JPH1069735A - Laminated suspension - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely position a lead line to a tip pad by forming a suspension with one or a plurality of layers, providing with a fixture having a plurality of anchor tabs and rotating the tip end of a conductive lead structure with the fixture. SOLUTION: A suspension 16 is connected to the tip pad of the converter conductive lead line of an attached slider 27. The conductive lead structure 13 is extended in the tip end direction as one flexible cable made of four conductor lines 7, and a distortion removing tab 3 is formed from the substrate of a stainless steel in the vicinity of the end 18. The insulating layer under the lead wire structure 13 is terminated in the direction of the end 18 just behind the tab 3, whereby conductor lines 7 are allowed to extend in the direction of a hook 4 as one lead wire. Conductor lines 7 are connected to the hook 4 on a test pad. Conductor lines 7 are fixed along the hook 4 and provided with intervals, thereby directly aligning on each tip pad and correctly and efficiently positioning conductor lines 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a slider suspension assembly for a data recording information storage system and a method of manufacturing such an assembly. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved suspension for a magnetic disk drive system and a method for electrically connecting the suspension to the leads or electronic packages of an actuator arm.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Information storage devices, including magnetic storage devices and optical data storage systems, read data from at least one rotatable disk having concentric data tracks containing information and various tracks. Or use a transducer to write data to it, and a head positioning actuator connected to the head to move the head to the desired track and maintain it on the track centerline during read / write operations. The transducer is mounted on a head (or "slider") having an air bearing surface supported adjacent to the data surface of the disk by a cushion of air created by the rotating disk. The slider is attached to the suspension on its back side (opposite the air bearing surface) and the suspension is attached to the actuator arm of the head positioning actuator.

This suspension provides dimensional stability between the slider and the actuator arm, controlled flexibility of slider pitch and roll motion with respect to the direction of motion on the rotating disk, and resistance to yaw motion. . Suspensions usually provide an air gap between the slider's air bearing surface and the disk surface.
Apply a load or force to the slider that is compensated by the bearing force. Thus, the slider is maintained very close to, but not in contact with, the data surface of the disk. The suspension is typically a load beam attached to one end of the actuator arm, and a load beam
A flexure element is provided at the other end of the beam for supporting the slider. The load beam provides an elastic spring action that biases the slider in the direction of the disk surface, and the flexure provides the slider with flexibility when the slider rides on a cushion of air between the air bearing surface and the rotating disk. provide. Such a suspension is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,765. One example of a conventional slider is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,416, assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

One type of composite or laminated structure comprising a base layer, a patterned conductive layer having patterned electrical leads formed thereon, and an insulating layer formed thereon has been disclosed by IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletins. ,
Vol. 22, No. 4 (September 1979), pp. 1602-1603. In this laminated suspension, the slider is glued to the laminated suspension with epoxy and the leads of the transducer are soldered to electrical leads formed on the suspension.

Another laminated structure type suspension comprising a stainless steel base layer, a polyimide insulating layer formed on the base layer, and a copper alloy patterned conductive layer formed on the insulating layer is disclosed in US Pat. Patent No.4996623
No. The etched copper layer electrically connects the lead structure to the thin film magnetic head transducer and the read / write electronics of the disk drive. Slider for data recording disk file stacking / etching
A method of attaching a suspension to a slider is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,699 and IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 36, No. 2, February 1993.

A slider suspension assembly (or "head gimbal assembly" (HG
A)) is an integrated unit composed of a slider electrically and mechanically attached to a suspension. All head gimbal assemblies currently on the market use separate wires to read and write signals from magnetic transducers on the slider (or "head") to the electronics package. These wires terminate to an electronic component card or flex cable integrated with the actuator arm. To do this termination,
Wires are placed on termination pads on a flex cable or electronics package and then electrically connected to the termination pads by a reflow soldering operation or an ultrasonic wire bonding process. Most of the disk drive industry uses a manual termination process in which skilled operators use microscopes and tweezers to individually place wires on termination pads. A disadvantage of this type of manual process is that it is time consuming, tedious, and produces uneven results typical of manual processes.

[0007] IBM uses an automated process of stretching the wires on a frame that aligns and holds the wires for placement on the pads. This eliminates variations due to manual processes. However, there are still variables due to wire tension and tolerances within the frame when attaching the frame to the suspension. Even without such variables, it is necessary to align the frame with the wires on the termination pads of the electronics package or flex cable. Such alignment is necessary because assembly tolerances and component tolerances are added during assembly of the electronics package to the actuator arm, increasing the misalignment of the pad locations. This mismatch, combined with wire position variables, may require the robot performing the electrical termination to make a slight adjustment for each wire pad termination.

[0008]

Accordingly, the head gimbal assembly is electrically connected to the electronics package or flex cable of the actuator arm, eliminating the tolerances introduced by the wire frame and its attachment to the suspension. It would be desirable to provide an improved automated process. In addition, the head
It is desirable to provide an automated process that can easily and accurately align the gimbal assembly leads with the termination pads of the electronics package or flex cable.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a multi-layer suspension having a slider end and a termination end, which is suitable for use in a slider suspension assembly of an information storage system. . The suspension comprises a conductive lead structure having at least one conductor included in a patterned conductive layer formed on one or more layers. The conductive lead structure is suitable for connecting to the transducer lead of the slider at the slider end and to the termination pad of the arm electronics at the termination end. The suspension is further formed from one or more layers, is substantially coplanar with the terminating end of the conductive lead structure, and is bonded to the conductive lead structure layer.
A fixture having one or more retention tabs is also provided. The fixture is suitable for aligning the conductor with the termination pad by rotating the termination end of the conductive lead structure in the plane of the termination end.

[0010] The above and additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described as an embodiment of a magnetic disk storage system as shown in FIG. 1, but the present invention will be described with reference to other information storage systems such as an optical data storage system and a magnetic tape recording system. Obviously, it can be applied to the system. At least one rotatable magnetic disk 212 is supported on a spindle 214 and is rotated by a disk drive motor 218. The magnetic recording medium on each disk is in the form of an annular pattern of concentric data tracks (not shown) on disk 212.

