EP0624305A1 - Carrier strip head interconnect assembly - Google Patents

Carrier strip head interconnect assembly

Info

Publication number
EP0624305A1
EP0624305A1 EP93900955A EP93900955A EP0624305A1 EP 0624305 A1 EP0624305 A1 EP 0624305A1 EP 93900955 A EP93900955 A EP 93900955A EP 93900955 A EP93900955 A EP 93900955A EP 0624305 A1 EP0624305 A1 EP 0624305A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
suspension
carrier strip
electrically conductive
interconnect
conductor
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP93900955A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0624305A4 (en
Inventor
Jeffry S. Bennin
Kevin Bjork
Todd W. Boucher
James H. Dettman
Michael T. Hofflander
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Hutchinson Technology Inc
Original Assignee
Hutchinson Technology Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Hutchinson Technology Inc filed Critical Hutchinson Technology Inc
Publication of EP0624305A1 publication Critical patent/EP0624305A1/en
Publication of EP0624305A4 publication Critical patent/EP0624305A4/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B5/00—Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor
    • G11B5/48—Disposition or mounting of heads or head supports relative to record carriers ; arrangements of heads, e.g. for scanning the record carrier to increase the relative speed
    • G11B5/4806—Disposition or mounting of heads or head supports relative to record carriers ; arrangements of heads, e.g. for scanning the record carrier to increase the relative speed specially adapted for disk drive assemblies, e.g. assembly prior to operation, hard or flexible disk drives
    • G11B5/486—Disposition or mounting of heads or head supports relative to record carriers ; arrangements of heads, e.g. for scanning the record carrier to increase the relative speed specially adapted for disk drive assemblies, e.g. assembly prior to operation, hard or flexible disk drives with provision for mounting or arranging electrical conducting means or circuits on or along the arm assembly
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
    • H05K1/00—Printed circuits
    • H05K1/02—Details
    • H05K1/11—Printed elements for providing electric connections to or between printed circuits
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
    • H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
    • H05K3/10—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern

Definitions

  • a slider (or head) is flown above a spinning storage disk. Attached to the slider is a read/write transducer which transforms electrical pulses to small magnetic fields which are stored on the disk. The order of the magnetic fields and their subsequent orientation, aligned along the circumference of the disk in north-south configuration, defines a bit code capable of detection as the slider flies over the disk.
  • the sliders are held in place above the disk by a metal spring structure known in the industry as a suspension.
  • This suspension attaches to a rigid arm manipulated by a linear or rotary motion actuator designed to locate the slider at any radial position above the disk.
  • the spinning disk coupled with the actuator movement serves to gain access to multiple tracks across the disk surface, each capable of containing stored data for later retrieval.
  • This invention pertains to the interconnecting device spanning the suspension, from the slider transducer to the printed flexible circuit mating with or containing the signal processing devices.
  • limitations of the current interconnecting devices increases the potential for read/write errors and imposes ceilings on data storage density.
  • Prior art portrays heavy reliance upon the use of small insulated copper wires (44 A G or smaller diameter) threaded into PTFE tubing (0.25 mm - 0.38 mm. in diameter) . Enclosing the insulated copper wires within the tubing provides protection from potentially damaging vibrational contact with the suspension member.
  • the PTFE tube typically extends from the suspension tip along the side or central rails, top or bottom surface of the suspension, to the base plate region and beyond. To avoid reducing the dynamic performance and flight characteristics of the slider, only the fine wires are routed past the suspension out to the slider bond sites.
  • references to the use of the tube and wire interconnect include U.S. Patents Nos. 5,012,368, 4,853,811, 4,991,045.
  • a third representation of prior art involves the utilization of plastic compounds either complementing the function of (such as a thin film overlay) or comprising an integral element of the suspension structure.
  • the conductive wires of the interconnect can either be heat staked or molded into plastic structure providing advantages of low profile, favorable dynamic response, and protective attachment to the suspension.
  • U.S. patent 4,991,045 details such a composite suspension design, while U.S. patents 5,006,946 and 5,001,583 detail conductors contained within or upon polymeric resinous (plastic) materials.
  • the invention of interest defines a head interconnect assembly comprised of conductive elements such as parallel or twisted wire(s) of 44 A G fixedly attached to prepatterned film carrier.
  • the conductors are routed down the carrier strip matching a predetermined orientation and placement. Conductor routing matches the pattern required to mate with the suspension member without manual manipulation during assembly.
  • the conductors are fixedly spaced with the option of having the insulative coating stripped, to match multiple bonding pad placement and orientation.
  • the carrier strip shall contain patterned features defining open regions of accommodation for the suspension and appendages of support for the mating conductors as well as provision for mechanized tooling and assembly.
  • the appendages extending outward into the open regions of the carrier strip shall define the bonding sites of the conductors to the carrier.
  • the conductor support appendages are separated from the main body of the strip leaving only those elements essential to the protection, support, and attachment of the interconnect to the suspension.
  • the interconnect shall be attached to the suspension via adhesive, mechanical fastening, or thermoplastic reflow bond.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional magnetic head suspension assembly
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment showing a head suspension assembly with carrier strip interconnect attached prior to final assembly step;
  • FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment 3 showing the conductive interconnect, carrier strip, and suspension;
  • FIG. 4 is a detail of the slider mount end of the suspension showing the spaced leads of the conductive interconnect as defined within the carrier strip;
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 showing a bond interface of the conductive interconnect with the suspension.
  • FIG. 1 shows a conventional magnetic suspension assembly.
  • the assembly includes a slider, or a transducer head 12 which is electrically connected by fine insulated wires 14 routed through a pol tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tube 16 held to suspension 18 by wire captures 20 and center tang 22.
  • PTFE pol tetrafluoroethylene
  • FIG. 1 shows a conventional magnetic suspension assembly.
