 60 is processed (step 4 in FIG. 14). Specifically, as shown in the figure, a laser using a laser 62 that processes and melts the electrical connection balls 60 so as to electrically connect the joint pads 50 of the test slider 12 and the joint pads 48 of the suspension 14. A reflow process is performed. The test slider 12 is once physically and electrically joined to the test head suspension assembly 10, and the test head suspension assembly 10 determines whether or not the test slider 12 is defective. Connected to a dynamic test system for performing dynamic performance tests.

  As shown in FIGS. 13f and 13g, the dynamic test system 64 includes a test tool 66, a test carriage 68, and a spindle motor 70 that rotates one storage disk 72. The test tool 66 includes, for example, a plurality of test pins 74 that are four test pins, and is electrically connected to a plurality of bonding pads 46 provided on the test head suspension assembly 10. In this electrical connection, the test tool 66 is connected to the slider 12 and the recording / reproducing element through the suspension trace 26.

  The test carriage 68 is configured to mount the test head suspension assembly 10 on the dynamic test system 64. In particular, the suspension 14 of the test head suspension assembly 10 is mounted on a test carriage 68 (for example, through mounting holes 28 and 32 provided in the base plate 18 and the hinge 22 of the suspension 14). The test head suspension assembly 10 and its test slider are once mounted on the dynamic test apparatus 64, and a dynamic performance test can be performed on the test slider 12 (step 5 in FIG. 14).

  As shown in FIG. 13g, the test carriage 68 controls and moves the test head suspension assembly 10 to position the test slider 12 and the combined recording / reproducing head on the rotating disk 72. The test carriage 68 is controlled by, for example, a computer so that the slider 12 floats on the disk 72 at a desired flying height. The spindle motor 70 is controlled by, for example, a computer so that the disk 72 rotates at a desired rotation speed. The position of the slider 12 is mechanically adjusted in the X and Y directions so as to coincide with a desired area, similar to the operation of the current disk device.

  Test pins 74 provided on the test tool 66 are connected to a computer via a printed board. In particular, one or more control boxes connected to a computer are used to match the position of the slider to the desired test track. Data is written to the disk through the recording sensor of the slider 12 controlled by the computer, and the data is read from the disk through the reproduction sensor of the slider 12 in order to determine the characteristics of the track. For example, the performance of both recording and reproduction by the slider 12 such as reproduction amplification, head overwriting, and stability can be determined through this test. Depending on the quality of the disk device design, the dynamic performance test can easily determine whether the slider is defective or not.

  After the dynamic performance test is completed, the test slider 12 is removed from the test head suspension 10 (step 6 in FIG. 14). If it is determined that the test slider 12 is not defective, then the non-defective slider can be mounted on the head gimbal assembly for use in the disk device (step 7 and step in FIG. 14). 8). Alternatively, if it is determined that the test slider 12 is defective, then the defective slider is discarded (Step 7 and Step 9 in FIG. 14).

  As shown in FIG. 13h, the test slider 12 first melts or reflows the electric bonding ball 60 that electrically connects the slider bonding pad 50 and the suspension bonding pad 48, for example, with a laser 76. Removed from test head suspension assembly 10. A mechanical cleaner is then used to remove the molten solder material 60. After cooling, the residue of the solder material 60 remains on both the suspension bonding pad 48 and the slider bonding pad 50 as shown in FIG. 13i. The residue of the solder material 60 serves as a bonding material attached in advance, and can improve the reliability of bonding in the subsequent bonding process.

  Subsequently, the slider 12 is removed from the top arm 52 of the support structure 16 shown in FIG. 13j. In particular, a water washing process is used to remove the water-soluble resin that joins the slider 12 to the top arm 52. In the present embodiment, the slider 12 and the support structure 16 are immersed in water in order to remove the water-soluble resin. As another example, ultrasound may be used to increase the removal rate. In this step, the slider 12 is removed from the support structure 16 with the support structure 16 remaining on the suspension 14. As described above, the slider 12 is then discarded or mounted on the head gimbal assembly, depending on the results of the dynamic performance test. The test head suspension assembly 10 is then used to test other sliders.

  FIG. 15 shows the manufacturing process in this embodiment of the present invention. After the start process (step 1001), the HGA suspension is mounted on the flexible cable arm assembly by swaging to form a head stack assembly (step 1002). Thereafter, the HGA suspension is electrically bonded to the flexible cable arm assembly by bonding (step 1003), and an electrical connection and placement check is performed (step 1004). While this process is being performed, the slider can be tested by the dynamic performance test described with reference to FIG.

