JPH0256714A - Head assembly for rotary memory - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce the size of a slider by attaching a conductive terminal to the surface which is the widest in the slider and which is not the closest to a rotary medium. CONSTITUTION: A suspension circuit 30 consists of a set of fingers 36 composed as concentric levels. These fingers form a spring suspension body for a slider 40. These conductive fingers end with a terminal point 38 and the grounding 39 and, in the rear face 42 of the slider 40, welded to the eight terminal pads 54 of the head and to the common grounding terminal pads 56. The other end of the conductive fingers is welded to a corresponding circuit on the arm 10 in eight terminals 32. Thus, with the terminal pads of the head directly connected to the terminal point of the suspension circuit, the need of a service loop is eliminated from the wire cable, enabling the entire size of the slider to be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a slider to which a head is mounted for accessing information stored on a rotating medium.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For example, magnetic disks are typically read and written to by magnetic heads held on movable arms near their surfaces. The head is attached to the trailing edge of a slider that is downstream of rotation of the disk as part of a head assembly that is supported by an arm. The head assembly also includes a suspension system and electronic circuitry that connects the head via the arm to the disk drive electronics. The electrical connection from the end of the arm to the head is usually.

This is accomplished by a pair of twisted wires welded to the terminal pads of the head at the trailing edge of the slider.

These wires are dressed to form a service loop between the arm and head.

The head and slider do not actually rest on the surface of the rotating disk, but fly over a boundary layer of air created by the rotation of the disk over the disk surface. The slider and suspension means are carefully designed to obtain the desired range characteristics, and the service loop between the arm and head is configured to have minimal impact on the suspension/slider mechanical system. Ru.

Structure of the Invention The slider of the present invention is characterized in that the conductive terminal of the head is mounted on the largest surface of the slider that is not the surface closest to the rotating medium, or on the surface of the slider that is parallel to the surface closest to the rotating medium, or and the heads are mounted on different surfaces of the slider.

In another feature of the invention, the suspension elements (having a fixed configuration defining predetermined mechanical properties that control the movement of the slider) also serve as conductive paths between the nerms and the electrically conductive terminals, these conductive paths being It is placed on the slider and connected to the head.

Yet another general feature of the invention is a method for manufacturing a large number of sliders in a batch process, including depositing multiple copies of the heads in a matrix arrangement on the surface of one of the blocks of material, slicing into bars along the dimensions and depositing multiple copies of the conductive terminal on a surface of the bar adjacent to the surface to which the head was deposited;
A conductive path between the head and the conductive terminal wraps around a corner between the adjacent surfaces, and the method includes slicing the bar into individual sliders.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has the following features. Two thin film heads are located at the trailing edge of the slider. A thin film conductive circuit connects the head on the trailing edge of the slider to terminal pads on the top surface of the slider. The head terminal pads are connected directly, without wires, to the suspension circuit elements of the head assembly system, and thus to the disk drive electronics.

The direct connection of the terminal pads of the head to the suspension circuit terminal points eliminates the need for wire cable service loops and thus eliminates mechanical effects on the intended range characteristics of the slider. By locating the terminal pads of the head on the large top surface of the slider, the slider can accommodate a large number of connections per head, reducing the overall size of the slider.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, and from the claims.

Embodiment Structure Referring to FIG.
A head assembly 20 is supported near the suspension circuit 2, the head assembly having a suspension circuit 30, a slider 40 attached to the suspension circuit, and a suitable conductive circuit 52 formed in the slider. A thin film head 50 is provided.

The suspension circuit 30 is chemically etched or die cut from a conductive material such as beryllium copper.
Its dimensions are 0.378 inches by 0.346 inches. The circuit consists of a set of fingers 36, generally arranged as concentric stages. These fingers form a spring suspension for the slider 40. These conductive fingers terminate in terminal points 38 and ground 39, which are welded to the head's eight terminal pads 54 and a common ground terminal pad 56 at the rear (top) surface 42 of the slider 40. The opposite end of the conductive finger is
At eight terminals 32 they are welded to corresponding circuits on arm 10. FIG. 1 shows a suspension circuit 30 for clarity.
Although shown generally in a single plane, the fingers are preferably bent to form a recess for receiving the slider so that the center of gravity of the slider is in the major plane of the suspension circuit.