  • the assembly includes a slider, or a transducer head 12 which is electrically connected by fine insulated wires 14 routed through a pol tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tube 16 held to suspension 18 by wire captures 20 and center tang 22.
  • PTFE pol tetrafluoroethylene
  • FIG. 2 through 6 portrays a prepatterned film carrier strip 50 with conductor elements 52 and magnetic head suspension assembly 54 attached.
  • the preferred embodiment of the invention aims to improve upon all of these problems through the predictable and orientated attachment of conductive wire elements 52 to a supporting film carrier strip 50.
  • the orientation of the conductive wire elements as attached to the film carrier strip matches that required for routing upon the magnetic head suspension 54, thus alleviating manual positioning and routing.
  • the service loop (bias reducing loop of unrestrained conductors near the head) of the embodied invention improves upon prior art through the controlled length and geometry of the conductive elements within the loop region.
  • the wire capturing features upon the suspension can be eliminated resulting in a lower profile head suspension assembly upon excision or complete removal of the film carrier strip.
  • the bulk of the film carrier strip itself with suspension assembly and electrical interconnect attached can provide handling and structural support during assembly operations which also provides protection from damage.
  • the prepatterned film carrier strip 50 can be comprised of a metal or plastic material such as PET polyester like MylarSTM of E.I. DuPont de
  • the conductor elements 52 can be insulated wire, twisted or parallel such as 44 AWG diameter (or smaller) oxygen free, high conductivity copper wire with 1.7 micrometers gold plating, insulated with 5 micrometers polyurethane such as that produced by Molecu Wire of Farmingdale, New Jersey.
  • FIG. 3 portrays the patterned film carrier strip 50 including central void region 56 accommodating the attachment of the head suspension assembly 54, a fixturing tab 58, for accommodating electrical hook-up and test fixturing and 60. for positioning the conductor elements 52 during the head bonding operation.
  • tooling reference features 62 within film carrier strip serve to reference conductor elements 52 and suspension assembly 54 to film carrier strip 50 and, in turn, one another.
  • Patterned appendages 64 extending from the bulk of the carrier strip 50 within the central void region 56 serve as bonding sites for the conductor elements and the suspension assembly.
  • the conductive interconnect 52 could be attached to either left or right side, down the center, and upon the top or bottom surface of the suspension assembly 54.
  • the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 shows the film carrier strip appendage 64 in intermediate relationship between the conductive elements 52 and the suspension assembly 54 affixed in a location along the side, top surface.
  • Another embodiment of the invention could portray the conductive elements bonded directly to the suspension assembly. The bond between the suspension assembly 54, film carrier strip appendage 64, and conductor elements 52 portrayed in FIG.
  • thermoplastic material such as the conductor element insulative coating 72 or the thermoplastic film carrier strip appendage 64.
  • the conductors could be attached to the film via an adhesive such as an acrylic, epoxy or cyanoacrylate.
  • the film carrier strip could be bonded to the suspension assembly via adhesive bond with a polyester based adhesive film product such as GTS300 UltraflexSTM by GTS America of Warwick, Rhode Island, or liquid dispensed epoxy or cyanoacrylate adhesives and in another embodiment, the conductors could be attached directly to the head suspension assembly using the previously mentioned adhesives.
  • Removal of the film carrier strip from the head suspension assembly could take place via excision at the appendages 64 leaving a small segment of the appendage material and the conductive elements attached to the suspension assembly or via complete removal of the film carrier strip leaving only the conductive elements attached to the suspension.
  • Appendages near the slider bond site 68 and the electronics bond site 70 also function to secure the conductive elements 52 in fixedly spaced relationship.
  • An embodiment shown in FIG. 4 portrays an appendage 68 near the slider bond site utilizing the material thickness of the film carrier strip 50 as the element defining the conductive element spacing. Additional methods of fixedly spacing the conductive elements could also be employed such as patterned features within the film carrier strip, cured adhesive globules, pins or spacers attached to the film carrier strip, or insulation thicknesses and wire coatings.
  • Crease or cut features 66 portray locations of structural stiffness reduction of the film carrier strip 50 for the expressed purpose of accommodating the bend of an unloaded head suspension assembly 54 and placement of the conductive elements 52 in close proximity to the slider bond sites 78.