At least one slider 213 is disposed on the disk 212, and each slider 213 supports one or more magnetic read / write heads 221. As the disk rotates, the slider 213 moves radially inward or outward so that the head 221 can access various locations on the disk surface 222 containing data. Each slider 213 is attached to an actuator arm 219 by a suspension 215. Suspension 215 provides a slight spring force that biases slider 213 and presses against disk surface 222. Each actuator arm 219 is
It is attached to the actuator means 227. The actuator means shown in FIG. 1 is a voice coil motor (VCM). A VCM is a coil that can move in a fixed magnetic field, and the direction and speed of coil operation are controlled by the supplied current.

During operation of the disk storage system, rotation of disk 212 causes slider 213 and disk surface 2 to rotate.
An air bearing occurs between the air bearing 22 and the air bearing 22. Thus, the air bearing balances the slight spring force of the suspension 215 and supports the slider 213 away from the disk surface at substantially constant small intervals during operation. Although the preferred embodiment describes an air bearing, any fluid bearing, including lubricating oil, may be used.

During operation, the various components of the disk storage system are controlled by signals generated by a control (read / write electronics) unit 229 including logic control circuits, storage means and a microprocessor, such as access control signals and internal clock signals. Is done. Control unit 229
Generates control signals for controlling the operation of various systems, such as a motor control signal on line 223 and a head position control signal on line 228. The control signal on line 228 provides the desired current profile to optimally move and position the selected slider 213 to the desired data track on the associated disk 212. The read / write signal is transmitted to the suspension 215 and the actuator
A read / write head 221 is communicated with the read / write head 221 by a recording channel 225 that includes a conductor extending along the arm 219.

The above description of a typical magnetic disk storage system and the related illustration of FIG. 1 are for illustration only. The invention described in this application is useful for any mechanical configuration of a disk drive or direct access storage device ("DASD") in a magnetic storage system. Obviously, a disk storage system can accommodate a large number of disks and actuators, and each actuator can support several sliders. For example, FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the disk drive 310. Although a rotary actuator is shown, it should be noted that the invention described in this application is also applicable to linear actuators. Disk drive 310 includes a housing 312 and a housing cover 314,
It is mounted in frame 316 after assembly. An actuator arm assembly 320 is rotatably mounted on the actuator shaft 318 within the housing 312. One end of the actuator arm assembly 320 includes an E-block or comb structure 322 having a plurality of actuator arms 323. Separate arm 3 on comb or E-block 322
The spring type suspension 324 is attached to 23. A slider 326 carrying a magnetic transducer (not shown in FIG. 2) is attached to the end of each spring type suspension. Spring-type suspension 324 and slider 3 of actuator arm assembly 320
At the other end opposite 26 is a voice coil 328.

In the housing 312, a pair of magnets 33 is provided.
0 is attached. A pair of magnet 330 and voice coil 328 are coupled to actuator assembly 32
0 to the actuator shaft 318
This is an important part of the voice coil motor that rotates around. Also mounted within housing 312 is a spindle shaft 332. Several disks 334 are rotatably mounted on a spindle shaft 332. In FIG. 2, eight disks are mounted on a spindle shaft 332. The disks 334 are mounted on the spindle shaft 332 at intervals.

See FIG. 3 for an example of a prior art subassembly. Prior art suspensions are
It comprises a load beam 100 and a flexure 120 located at the end of the load beam 100.
The suspension is mounted on a disk file actuator arm (not shown) by a mounting plate 140.
Attached to. The slider 160 is made of alumina (Al
_This is a conventional slider formed of a ceramic material such as ₂ O ₃ ) or titanium carbide (TiC). Slider 160
Includes an air bearing surface 180 including two rails 120, 122, a back side 124 generally opposite the air bearing surface 180, and an air bearing surface 180.
And a leading edge 125 and a trailing edge 126 that together form a generally vertically oriented end surface on the back side 124. The slider 160 is fixed to the flexure 120 by an epoxy adhesive between the back side 124 and the flexure 120.

On the trailing edge 126 of the slider 160, two thin film read / write transducers 128, 130 are arranged. Usually, only one transducer operates as a read / write element, but a plurality of thin film transducers are formed on one slider in order to improve the yield of the slider in the thin film manufacturing process. The converters 128 and 130 are respectively
It has chips 129, 131, which
0, 122 extending towards the edge. To connect to the read / write electronics of the disk drive, the converter 128
The converter 130 has electrical leads 133, 135 and the converter 130 has electrical leads 137, 139.

In the prior art suspension illustrated in FIG. 3, the electrical connection to the read / write electronics extends from the read / write electronics of the magnetic recording system and extends the load beam 1.
This is done by a stranded wire 134, exiting the end of the tube 136 through the tube 136 on the top. The ends of the wires 134 are ultrasonically bonded to the leads 133, 135 of the active transducer 128. Converter 128 with stranded wire 134
Electrical connections are made by manual manufacturing.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a suspension according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. Suspension 16 is a laminated suspension comprising multiple layers of material etched using photolithographic techniques well known in the industry to produce the suspension.
The suspension 16 includes a base layer, preferably made of stainless steel, an insulating layer, preferably made of polyimide, and a patterned conductive layer, preferably made of a copper alloy. This multilayer suspension is formed by laminating three very thin sheets of different materials. In this multilayer sheet, two metal layers are formed on both sides of a polyimide insulating layer, and are processed using a photolithography technique. 3
The layers are also etched to form the outline of the suspension 16. Both sides of the suspension are etched to remove layers of stainless steel, polyimide and copper at desired sections to create various features of the suspension. In particular, to electrically connect the lead of the transducer of the slider to the termination pad disposed on the actuator arm, a layer of copper is etched to provide a conductive lead including the transmission line and the termination pad. Generate a line structure. Alternatively, suspension 16 may be comprised of an etched flex cable adhered to a sturdy substrate.