Thus, the fingers of suspension circuit 30 (i) provide a direct electrical connection from thin film head 50 via a conductive circuit 52 on a movable arm (not shown) leading to the disk drive electronics; (if) the slider and suspension system has a fixed, carefully designed configuration that defines predetermined mechanical properties that allow the slider and suspension system to have the desired range characteristics for the magnetic disc; One type of suspension circuit is disclosed in commonly assigned Spash patent application Ser. No. 128.802, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The slider 40 (FIG. 2) is made of alsima
g) (slightly conductive) and whose width 43 is 0.126 inches and whose length 44 is 0.1
58 inches, and its thickness 45 is 0.034 inches. The two thin film magnetic heads 50 are located at the trailing edge 4 of the slider.
6 and is connected to a terminal pad 54 located on this rear surface by a thin film conductor 52 that extends through the corner 48 of the slider to the rear (top) surface 42. These thin film conductive tracks 52 are 0.005 inches wide and 2.0 inches thick.
microns, with a minimum separation of 0.005 inches between each conductive path. The conductive track 52 terminates in eight terminal pads 54, four for each head, each terminal pad measuring 0.020 inch x 0.09015 inch x 0.000 inch.
It is 5 inches. A further conductor from each head is connected to a common ground terminal pad (0.050" x 0.050" XO).

0005 inches). The locations of the conductive tracks and terminal pads are symmetrical and correspond to the locations of the terminal points of the suspension circuit. An encapsulating layer 60 of alumina, an electrical insulator, surrounds the membrane head and conductive tracks and underlies the terminal pads, leaving only the top surfaces of the terminal pads exposed.

Before attaching the suspension circuit to the slider, the membrane heads are tested and the better one is designated as the head to work with. The suspension circuit, when attached to the slider, is oriented such that the ground terminal pad 39 contacts two terminals (shown at 55 in FIG. 1) from a head that is not to be operated and shorts that head. .

l Wataru The slider is manufactured by batch processing.

Generally, in the first stage, multiple copies of the two membrane heads for the trailing edge of the slider are laid down on the block of material in a matrix arrangement. The block is then sliced into bars to which multiple copies of the conductive paths or thin film circuits and conductive terminals to the rear surface of the slider are deposited in a row configuration. The conductive path between the membrane head and the conductive terminal is adapted to wrap around the corner between the faces of adjacent bars. These bars are then sliced into individual sliders for final finishing.

In particular, with reference to FIG.
is polished to a very flat and smooth surface 61. A thin film 62 of alumina is then sputtered onto the entire surface 61. Each head 50, including a conductive circuit 52, is then constructed by depositing thin films of different materials on this pretreated surface 61. These films are patterned by using photoresist techniques and the structures are in stacked form. The conductors of the slider are patterned to reach the intended rear edge 63 of the slider. Another insulating film 64 of alumina is then sputtered over the entire surface and the block is sliced into bars along the edges such as 63. The thickness of each bar is equal to the thickness of the slider.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the rear surface of each bar 42, including the exposed ends 53 of conductive elements 52 that are not attached to the trailing edge of the slider, is also polished to provide a very flat and smooth surface finish. While the ends of conductor 53 are masked, a thin film of alumina 66 is sputtered onto the remaining unmasked surfaces. The end of the conductor is then unmasked and a thickness of copper required to form the other portion (back surface) of the head conductor 52 is sputtered onto this pretreated surface. A two-axis programmable stage laser is used to remove the copper coating between the elements of the intended circuit pattern. Alignment of the pattern must be ensured such that the starting point of each conductor element on the rear surface of the slider coincides with the corresponding conductor end on the edge of bar 48.

This forms an electrical interconnect. A final insulating layer 60 of alumina is sputtered onto the surface leaving only the terminal pads and ground exposed, and these are then plated with copper to the desired additional thickness.