  • the invention though portrayed with two conductive elements 52, could accommodate multiple conductors such as required to satisfy the multi- wire (3 to 6 or more) needs of magneto-resistive heads.
  • Usage as portrayed with more than one suspension assembly, can be utilized with assorted Winchester flexure and Whitney suspension mechanism designs, and consistent location of patterned tooling features 62 from one head suspension assembly to another allows consistent handling equipment between head suspension assembly types.
  • the presently disclosed carrier strip head interconnect is particularly useful in the following areas.
  • the conductive wire leads provide means of electrical signal transfer between read/write transducer (head) and amplifier electronics.
  • Using adhesive/thermoplastic for bonding the interconnect to the suspension secures the interconnect to the suspension, while avoiding internal stresses to the suspension during wire crimping and providing variable bond surface area, count and location.
  • the conductor design elements provide multiple twists per linear inch, various conductor insulating coatings, various conductor metallurgies and platings, multiple conductors per interconnect and allow twisted or parallel conductor format.
  • the spaced conductor design provides options for multiple spacing widths of fixed leads, strip lengths and locations of fixed leads, parallel and angular conductor routing at the head relative to one another.
  • the spaced conductors at the bond sites provide means of matching conductive pad spacings on the head and on the electronics, attachment to the head with limited or no manual positioning of the conductors, attachment to the electronics without manual positioning of the conductors, accommodating su -assembly electrical test probe access, accommodating variable conductor count per interconnect, and positioning of multiple leads in a single operation or locating step.
  • the fixed length service loop allows reduced variation in static bias, and allows positioning a service loop on the "left" or "right” side as well as straight out over the nose of the suspension.
  • the conductive leads secured to the plastic carrier strip provide novelty in the following features. Consistent interconnect routing is provided along the X and Y (horizontal) and Z (vertical) axes of the suspension assembly.
  • the interconnect support during shipping and handling avoids damaging contact with the conductors (bends) and allows damage-free multi-axis rotation of the conductors.
  • the plastic film carrier strip defines alignment between the interconnect and the suspension during assembly.
  • the carrier strip can aid in avoiding conductor contact with sharp metal edges of the suspension by functioning as an intermediate substrate.
  • the carrier strip permits securing variable conductor lengths at the electronics end, and facilitates conductor positioning and electrical test by providing a placement tab at the electronics end. Particulate entrapment within pocketed cavities (such as the tube) is avoided. Particulate generation is avoided by eliminating the wire crimping operation. Improved consistency in static bias is achieved through repeatable interconnect routing along the suspension. Installation bias is reduced by elimination of manual interconnect routing and fixing to the suspension.
  • Static bias to the suspension is reduced by reducing the interconnect structure (i.e., tube elimination) in the radius bend area of the suspension and preforming the interconnect and the carrier strip to match pre ⁇ loaded position prior to application to the suspension.
  • the outrigger carrier strip format reduces the chance of thermal mismatch between the suspension and the carrier by reducing contact area attached to the suspension.
  • the interconnect/suspension and the HGA assembly are automatable due to tooling and reference features on the carrier strip.
  • the strip format is conducive to line processing. The "left" and "right", and the top and bottom attachment of the interconnect to the suspension is facilitated. Manipulation of the carrier strip holding the suspension facilitates handling, holding and manipulating the suspension without actually holding the suspension itself, reducing potential for handling damage and/or contamination.
  • the presently disclosed carrier strip head interconnect improves upon the prior art in the following ways.
  • the carrier strip allows the elimination of manual lead positioning during bonding at slide and electronic bond sites. Manual routing of the interconnect along the suspension is also avoided.
  • the wire crimping operation is eliminated, which in turn, eliminates induced stress to the suspension, lowers the require_! profile of the suspension and reduces labor required for the assembly. Eliminating the need for the containment tube lowers the required profile of the suspension and reduces the mass of the interconnect assembly.