  A non-defective slider is received from the dynamic performance test system, and the non-defective slider is attached and electrically secured to the HGA suspension of the head stack assembly (step 1005). The head stack assembly is cleaned (step 1006), and the cleaned head stack assembly is assembled to the disk device in the drive assembly process (step 1007).

  The manufacturing process of the disk device in FIG. 15 is an example, and a non-defective slider may be incorporated in a disk device of any configuration by any method.

  FIGS. 16 to 19 show a test head suspension assembly 210 in the second embodiment of the present invention. In the test head assembly 210, the same method as described above is used to determine whether or not the slider 12 is defective.

  In this embodiment, the test head suspension assembly 210 does not include a support structure, and the test slider 12 is directly fixed to the suspension 214. Since there is no support structure, the cost of the test head suspension assembly 210 can be reduced.

  Similar to the embodiment described above, the test head suspension assembly 210 includes a suspension having a base plate 218, a load beam 220, a hinge 222, a flexure 224, and a suspension trace 224 on the flexure 224. A limiter 242 is provided on the load beam 220 to limit the operation and deformation of the suspension tongue 244. Also, a bond pad 248 is directly bonded to the suspension trace 226 to electrically connect the suspension trace 226 to the bond pad 250 provided on the slider 12 to be tested.

  The slider 12 to be tested (with the solder pre-bump 60 attached) is mounted on the suspension tongue 244 of the suspension 214 with a mounting material such as a water-soluble resin or adhesive so that it can be removed. Thereafter, the bonding pads 248 of the suspension 214 are electrically connected to the pads 250 provided on the slider, for example, by solder reflow. As a result, the slider 12 and its recording / reproducing element are connected to the suspension trace 226. The test head suspension assembly 210 is coupled to a dynamic test system 64 that performs a dynamic performance test on the test slider 12 to determine whether the test slider 12 is defective. When the dynamic performance test is complete, the test slider 12 is removed from the test head suspension assembly 210 in the manner described above. Depending on the results of the dynamic performance test, the slider 12 may be discarded or mounted on the head gimbal assembly.

  20 and 21 show a test head suspension assembly 310 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In the test head suspension assembly 310, the same method as described above is used to determine whether or not the slider is defective.

  In this embodiment, the support structure 316 of the test head suspension assembly 310 includes a vertical beam 380 for aligning the slider. Specifically, the support structure 316 includes a top arm 352 divided into two parts, a bottom arm 354 with a vertical beam 380, and a support beam 356 interconnecting the top arm 352 and the bottom arm 354. It is equipped with. When the test slider 12 is detachably mounted on the top arm 352 of the support structure 316 by, for example, water-soluble epoxy, one end of the test slider 12 is arranged so that the test slider 12 is accurately placed on the support structure 316. Is closely aligned with the vertical beam 380 (see FIG. 21). Further, the vertical beam 380 accurately positions the bonding pad 50 of the slider on each bonding pad 48 provided on the suspension 14.

  22 and 23 show a head suspension assembly 410 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the test head suspension assembly 410, the same method as described above is used to determine whether or not the slider is defective.

  In this embodiment, the test slider 12 is directly fixed to the suspension tongue 444 of the suspension 414. Further, the suspension tongue 444 includes a vertical beam 480 for aligning the slider. When the test slider 12 is detachably mounted on the suspension tongue 444 using, for example, water-soluble epoxy, one end of the test slider 12 is vertically beam 480 so that the test slider 12 is accurately placed on the suspension tongue 444. (See FIG. 21). Further, the vertical beam 480 accurately positions the bonding pad 50 of the slider 12 on each bonding pad 448 provided on the suspension 414.

  24 to 26 show a head suspension assembly 510 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the test head suspension assembly 510, the same method as described above is used to determine whether or not the slider is defective.

  In this embodiment, the support structure 516 of the test head suspension assembly 510 includes a bonding pad 590 on the bottom arm 554 used when the test slider 12 is detachably mounted. Specifically, the support structure 516 includes a top arm 552 divided into two parts, a bottom arm 554 having a bonding pad 590, and a support beam 556 that interconnects the top arm 552 and the bottom arm 554. It is equipped with. When the test slider 12 is detachably mounted on the support structure 516, one end of the test slider 12 is fixed to the bonding pad 590 on the bottom arm 554. The other end of the slider 12 is provided with a bonding pad 50 that is electrically bonded to each pad 548 provided on the suspension 514 using, for example, an electric connection ball 60 (GBB or SBB). These fixed solders 60 located on opposite sides of each other can support the test slider 12 subjected to a dynamic performance test on the support structure 516. After this dynamic performance test is completed, the test slider 12 is removed from the support structure 516, for example, by removing the fixed solder 60 located on opposite sides with a laser.