The suspension 16 starting at the slider end 17 is suitable for connecting to the termination pad of the transducer conductive lead of the mounted slider 27. The conductive lead structure 13 is composed of four conductors extending from the slider 27 to the test pad 14 located at the termination end 18. The conductive lead structure is etched into the copper patterned conductive layer of the suspension 16.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a suspension actuator having a manipulator according to the present invention is provided.
An arm assembly is depicted. Suspension 1
6 is spot welded or epoxy bonded to the actuator arm 15. As can be seen in the enlarged view 5A, the conductor 7 transmits the transducer signal from the transducer lead on the head to the termination pad 6 of the arm electronics located on the actuator arm 15, from which the signal is stored. To the read / write electronic device, or processed by the read / write electronic device.

The conductive lead structure 13 extends beyond the slider end 17 of the suspension 16 toward the termination end 18, so that the conductive lead structure 13 has only two layers, a polyimide layer and an etched copper layer. Formed from
The substrate is removed or not formed at all in that area. Thus, the conductive lead structure 13 extends in the direction of the termination end 18 as a single flexible cable of four conductors 7 formed on top of the insulating polyimide layer, as can be seen in the enlarged view 5A. . However, near the termination end 18, the strain relief tab 3 is removed from the stainless steel substrate.
Are formed. The insulating layer below the conductive lead structure 13 ends in the direction of the termination end 18 immediately after the strain relief tab 3,
This allows the conductor 7 to extend in the direction of the hook 4 as a single copper wire. The conductor 7 connects to the hook 4 on a copper test pad 14, as can be seen in the enlarged view 5B.
The wires 7 are fixed and spaced along the hooks 4,
This allows direct alignment on each termination pad 6. Since both termination pads and conductors are manufactured by a photolithographic process, the tolerance of the termination pads and conductor spacing is on the order of one to two microns.

The present invention is a fixture attached to the conductive lead structure 13 to enable accurate and efficient positioning of all conductors 7 with respect to the termination pads 6,
In this specification, it is called a manipulator. Manipulator 1
Includes a flexible retention tab 2, a retention tab 23, and a hook 4. The fixture is connected to the conductive lead structure 13 by a flexible retention tab 2 and, in the case of the strain relief tab 3, by a retention tab 23. The hook 4 is connected to each conductor 7. The manipulator 1 also has a reference hole 5 through which the operator or robot can rotate the manipulator 1 in the plane of the conductive lead structure 13 to align the conductor 7 with the termination pad 6.

Multi-layer laminated suspensions are generally flat flexible sheets of material with patterned metal layers on both sides or multi-layered composites formed by evaporation, and the features of the suspension are photolithography and etching techniques. Formed by In a preferred embodiment, the manipulator 1 is designed into the suspension and manufactured with no additional cost, with the remaining layers of the laminated suspension. In a preferred embodiment, the manipulator 1 is formed from all three layers. As shown in FIG. 4, this first involves a stainless steel base layer 19 that provides support and rigidity to the manipulator structure.
And a polyimide insulating layer formed on the top of the stainless steel layer and an etched copper conductive layer 21 including a conductive wire formed on the top of the insulating layer. Therefore, the manipulator 1 is provided with a single multilayer laminated suspension 16.
And the suspension also includes a conductive lead structure 13. The conductive layer 21 covers most of the main body of the manipulator 1, but does not extend to the hook 4. This is necessary to electrically isolate the test pads 14 from each other. It should be noted that a layer of polyimide is not a necessary component of the structure of the present invention and can therefore be omitted in alternative embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the conductive layer 21 is
9 and is connected to the conductive lead structure 13 at three points. First, conductive layer 21 extends outward at retention tab 23 and connects to strain relief tab 3. As can be seen in FIG. 5A, there is a small channel below the retention tab 23,
There, the stainless steel base layer 19 is etched away or not formed at all. Therefore,
The strain relief tab and the base layer 19 are not directly connected. However, both the base layer 19 and the strain relief tab 3 are partially adhered by a section of the conductive layer 21 formed on the top. In the figure, the edge of the stainless steel layer appears as a dashed line below the retention tab 23. The conductive layer 21 is formed at one end of the strain relief tab 3, but is not connected to the conductor 7 or to the underlying polyimide layer with the conductive lead structure 13.

Similarly, the flexible retention tab 2 is an extension of the copper conductive layer 21 extending beyond the stainless steel base layer 19 and the second and third connection points to the conductive lead structure 13. To form The flexible retention tab 2 is bonded to a small section of the insulating polyimide layer of the conductive lead structure 13 or a small extension of the support base layer that extends outwardly to the termination end 18. These small sections are visible in the figure at attachment points 30 and 32. The dashed line indicates the hidden edge of the stainless steel layer hidden under the tip of the retention tab 2. Also, under the flexible retention tab 2 or the conductive layer 21.
A thin layer of polyimide can be formed beneath the whole, or both, to provide additional support to the manipulator structure. Further, the hook 4 is connected to each conductor 7. Although the preferred embodiment manipulator has been described as having retention tabs 2, 23, the design of the manipulator of the present invention allows for more or fewer retention tabs connecting the manipulator to the conductive lead structure. Please understand what you can do. Furthermore, the manipulator mount, in its simplest form, may simply be an extension hook arm 4 with each conductor forming part of the conductive lead structure as the only contact with the conductive lead structure. Thus, in the present invention, the term "stay tab" is intended to include a hook arm, such as hook arm 4, as an anchor point for connection to a conductive lead structure.

During manufacture of a disk drive, the manipulator of the present invention greatly facilitates the assembly of the actuator arm to the suspension, especially when aligning the conductor 7 with the termination pad 6. Since the conductive lead structure is integrated, four conductors can be aligned at the same time, so only one alignment procedure is required instead of the four alignment procedure required when four wires are disjointed. And not. This one-time alignment can be performed manually or by a robot by operating the manipulator 1. In addition, by adding hooks that extend out of the fixture and are connected to the ends of each conductor, the conductors are maintained at a fixed spacing that closely matches the spacing of the termination pads, aligning four conductors simultaneously. Work becomes easier.