Landscapes

  • Supporting Of Heads In Record-Carrier Devices (AREA)
  • Adjustment Of The Magnetic Head Position Track Following On Tapes (AREA)

Abstract

Un ensemble d'interconnexion de tête électrique est conçu pour être installé sur l'élément de suspension supportant une tête magnétique de lecture/enregistrement au-dessus d'un disque d'enregistrement rotatif d'un entraînement de disque magnétique. Une interconnexion se compose d'une bande porte-film (50) sur laquelle des éléments conducteurs (52) sont positionnés et liés. Les éléments conducteurs (52) sont acheminés le long d'une bande porteuse préconfigurée définissant le positionnement des coordonnées X, Y et Z nécessaire pour se solidariser à l'élément de suspension (54) sans roulage ou manipulation manuels. Les éléments conducteurs sont espacés de manière fixe avec une isolation en bande aux deux points terminaux de l'interconnexion (électronique et tête) permettant une liaison prépositionnée, automatique aux plots de connexion. Un élément de suspension (54) positionné et lié à l'intérieur de la bande au niveau de sites annexes termine l'installation des éléments conducteurs (52) sur la suspension. Le support sert ensuite à fixer les conducteurs et la suspension dans le cadre protecteur de la bande et produit des références d'outillage (62) configurées jusqu'à ce qu'on le sectionne après avoir terminé l'assemblage de la suspension.An electric head interconnect assembly is adapted to be installed on the hanger supporting a magnetic read / record head above a rotating recording disc of a magnetic disc drive. An interconnection consists of a film-carrying strip (50) on which conductive elements (52) are positioned and linked. The conductive elements (52) are routed along a preconfigured carrier strip defining the positioning of the X, Y and Z coordinates necessary to join the suspension element (54) without rolling or manual manipulation. The conductive elements are fixedly spaced with strip insulation at the two end points of the interconnection (electronics and head) allowing a pre-positioned, automatic connection to the connection pads. A suspension element (54) positioned and linked inside the strip at the level of additional sites completes the installation of the conductive elements (52) on the suspension. The support then serves to fix the conductors and the suspension in the protective frame of the strip and produces tool references (62) configured until it is cut after having completed the assembly of the suspension.