  27 to 29 show a head suspension assembly 610 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the test head suspension assembly 610, the same method as described above is used to determine whether or not the slider is defective.

  In this embodiment, the test slider 12 is directly fixed to the suspension tongue 644 of the suspension 614. Furthermore, the suspension tongue 644 includes a bonding pad 690 used when the test slider 12 is mounted so as to be removable. When the test slider 12 is detachably mounted on the suspension tongue 644, one end of the test slider 12 is fixed to the bonding pad 690 on the suspension tongue 644. The other end of the slider 12 is provided with a joining pad 50 that is electrically joined to each pad 648 provided on the suspension tongue 644 using, for example, an electrical connection ball 60 (GBB or SBB). . These fixed solders 60 located on opposite sides of each other can support the test slider 12 subjected to the dynamic performance test on the suspension tongue 644. After the dynamic performance test is completed, the test slider 12 is removed from the suspension tongue 644 by, for example, removing the fixed solder 60 positioned opposite to each other with a laser.

  The above-described embodiment of the present invention includes a test process for discarding the defective slider before being mounted on the head gimbal assembly of the disk device. Thereby, even if only the slider is a defective product, it is possible to suppress discarding the entire HGA. This test process can be easily incorporated into a conventional method of manufacturing a head head gimbal assembly. Furthermore, the test process can be incorporated into HGA with or without microactuators. In addition, this test process can be a method for easily mass-producing a large number of non-defective sliders used in any device equipped with a slider.

  In the HGA having a microactuator, a parallel gap is formed between the slider and the suspension tongue. In general, it is difficult to perform a dynamic performance test without a microactuator. A support structure is provided in place of the microactuator described above, and this structure can make the test head suspension assembly substantially similar to the microactuator HGA. Furthermore, since the defective slider is discarded before being mounted on the head gimbal assembly, the test head suspension assembly provides sufficiently accurate dynamic data for the magnetic slider.

  Further, since the slider is tested before being mounted on the head gimbal assembly, all dynamic testing at the HGA and HSA stages may be canceled. Thereby, the manufacturing time can be reduced, and defects are caused by the slider performance, so that the material discard rate can be suppressed. And the rework process by removing a defective slider can be suppressed in the HGA and HSA stages. This method also suppresses damage during handling, such as ESD damage to the head slider and manual damage due to careless handling. Overall, this method can efficiently improve the manufacturing method, greatly reduce the cost, and simplify the manufacturing process for HSA. Moreover, the investment cost of equipment and equipment can be suppressed.

  In addition, the slider may be used in a variety of different ways. The present invention encompasses any use of a slider and is not limited to the particular slider configuration disclosed herein. Also, the slider testing method and system may be applied to any disk device having a slider or other devices having a slider.

  While the present invention has been described in conjunction with what is currently considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is clear that the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. On the contrary, the present invention includes various improvements and equivalent modifications included in the scope of the idea of the invention.

It is a fragmentary perspective view of the disc apparatus in a prior art example. It is a perspective view of the head gimbal assembly (HGA) in a prior art example. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the HGA slider and PZT microactuator shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the HGA shown in FIG. 2. It is a perspective view of the test head suspension assembly in the Example of this invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a suspension of the test head suspension assembly shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the suspension shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a support structure of the test head suspension assembly shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view from the front of the test head suspension assembly shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view from the rear of the test head suspension assembly shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a partial side view of the test head suspension assembly shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another example of a support structure mounted on the test head suspension assembly shown in FIG. 5. It is a figure of an example which shows the test process of the slider in the Example of this invention. It is a figure of an example which shows the test process of the slider in the Example of this invention. It is a figure of an example which shows the test process of the slider in the Example of this invention. It is a figure of an example which shows the test process of the slider in the Example of this invention. It is a figure of an example which shows the test process of the slider in the Example of this invention. It is a figure of an example which shows the test process of the slider in the Example of this invention. It is a figure of an example which shows the test process of the slider in the Example of this invention. It is a figure of an example which shows the test process of the slider in the Example of this invention. It is a figure of an example which shows the test process of the slider in the Example of this invention. It is a figure of an example which shows the test process of the slider in the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the test process of the slider in the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the test process of the slider in the Example of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the test head suspension assembly in the other Example of this invention. FIG. 17 is a partial perspective view from the front of the test head suspension assembly shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 17 is a partial perspective view from the rear of the test head suspension assembly shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 17 is a partial side view of the test head suspension assembly shown in FIG. 16. It is a perspective view of the support structure used for the test head suspension assembly in the other Example of this invention. FIG. 21 is a side view of the support structure and test head suspension assembly shown in FIG. 20. It is a fragmentary perspective view from the back of the test head suspension assembly in the other Example of this invention. FIG. 23 is a partial side view of the test head suspension assembly shown in FIG. 22. FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view from the front of a test head suspension assembly for receiving a slider to be tested in another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 25 is a partial perspective view from the front of the test head suspension assembly in which the slider shown in FIG. 24 is detachably mounted. FIG. 26 is a side view of the test head suspension assembly and slider shown in FIG. 25. FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view from the front of a test head suspension assembly that receives a slider to be tested in yet another embodiment of the invention. FIG. 28 is a partial perspective view from the front of a test head suspension assembly in which the slider shown in FIG. 27 is detachably mounted. FIG. 29 is a side view of the test head suspension assembly and slider shown in FIG. 28.