To begin assembly, the suspension 16 is attached to the actuator arm 15 by swaged rivets, machine screws, laser welding, or epoxy bonding. This may be performed before attaching the slider to the suspension or afterwards. The conductive lead structure 13 and the manipulator 1 extend beyond the body of the suspension 16 along the edge of the actuator arm 15. The conductive lead structure 13 and the manipulator 1 have not yet been attached to the actuator arm 15. The section of the conductive lead wire structure 13 located near the termination pad 18 is mainly composed of a thin layer of copper alloy and a thin layer of polyimide, so that the section is extremely flexible, and the conductive area near the termination end 18 is electrically conductive. It can rotate in the plane of the lead structure 13 or at right angles thereto. Most of the rotation or yawing movements are dashed circles 20
Slider end 17 of flexible retention tab 2, outlined by
And an area at the termination end 18 of the body of the suspension 16.

By applying a tool or robot end effector to the reference hole 5 of the manipulator 1, a rotational moment is given to the manipulator. The manipulator 1 is rotated about an axis passing through the center of the circular reference hole 5, and the manipulator 1 and the terminal end 18 of the conductive lead structure 13 are moved in the plane of the conductive lead structure 13 (that is, FIG.
Clockwise (CW) or counterclockwise (CC
W), a rotational moment is generated. When a rotational moment is applied, the hook arms 4, the flexible retention tabs 2 and the retention tabs 23 torque the termination end 18, thereby causing the conductive lead structure 13 to rotate. The conductor 7 moves until it is correctly aligned on the termination pad 6 on the actuator arm 15.

Due to this rotational moment, the flexible retaining tabs 2 buckle alternately according to the direction of rotation. Since the flexible retention tabs 2 are formed from a relatively thin conductive layer 21 (and possibly a layer of polyimide below), the rotational moment pulls one flexible retention tab and the other flexible retention tab. The sex retention tab is compressed. Because of its flexibility,
The compressed flexible retention tab buckles, and the pulled flexible retention tab resists any deformation. As one flexible retention tab buckles and the other resists, a small amount of angular displacement between them is possible, and thus rotation and torque can be transmitted to the conductive lead structure 13. The torque is transmitted to the conductive lead structure 13 via the hook arm 4 and the retaining tab 23. Hook arm 4
And when torque is transmitted at both ends of the conductor 7 via the retention tab 23, the wire 7 is isolated from the resistance force that distort the conductor 7. One source of resistance arises from the area outlined by the dashed circle 20 when the conductive lead structure 13 is deflected by rotational or yaw motion. Another source of resistance is the conductor 7 moving in contact with the termination pad 6.
Which generates frictional drag.

An additional advantage of the flexible retention tab 2 is that it has limited freedom for alignment. The flexible retention tab 2 provides a rotational movement about an axis between approximately two flexible retention tabs in the plane of the manipulator 1 while limiting lateral translation of the conductive lead structure 13. provide.
This simplifies the alignment procedure. This is because, if the degree of freedom of translation is allowed, more skill is required on the part of the operator, or more stringent requirements on the robot are required. Once the wires 7 are aligned over the termination pads 6, they are terminated (ie, electrically connected) in a reflow soldering operation or an ultrasonic wire bonding process.

According to another feature of the invention, the manipulator 1 can be removed from the conductive lead structure 13 and discarded after successful termination of the conductor to the termination pad. The layers of the flexible retention tab 2 have minimal overlap with the base layer (or insulating layer) at connection points 30 and 32 on the conductive lead structure 13. Similarly, the overlap between the retention tab 23 and the substrate with the strain relief tab 3 is also minimal. Therefore, a small interface between copper and stainless steel acts as an end point of the manipulator 1. These anchor points strongly resist in-plane forces such as those encountered during rotation and alignment procedures. However, when the force is out of the plane of the manipulator, the conductive layer of copper tends to peel off the stainless steel base layer because the interface between the layers is small. Alternatively, the retention tab may be split in half or cut along the thinned area.

After removing the flexible retention tabs 2 and 23, the manipulator 1 continues to rotate out of the plane of the conductive lead structure. (As you can see from the enlarged view B)
The wire 4 breaks at the small notch 12 etched into the wire 7 resulting in a defined weak area and the hook 4 is moved relative to the wire 7 until the wire is away from the anchoring point on the hook 4. And keep rotating at right angles. Breakage of the conductor 7 at the notch 12 is further promoted by the inner edge of the hook 4 etched at an angle from the vertical so as to have a sharp knife-like edge. As the hook 4 is rotated, the knife-like edge cuts into the conductor 7 at the notch 12 to promote breakage, and the termination end is damaged by removal of the manipulator, for example by lifting the conductor from the termination pad. Opportunities are reduced.

The manipulator is discarded after being removed from the conductive lead structure and the laminated suspension. At this point, the strain relief tab 3 can be secured to the actuator arm so that undesired forces are not transmitted to the termination joint by deformation of the conductive lead structure. This tab is attached to the actuator arm by a spot of adhesive. This frees the soldered connection from stresses and tensions that may be transmitted along the laminated suspension after assembly.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a preferred alternative embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The termination pads of the arm electronics are connected to the suspension 16 and the actuator
Surface 1 perpendicular to the plane of arm 15 (off the plane in the figure)
There are also actuator arm designs that must be mounted on one. In these designs, the conductors 7 must be folded under the plane of the suspension 16 to be aligned with the termination pads 6 (indicated by dashed lines because they are not visible in the figure). This fold is performed in the bending area 9 by folding the conductive lead structure 13 along the fold line AA. This fold is performed in a stainless steel cutout area 10 that provides a weak area that selectively bends at fold line AA. The conductor of the conductive lead structure in this area of the bending area 9 traverses the bending area 9 perpendicular to the bending axis AA. This reduces the risk of breaking the conductor. Also, if the conductive lead structure 13 is formed of a stainless steel base layer, the stainless steel running under the fold line A-A is removed so that the conductor has a natural bending radius around the fold line. be able to.

After completing the termination, the conductive lead structure 13
A tacking point 8 formed in stainless steel is also included to provide additional fixation of the. With this design, the adhesive can be dripped through the hole at the center of these tacking points 8 and tacked. The temporary attachment point 8 can be attached using spot welding.