Following conventional manufacturing procedures, rails 7 are attached to the front of each bar 70.
An air bearing surface is formed that includes 2. The bar is sliced along edges such as 49 into individual sliders and the batch manufacturing process is completed.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the heads are tested to determine which one should operate and the terminal points 38 and ground 39 of the suspension circuit 30 are connected to the terminal pads 54 on the slider 40 and the common ground terminal pad 56. Welded directly in one position, the non-actuated head is short-circuited.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an exploded schematic view of a portion of the slider suspension system; FIG. 2 is a cutaway perspective view of the slider attached to another slider during its final manufacturing stage; and FIG. FIG. 3 is a cutaway schematic diagram showing a block of slider base material at the manufacturing stage of FIG. 10... Movable arm 12... Magnetic disk 2o... Head assembly 30... Suspension circuit 38... Terminal point 39... Earth 40... Slider 42... Rear (top) surface 50... Thin film head 52... Conductive circuit 54... Terminal pad 56... Earth terminal pad r2: 1 side engraving (no change in content) Procedural amendment (method) 1. Indication of incident Heisei 1 Year Patent Application No. 129980 2, Name of Invention Head Assembly of Rotary Storage Device 3, Relationship with the Amendment Maker Case

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (1) A slider supporting a head that accesses information on a rotating medium and a conductive terminal of the head, wherein the conductive terminal is located on the widest surface of the slider and A slider characterized in that it is mounted on a surface that is not closest to the rotating medium. (2) In a slider supporting a head that accesses information on a rotating medium and a conductive terminal of the head, the conductive terminal is on the surface of the slider and is parallel to the surface closest to the rotating medium. A slider characterized in that it can be mounted on a surface. (3) In a slider that supports a head that accesses information on a rotating medium and a conductive terminal of the head, the conductive terminal is on a surface of the slider that is different from the surface to which the head is attached. A slider characterized in that it can be mounted on different surfaces. (4) The slider according to claim 1, wherein the head is attached to a trailing edge of the slider. (5) The slider according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the head comprises a thin film head. (6) The conductive path between the head and the conductive terminal is
Claims 1 and 2, wherein the slider is configured to wrap around a corner of the slider.
Or the slider described in 3. (7) Claim 1, wherein the conductive terminals are arranged symmetrically.
, 2 or 3. (8) The slider according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the two heads are attached to the trailing edge of the slider. (9) A method of manufacturing a slider of the type supporting a head for accessing information on a rotating medium and conductive terminals of the head, comprising the steps of: arranging a number of copies of said head in a matrix arrangement on one surface of a block of material; slicing the block into bars along one dimension and depositing multiple copies of the conductive terminal on a surface of the bar adjacent to the surface to which the head is attached; A method characterized in that the conductive path between the terminals wraps around the corner between the adjacent surfaces and the bar is sliced into individual sliders. (10) In a device that supports a head on an arm for accessing information on a rotating medium, the head is supported in a position for accessing the information, and a conductive member is electrically connected to the head. a slider for supporting a terminal; and a suspension element for supporting the slider on the arm; A device characterized in that it has a fixed form defining properties and that said suspension element provides a conductive path from said terminal to said arm. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the conductive terminal is mounted on the widest surface of the slider and not closest to the rotating medium. 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the conductive terminal is mounted on a surface of the slider that is parallel to the surface closest to the rotating medium. (13) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the conductive terminal is attached to a surface of the slider that is different from the surface to which the head is attached. (14) The apparatus according to claim 11, 12 or 13, wherein the head is attached to a trailing edge of the slider. (15) Claim 11, wherein the head comprises a thin film head.
, 12 or 13. (16) Claim 11, wherein the conductive path between the head and the conductive terminal wraps around a corner of the slider;
13. The device according to 12 or 13. (17) Claim 1, wherein the conductive terminals are arranged symmetrically.
1, 12 or 13. (18) Claim 11, wherein the two heads are attached to the trailing edge of the slider.
, 12 or 13. (19) In a slider supporting a head for accessing information on a rotating medium, a trailing edge on which the head is attached, and a rear surface perpendicular to the trailing edge connected to a suspension element supporting the slider. a rear surface supporting electrical terminals for the slider; and a continuous conductive path extending from the head at the trailing edge to the terminal at the rear surface.