Claims (21)

Mount the slider on the test head suspension assembly so that it can be removed,
Before the slider is manufactured into a product, a dynamic performance test of the slider is performed.
A method of manufacturing a slider characterized by the above. Providing a slider to be tested;
Mounting the slider to the test head suspension assembly in a removable manner;
Mounting the test head suspension assembly to a dynamic test system;
Performing a dynamic performance test of the slider;
Removing the slider from the test head suspension assembly;
Mounting the slider on an HGA based on the result of the dynamic performance test of the slider;
A dynamic performance test method for a slider, comprising: The step of mounting the slider on the test head suspension assembly so as to be removable includes mounting the slider on the test head suspension assembly support structure so as to be removable.
The slider dynamic performance testing method according to claim 2. The step of mounting the slider on the test head suspension assembly so as to be removable includes mounting the slider on the suspension tongue of the test head suspension assembly so as to be removable.
The slider dynamic performance testing method according to claim 2. The step of mounting the slider on the HGA based on the test result includes discarding the slider before the slider is mounted on the HGA when the slider is a defective product based on the test result.
5. The method for testing a dynamic performance of a slider according to claim 2, 3 or 4. The step of mounting the slider on the HGA based on the test result includes mounting the slider on the HGA when the slider is not defective based on the test result.
6. The slider dynamic performance test method according to claim 2, 3, 4 or 5. The step of mounting the slider on the test head suspension assembly so as to be removable uses solder bonding.
The method for testing dynamic performance of a slider according to claim 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. The step of removing the slider from the test head suspension assembly includes a laser processing step or a reflow step.
The slider dynamic performance test method according to claim 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7. The step of performing the dynamic performance test of the slider comprises:
The test head suspension assembly is moved so that the slider floats on a desired track of the rotating disk, and data on the rotating disk is detected to detect the recording / reproducing performance and stability of the slider. Recording and playback,
9. The method for testing dynamic performance of a slider according to claim 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8. The step of mounting the slider on the test head suspension assembly so as to be removable physically mounts the slider on the test head suspension assembly.
10. The method for testing dynamic performance of a slider according to claim 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9. The step of attaching the test head suspension assembly to the dynamic test system electrically connects the recording / reproducing element of the slider to the dynamic test system.
11. The method for testing dynamic performance of a slider according to claim 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10. A test head suspension assembly used to perform a dynamic performance test of a slider,
Suspension,
A support structure joined to the suspension and configured to removably support a slider to be tested on the suspension;
A test head suspension assembly comprising: The support structure is made of metal.
13. The test head suspension assembly according to claim 12, wherein: The support structure includes a top arm that removably supports the slider to be tested, a bottom arm that joins the support structure to the suspension, and a support beam that interconnects the top arm and the bottom arm. With
14. The test head suspension assembly according to claim 12, wherein the test head suspension assembly is a test head suspension assembly. One of the top arm and the bottom arm is divided into two parts,
The test head suspension assembly according to claim 14. The suspension includes a base plate, a load beam having dimples, a hinge joined to the base plate and the load beam by welding, and a flexure having a plurality of wires in close contact with the hinge and the load beam. ,
16. The test head suspension assembly according to claim 12, 13, 14, or 15. The flexure includes a bonding pad for electrically bonding the slider to the suspension by solder ball bonding.
The test head suspension assembly according to claim 16. The slider is electrically separated from the suspension by solder ball reflow.
The test head suspension assembly according to claim 17. The flexure includes a bond pad that electrically bonds the suspension to the dynamic test system.
18. The test head suspension assembly according to claim 16, wherein the test head suspension assembly is provided. The support structure is physically joined to the slider by a water soluble epoxy;
20. The test head suspension assembly according to claim 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, or 19. The slider is physically removed from the support structure by washing or dipping;
22. The test head suspension assembly according to claim 21, wherein

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