After folding the manipulator into the correct plane, in this case the surface 11, the conductor 7 is terminated by rotating the conductive lead structure 13 in the same plane as the termination end 18 using the manipulator 1. Align with pad 6.
Here, the termination end 18 is a surface 1 perpendicular to the plane of the drawing.
Note that they are in one plane. Next, alignment is performed in the same manner as described with reference to FIG. The end effector of the tool or the robot is applied to the reference hole 5 to give a rotational moment. When the conductor 7 is fixed to the hook 4, it can be operated with a rotational moment until the conductor is aligned with the termination pad 6. After termination is complete, the flexible retention tab 2 is peeled from the stainless steel base layer of the conductive lead structure 13 and the conductor 7 and the manipulator 1 is rotated out of the plane of the termination end 18 from the hook 4. Disconnect. The strain relief tab 3 can be secured to the actuator arm to further support the conductive lead structure.

The present invention provides a manipulator manufactured as part of a stacked suspension for use in a disk drive system. This manipulator serves the purpose of aligning the conductors that communicate with the transducer of the slider with the termination cable on the flex cable or arm electronics package attached to the actuator arm. The manipulator allows these wires to be aligned and terminated simultaneously. By manufacturing the conductive lead structure and fixture as part of a laminated suspension using photolithographic techniques, the conductors can be positioned with tight tolerances to each other. In addition, this spacing is strictly repeated for subsequently produced laminated suspensions. Further, the manipulator limits the degrees of freedom to mere rotation, and thus limits the skill or robot complexity required of the operator to perform the termination. After performing the alignment and termination procedures, the manipulator is easily removed and discarded without the need for special tools.

Although the present invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. .

In summary, the following matters are disclosed regarding the configuration of the present invention.

(1) A multilayer suspension having a slider end and a termination end suitable for use in a slider suspension assembly for an information storage system, formed on one or more layers. Suitable for connecting at a slider end to a transducer lead of the slider and at a terminating end to a terminating pad of the arm electronics. A conductive lead structure and one or more retention tabs formed from one or more layers, substantially in the same plane as the terminated end of the conductive lead structure, and attached to the conductive lead structure. And a fixture suitable for aligning the conductor with the termination pad by rotating the termination end of the conductive lead structure in the plane of the termination end. (2) The multi-layer suspension according to (1), wherein the retaining tab is detachable from the conductive lead structure so that the fixture is detachably attached to the conductive lead structure. (3) The multilayer suspension according to the above (1), wherein the retention tab can be removed from the conductive lead structure by peeling at least one layer of the retention tab from the layer of the conductive lead structure. (4) The multilayer suspension according to (1), wherein the retention tab can be removed from the conductive lead structure by splitting or cutting the tab in half along the area having a reduced cross-sectional area. (5) At least one retention tab is located near the termination end.
The multilayer suspension according to (1), wherein the suspension is a flexible retention tab formed of one or more layers. (6) The retaining tab according to (5), wherein the retaining tab has a small cross-sectional area and the retaining tab easily buckles when a rotational force is applied to the fixture in a plane of the termination end. Multi-layer suspension. (7) If a clockwise rotation force is applied to the fixture,
If the first tab is buckled and the second tab is pulled and a counterclockwise rotational force is applied to the fixture, the two retention tabs are pulled so that the first tab is pulled and the second tab is buckled. The multi-layer suspension according to the above (5), characterized in that: (8) the fixture includes a hook arm extending at a terminating end along an end of the conductive lead structure, the hook arm being removably attached to an end of each conductor, and further comprising: The multi-layer suspension according to (1), wherein the suspension is fixed and connected to the hook arm at an interval. (9) The hook arm is fixed to the hook arm,
The multi-layer suspension of (8) above, having test pads for each conductor spaced along the length of the hook arm, each test pad being electrically connected to the conductor. . (10) The conductive lead structure has a bending region that can be bent along a bending axis, and the conductive wire runs on the conductive lead structure so as to cross the bending region substantially perpendicular to the bending axis. The multilayer suspension according to the above (1), which is characterized in that: (11) The multilayer suspension according to (10), wherein the thickness of the bending region is reduced. (12) The multilayer suspension according to the above (1), wherein the attachment includes a hole suitable for operation by an end effector of the robot. (13) The multilayer suspension according to the above (1), wherein the conductive lead wire structure comprises a base layer, an insulating layer, and a conductive layer with a pattern. (14) The multilayer suspension according to (13), wherein the base layer is stainless steel, the insulating layer is polyimide, and the patterned conductive layer is copper. (15) An actuator arm assembly for an information storage system, the actuator arm having a termination pad of the arm electronics, and an actuator arm mechanically attached to the actuator arm, the termination arm and the slider end being provided. A multi-layer suspension having at least one conductor formed as part of the suspension and included in a patterned conductive layer formed on one or more layers, and having one end connected to a lead of the slider Formed from one or more layers, the conductive lead structure being electrically attached to the actuator arm on the terminating end and the conductor terminated to the terminating pad of the arm electronics. Has one or more retention tabs that lie in substantially the same plane as the terminated end of the conductive lead structure and are attached to the conductive lead structure. A fixture suitable for aligning the conductor with the termination pad by rotating the termination end of the conductive lead structure in the plane of the termination end during the termination process. Arm assembly. (16) The actuator arm assembly according to (15), wherein the retention tab is detachable from the conductive lead structure so that the fixture is removably attached to the conductive lead structure. (17) The above (15), wherein the retention tab can be removed from the conductive lead structure by peeling off at least one layer of the retention tab from the layer of the conductive lead structure.
An actuator arm assembly according to claim 1. (18) The retention tab can be detached from the conductive lead structure by splitting or cutting the tab in half along the area having a reduced cross-sectional area.
The actuator arm assembly according to 5). (19) The actuator arm according to (15), wherein the at least one retention tab is a flexible retention tab formed from one or more layers near a termination end. ·assembly. (20) The retaining tab according to (19), wherein the retaining tab has a small cross-sectional area and the retaining tab easily buckles when a rotational force is applied to the fixture in the plane of the termination end. Actuator arm assembly. (21) When a clockwise rotational force is applied to the fixture, the first tab buckles and the second tab is pulled, and when a counterclockwise rotational force is applied to the fixture, the first tab is disengaged. (19) wherein the two retaining tabs are spaced so that the second tab is buckled by being pulled.
An actuator arm assembly according to claim 1. (22) The fixture includes a hook arm extending along an end of the conductive lead structure at a terminating end, the hook arm being removably attached to an end of each conductor, and further comprising: The actuator arm assembly according to (15), wherein the actuator arm assembly is fixed and connected to the hook arm at an interval. (23) The hook arm is fixed to the hook arm and has test pads for each conductor spaced along the length of the hook arm, each test pad being electrically connected to the conductor. The actuator arm assembly according to the above (22), wherein: (24) The conductive lead structure has a bending region that can be bent along a bending axis, and the conductive wire runs on the conductive lead structure so as to cross the bending region substantially perpendicular to the bending axis. The actuator arm assembly according to the above (15), which is characterized in that: (25) The actuator arm according to (24), wherein the thickness of the bending area is reduced.
assembly. (26) The above (1), wherein the attachment includes a hole suitable for operation by an end effector of the robot.
The actuator arm assembly according to 5). (27) The above (1), wherein the conductive lead wire structure comprises a base layer, an insulating layer, and a patterned conductive layer.
The actuator arm assembly according to 5). (28) The actuator arm assembly according to (27), wherein the base layer is stainless steel, the insulating layer is polyimide, and the patterned conductive layer is copper. (29) A storage medium having a plurality of tracks for storing data, a read / write converter formed therein, a slider having an electric lead wire terminated by a termination pad, and termination of arm electronics. An actuator arm having a pad; and a mechanically attached to the actuator arm, having a terminating end and a slider end, wherein the storage medium is moved during relative movement between the transducer and the storage medium. Maintaining the transducer in a close and spaced apart position,
A multi-layer suspension, the suspension further comprising a terminated end, at least one conductor included in a patterned conductive layer formed on one or more layers, and a slider at one end. One or more conductive lead structures electrically connected to the transducer leads of the arm, the other end electrically connected to the actuator arm, and the conductors terminated to termination pads of the arm electronics. And is in the same plane as the terminated end of the conductive lead structure and is attached to the conductive lead structure.
A fixture having one or more termination tabs and adapted to align the conductor with the termination pad by rotating the termination end of the conductive lead structure in the plane of the termination end; and Actuator means coupled to the arm for moving the transducer to a selected track on the storage medium; and actuator means coupled to the termination pad for representing data bits recorded on the information storage medium and transmitted by the transducer. Means for reading a signal from the information storage system. (30) The information storage system of (29), wherein the retention tab is removable from the conductive lead structure such that the mounting fixture is removably attached to the conductive lead structure. (31) The above (29), wherein the retaining tab is detachable from the conductive lead structure by peeling off at least one layer of the retaining tab from the layer of the conductive lead structure.
An information storage system according to item 1. (32) The information storage system according to (29), wherein at least one of the retention tabs is a flexible retention tab formed from one or more layers near a termination end. . (33) When a clockwise rotation force is applied to the fixture, the first tab buckles and the second tab is pulled, and when a counterclockwise rotation force is applied to the fixture, the first tab is pulled. (32) The information storage system according to (32), wherein the two retention tabs are spaced from each other so that the second tab is buckled. (34) The fixture includes a hook arm extending along an end of the conductive lead structure at a terminating end, the hook arm being removably attached to an end of each conductor, and further comprising: The information storage system according to (29), wherein the information storage system is fixed and connected to the hook arm at an interval. (35) The conductive lead structure has a bending area that can be bent along a bending axis, and the conductive wire runs on the conductive lead structure so as to cross the bending area substantially perpendicular to the bending axis. The information storage system according to the above (29), which is characterized in that: (36) The above-mentioned (2), wherein the fitting includes a hole suitable for operation by an end effector of the robot.
An information storage system according to 9). (37) To write data bits to a storage medium,
The information storage system of claim 29, wherein the coupled means provides a signal to the transducer. (38) The information storage system according to the above (29), wherein the coupled means receives a signal from a converter representing a data bit recorded on the information storage medium. (39) The information storage system according to (29), wherein the information storage system is an optical data storage system, and the converter is an optical converter. (40) The information storage system according to (29), wherein the suspension is a multilayered suspension. (41) The method according to (2), wherein the converter is a magnetic converter and the information storage system is a magnetic storage system.
An information storage system according to 9). (42) The information storage system according to (41), wherein the magnetic transducer is an inductive transducer. (43) The converter is an MR head,
The information storage system according to (41). (44) coupled means wherein the resistance of the magnetoresistive material in the transducer changes in response to a magnetic field representing data bits recorded on the information storage medium and interrupted by the layer of magnetoresistive material; (41), characterized in that:
An information storage system according to item 1. (45) attaching the multi-layer suspension to the actuator arm and conducting leads in the plane of the terminating end until the conducting lead structure is properly placed on the terminating pad located on the actuator arm; Manipulating a fixture attached to the structure to align a terminating end of a conductive lead structure extending from the suspension, terminating a conductor to a termination pad, and removing the fixture from the conductive lead structure. Removing the actuator arm assembly. (46) The fixture has one or more retention tabs affixed to the conductive lead structure layer, and the removing step removes at least one layer of the retention tab from the conductive lead structure layer. The method according to the above (45), comprising: (47) The method according to (46), wherein the at least one retention tab is a flexible retention tab formed from one or more layers near the termination end. (48) When a clockwise rotation force is applied to the fixture, the first tab buckles and the second tab is pulled, and when a counterclockwise rotation force is applied to the fixture, the first tab is disengaged. (47) wherein the two retention tabs are spaced so that the second tab is buckled by being pulled.
The method described in. (49) The fitting includes a hook arm extending at a terminating end along an end of the conductive lead structure, the hook arm being removably attached to an end of each conductor, and further comprising: The method according to (45), characterized in that the hook arm is fixedly connected to the hook arm.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a magnetic disk storage system.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the disk drive.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a conventional slider suspension assembly.

FIG. 4 illustrates a suspension according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an actuator arm suspension assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an actuator arm assembly according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Manipulator 2 Flexible retention tab 3 Strain removal tab 4 Hook 5 Reference hole 6 Termination pad 7 Conductor 8 Temporary attachment point 9 Bending area 10 Notch area 11 Surface 12 Notch 13 Conductive lead wire structure 14 Test pad 15 Actuator Arm 16 Suspension 17 Slider end 18 Termination end 19 Base layer 20 Circle 21 Conductive layer 23 Retention tab 27 Slider 30 Connection point 32 Connection point 100 Load beam 120 Flexure / rail 122 Rail 124 Back side 125 Front edge 126 Trailing edge 128 Conversion Instrument 129 Pole tip 130 Transducer 131 Pole tip 133 Lead wire 134 Twist wire 135 Lead wire 136 Tube 137 Lead wire 139 Lead wire 140 Mounting plate 160 Slider 180 Air bearing surface 212 Magnetic Disk 213 Slider 214 Spindle 215 Suspension 218 Disk Drive Motor 219 Actuator Arm 221 Read / Write Head 222 Disk Surface 225 Recording Channel 227 Actuator Means 228 Line 229 Control Unit 310 Disk Drive 312 Housing 314 Housing Cover 316 Frame 318 Actuator Shaft 320 Actuator arm assembly 322 E-block 323 Actuator arm 324 Spring type suspension 326 Slider 328 Voice coil 330 Magnet 332 Spindle shaft 334 Disk

Claims (49)

[Claims] 1. A multi-layer suspension having a slider end and a terminated end suitable for use in a slider suspension assembly for an information storage system, formed on one or more layers. Suitable for connecting at a slider end to a transducer lead of the slider and at a terminating end to a terminating pad of the arm electronics. A conductive lead structure; and one or more termination tabs formed from one or more layers, substantially in the same plane as the terminated end of the conductive lead structure, and attached to the conductive lead structure. And a fixture adapted to align the conductor with the termination pad by rotating the termination end of the conductive lead structure in the plane of the termination end. 2. The multi-layer suspension of claim 1, wherein the retention tab is removable from the conductive lead structure such that the mounting fixture is removably attached to the conductive lead structure. 3. The retention tab is detachable from the conductive lead structure by peeling off at least one layer of the retention tab from the layer of the conductive lead structure.
2. The multilayer suspension according to claim 1. 4. The multi-layer suspension of claim 1, wherein the retention tab is detachable from the conductive lead structure by splitting or cutting the tab in half along the area of reduced cross-section. . 5. The multi-layer suspension of claim 1, wherein the at least one retention tab is a flexible retention tab formed from one or more layers near a termination end. . 6. The retention tab of claim 5, wherein the retention tab has a small cross-sectional area and the retention tab is easily buckled when a rotational force is applied to the fixture in the plane of the termination end. Multilayer suspension. 7. A clockwise rotational force is applied to the fixture, the first tab buckles and the second tab is pulled, and if a counterclockwise rotational force is applied to the fixture, the first tab is buckled. The multi-layer suspension of claim 5, wherein the two retention tabs are spaced such that the tabs are pulled and the second tab buckles. 8. A mounting device comprising a hook arm extending at a terminating end along an end of a conductive lead structure.
An arm is removably attached to the end of each lead,
The multi-layer suspension of claim 1, wherein each conductor is further connected to a fixedly spaced hook arm. 9. A hook arm fixed to the hook arm and having test pads for each wire spaced along the length of the hook arm, each test pad being electrically connected to the wire. 9. The multi-layer suspension according to claim 8, wherein the multi-layer suspension is used. 10. A conductive lead structure having a bend region that can be bent along a bend axis, and wherein the conductor runs across the bend region on the conductive lead structure substantially perpendicular to the bend axis. The multilayer suspension according to claim 1, wherein: 11. The multi-layer suspension according to claim 10, wherein the thickness of the bending region is reduced. 12. The multi-layer suspension of claim 1, wherein the mounting includes holes suitable for operation by a robot end effector. 13. The multilayer suspension of claim 1, wherein the conductive lead structure comprises a base layer, an insulating layer, and a patterned conductive layer. 14. The base layer is made of stainless steel, the insulating layer is made of polyimide, and the patterned conductive layer is made of copper.
A multilayer suspension according to claim 13. 15. An actuator for an information storage system.
An actuator assembly having a termination pad for an arm electronics.
An arm, a multi-layer suspension mechanically attached to the actuator arm and having a terminating end and a slider end; and a patterned conductive material formed as part of the suspension and formed on one or more layers. Suitable for connecting at one end to a lead of a slider, electrically attached to an actuator arm on a terminating end, wherein the conductor is terminated to the arm electronics A conductive lead structure terminated to a pad; and one or more layers formed from one or more layers, substantially in the same plane as the terminated end of the conductive lead structure, and attached to the conductive lead structure. Having a plurality of termination tabs to align the leads to the termination pads during the termination process by rotating the termination ends of the conductive lead structures in the plane of the termination ends. Actuator arm assembly and a fixture that suitable. 16. The actuator arm assembly according to claim 15, wherein the retention tab is removable from the conductive lead structure such that the fixture is removably attached to the conductive lead structure. 17. The actuator arm assembly according to claim 15, wherein the retention tab is removable from the conductive lead structure by peeling at least one layer of the retention tab from the layer of the conductive lead structure. . 18. The actuator of claim 15 wherein the retention tab is removable from the conductive lead structure by splitting or cutting the tab in half along the area of reduced cross-section. Arm assembly. 19. The actuator of claim 15, wherein the at least one retention tab is a flexible retention tab formed from one or more layers near the terminating end. Arm assembly. 20. The fastening tab according to claim 19, wherein the fastening tab has a small cross-sectional area, and the fastening tab easily buckles when a rotational force is applied to the fixture in the plane of the termination end. Actuator arm assembly. 21. When a clockwise rotation force is applied to the fixture, the first tab buckles and the second tab is pulled, and when a counterclockwise rotation force is applied to the fixture, the first tab is buckled. The two retention tabs are spaced apart such that the tabs are pulled and the second tab buckles.
10. The actuator arm assembly according to claim 9. 22. A fixture comprising a hook arm extending at a terminating end along an end of a conductive lead structure, wherein the hook arm is removably attached to an end of each conductor, and further comprises a conductor. 16. The actuator arm assembly of claim 15, wherein the actuator arm is fixedly connected to the hook arm at a distance. 23. A hook arm fixed to the hook arm and having test pads for each wire spaced along the length of the hook arm, each test pad being electrically connected to the wire. 23. The actuator arm assembly according to claim 22, wherein 24. A conductive lead structure having a bend region that can be bent along a bend axis, and wherein a conductor runs across the bend region on the conductive lead structure substantially perpendicular to the bend axis. The actuator arm assembly according to claim 15, wherein: 25. The actuator arm assembly according to claim 24, wherein the bending region has a reduced thickness. 26. The actuator arm assembly according to claim 15, wherein the fixture includes a hole suitable for operation by a robot end effector. 27. The actuator arm assembly according to claim 15, wherein the conductive lead structure comprises a base layer, an insulating layer, and a patterned conductive layer. 28. The method according to claim 28, wherein the base layer is stainless steel, the insulating layer is polyimide, and the patterned conductive layer is copper.
The actuator arm assembly according to claim 27. 29. A slider comprising: a storage medium having a plurality of tracks for storing data; a read / write transducer formed therein; and an electrical lead terminated by a termination pad; Actuator with termination pad
An arm, mechanically attached to the actuator arm, having a terminating end and a slider end, wherein the arm moves closely relative to the storage medium while relatively moving between the transducer and the storage medium. A multi-layer suspension that maintains the transducer at spaced locations, the suspension further comprising a terminating end, at least one of the patterned conductive layers formed on one or more layers. One end, electrically connected to the transducer lead of the slider at one end, and electrically connected to the actuator arm at the other end, the conductor being terminated to a termination pad of the arm electronics. A conductive lead structure, and one or more termination tags formed from one or more layers, substantially in the same plane as the terminated end of the conductive lead structure, and attached to the conductive lead structure. A fitting suitable for aligning the conductor with the termination pad by rotating the termination end of the conductive lead structure in the plane of the termination end; and a fixture coupled to the actuator arm. Actuator means for moving the transducer to a selected track on the storage medium, and means for reading a signal coupled to the termination pad and representing data bits recorded on the information storage medium and transmitted by the transducer. And an information storage system. 30. The information storage system of claim 29, wherein the retention tab is removable from the conductive lead structure such that the fixture is removably attached to the conductive lead structure. 31. The information storage system of claim 29, wherein the retention tab is removable from the conductive lead structure by peeling at least one layer of the retention tab from the layer of the conductive lead structure. 32. The information storage of claim 29, wherein the at least one retention tab is a flexible retention tab formed from one or more layers near the termination end. system. 33. When a clockwise rotation force is applied to the fixture, the first tab buckles and the second tab is pulled, and when a counterclockwise rotation force is applied to the fixture, the first tab is buckled. 33. The two retention tabs are spaced apart such that the first tab is pulled and the second tab buckles.
An information storage system according to item 1. 34. A fixture comprising a hook arm extending at a terminating end along an end of the conductive lead structure, wherein the hook arm is removably attached to an end of each conductor, and further comprises a conductor. 30. The information storage system according to claim 29, wherein the is connected to the hook arm at a fixed distance. 35. A conductive lead structure having a bend region that can be bent along a bend axis, and wherein the conductor runs across the bend region on the conductive lead structure substantially perpendicular to the bend axis. 30. The information storage system according to claim 29, wherein: 36. The information storage system according to claim 29, wherein the fixture includes a hole suitable for operation by an end effector of the robot. 37. The information storage system of claim 29, wherein the coupled means provides a signal to the converter for writing data bits to the storage medium. 38. The information storage system according to claim 29, wherein the coupled means receives a signal from a converter representing data bits recorded on the information storage medium. 39. The information storage system according to claim 29, wherein the information storage system is an optical data storage system and the converter is an optical converter. 40. The information storage system according to claim 29, wherein the suspension is a multilayer laminated suspension. 41. The information storage system according to claim 29, wherein the transducer is a magnetic transducer and the information storage system is a magnetic storage system. 42. The information storage system according to claim 41, wherein the magnetic transducer is an inductive transducer. 43. The information storage system according to claim 41, wherein said transducer is an MR head. 44. A coupled means wherein the resistance of the magnetoresistive material in the transducer changes in response to a magnetic field representing data bits recorded on the information storage medium and interrupted by the layer of magnetoresistive material. 43. The information storage system according to claim 41, wherein the information storage system detects that the information storage device performs the operation. 45. A multi-layer suspension comprising an actuator
Attaching to the arm and manipulating the fixture attached to the conductive lead structure in the plane of the termination end until the conductive lead structure is properly positioned on the termination pad located on the actuator arm Actuating the termination of the conductive lead structure extending from the suspension, terminating the conductor to the termination pad, and removing the fixture from the conductive lead structure. A method for manufacturing an arm assembly. 46. The fixture has one or more retention tabs affixed to the conductive lead structure layer, and the removing step removes at least one layer of the retention tab from the conductive lead structure layer. 46. The method of claim 45, including the step of peeling. 47. The method of claim 46, wherein the at least one retention tab is a flexible retention tab formed from one or more layers near the terminating end. 48. When a clockwise rotation force is applied to the fixture, the first tab buckles and the second tab is pulled, and when a counterclockwise rotation force is applied to the fixture, the first tab is buckled. The two retention tabs are spaced apart such that the tabs are pulled and the second tabs buckle.
7. The method according to 7. 49. A fixture includes a hook arm extending at a terminating end along an end of a conductive lead structure, wherein the hook arm is removably attached to an end of each conductor, and further comprises a conductor. 46. The method of claim 45, wherein the is connected to the hook arm at a fixed and spaced apart distance.