Description

CARRIER STRIP HEAD INTERCONNECT ASSEMBLY Background of the Invention Summary of the Invention Technical Area of the Present Invention In a magnetic disk drive, a slider (or head) is flown above a spinning storage disk. Attached to the slider is a read/write transducer which transforms electrical pulses to small magnetic fields which are stored on the disk. The order of the magnetic fields and their subsequent orientation, aligned along the circumference of the disk in north-south configuration, defines a bit code capable of detection as the slider flies over the disk. The sliders are held in place above the disk by a metal spring structure known in the industry as a suspension. This suspension attaches to a rigid arm manipulated by a linear or rotary motion actuator designed to locate the slider at any radial position above the disk. The spinning disk coupled with the actuator movement serves to gain access to multiple tracks across the disk surface, each capable of containing stored data for later retrieval.
Signal transmission from the slider transducer to the amplifier and signal processing circuitry of the disk file, necessitates the need for an electrical interconnect between the dynamic, "flying" slider, and the static circuitry of the data channels. A printed flexible circuit routed from the signal processing circuitry to the vicinity of the actuator arms, connects with conductive wire(s) to complete the final path down the suspension to the slider. The interconnect routed down the suspension typically contains a minimum of two conductors serving the slider transducer comprised of a single inductive element to read and write. Transducer designs may also incorporate a separate magneto-resistive read element and an inductive write element requiring a minimum of 3 wires if the elements are tied together or a minimum of 4 wires if the elements are completely separate. The dynamic requirements of flying the slider close to the disk surface (< 0.1 micrometer) necessitates minimum mass, stiffness, and size for this interconnect.
2. Description of the Prior Art. This invention pertains to the interconnecting device spanning the suspension, from the slider transducer to the printed flexible circuit mating with or containing the signal processing devices. As the industry transitions to smaller slider/transducer sizes to increase data storage density, limitations of the current interconnecting devices increases the potential for read/write errors and imposes ceilings on data storage density. Prior art portrays heavy reliance upon the use of small insulated copper wires (44 A G or smaller diameter) threaded into PTFE tubing (0.25 mm - 0.38 mm. in diameter) . Enclosing the insulated copper wires within the tubing provides protection from potentially damaging vibrational contact with the suspension member. The PTFE tube typically extends from the suspension tip along the side or central rails, top or bottom surface of the suspension, to the base plate region and beyond. To avoid reducing the dynamic performance and flight characteristics of the slider, only the fine wires are routed past the suspension out to the slider bond sites. Among references to the use of the tube and wire interconnect include U.S. Patents Nos. 5,012,368, 4,853,811, 4,991,045.
Limitations of the art encompass various areas. Manual conductor routing (along the suspension) and service loop shape setting, can induce unfavorable static slider bias or bias variability. Lack of orientation, placement, and spacing definition of free form twisted conductors at bond sites increases bias variability and bond positioning labor. Usage of suspension appendages termed "wire-crimps", to anchor PTFE tubular wire sheaths, have the potential of inducing internal stresses to the suspension and damaging the twisted conductors. Profile limitations imposed by PTFE tubing and wire crimp tabs can limit disk stack height. Individual positioning and bonding of conductors to the slider and amplifier/signal processing electronic cable can require significant labor. As the head suspension assembly becomes more automated, the manual routing/bonding of the tube and wire interconnect poses an obvious constraint. Other interconnect inventions detail the usage of flat or round conductive wires laminated within plastic film layers (i.e. flexible printed circuitry: additive or subtractive) , playing upon the advantages of low profile, controlled impedance, spaced leads, and favorable dynamic response. These basic U.S. patents include #'s 4,819,094, 4,670,804, 4,645,280, 4,616,279. As referenced in U.S. patent 4,645,280, the flexible printed circuit interconnects are often adhesively bonded to the suspension structures. Although profile, electrical performance, and automation compatible advantages of printed flexible circuitry as interconnect prove favorable, the economic impact of high volume usage must be considered. In addition, film substrates used within flexible printed circuitry can lend a higher stiffness value to the interconnect in the vicinity of the service loop area. Materials thin enough to negate this factor are difficult to work with.
A third representation of prior art involves the utilization of plastic compounds either complementing the function of (such as a thin film overlay) or comprising an integral element of the suspension structure. The conductive wires of the interconnect can either be heat staked or molded into plastic structure providing advantages of low profile, favorable dynamic response, and protective attachment to the suspension. U.S. patent 4,991,045 details such a composite suspension design, while U.S. patents 5,006,946 and 5,001,583 detail conductors contained within or upon polymeric resinous (plastic) materials. As the fly height and transducer/slider size continually decrease in the progression of greater disk storage density, the accuracy and control needed to align the transducer to the correct data track upon the disk surface follows suit. The usage of thermally expansive plastics as structural elements of the suspension or head gimbal region poses dimensional stability limitations.
Summary of the Invention The invention of interest defines a head interconnect assembly comprised of conductive elements such as parallel or twisted wire(s) of 44 A G fixedly attached to prepatterned film carrier. The conductors are routed down the carrier strip matching a predetermined orientation and placement. Conductor routing matches the pattern required to mate with the suspension member without manual manipulation during assembly. At both the slider and electronics end of the interconnect, the conductors are fixedly spaced with the option of having the insulative coating stripped, to match multiple bonding pad placement and orientation. Additionally, the carrier strip shall contain patterned features defining open regions of accommodation for the suspension and appendages of support for the mating conductors as well as provision for mechanized tooling and assembly. The appendages extending outward into the open regions of the carrier strip shall define the bonding sites of the conductors to the carrier. At final assembly, the conductor support appendages are separated from the main body of the strip leaving only those elements essential to the protection, support, and attachment of the interconnect to the suspension. The interconnect shall be attached to the suspension via adhesive, mechanical fastening, or thermoplastic reflow bond.
Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional magnetic head suspension assembly;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment showing a head suspension assembly with carrier strip interconnect attached prior to final assembly step;
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment 3 showing the conductive interconnect, carrier strip, and suspension;
FIG. 4 is a detail of the slider mount end of the suspension showing the spaced leads of the conductive interconnect as defined within the carrier strip;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 showing a bond interface of the conductive interconnect with the suspension.
Detailed Description of the Invention As referenced in U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,094, FIG. 1 shows a conventional magnetic suspension assembly. The assembly includes a slider, or a transducer head 12 which is electrically connected by fine insulated wires 14 routed through a pol tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tube 16 held to suspension 18 by wire captures 20 and center tang 22. As discussed previously, the prior art has some limitations which can affect the fly height variation of the head suspension assembly. The manual positioning and bonding sequence of the fine insulated wires requires exceptional dexterity and occasionally results in damage to the fragile wires during assembly and repair. In addition, routing the tube and wire assembly down the suspension and subsequent attachment via wire captures or center tangs can induce a static bias to the slider body, ultimately affecting the fly height of the slider. Adding to the situation is the difficulty in achieving the same conductor routing ιear the head each time, resulting in bias variability making design compensation for such bias a difficult proposition. Spatial considerations are beginning to target the PTFE tubing and wire captures upon the suspension as limiting factors as the disk stacking density increases.
The preferred form of the invention in FIG. 2 through 6 portrays a prepatterned film carrier strip 50 with conductor elements 52 and magnetic head suspension assembly 54 attached.
As portrayed in the assembly view of FIG. 2 and the exploded view of FIG. 3, the preferred embodiment of the invention aims to improve upon all of these problems through the predictable and orientated attachment of conductive wire elements 52 to a supporting film carrier strip 50. The orientation of the conductive wire elements as attached to the film carrier strip matches that required for routing upon the magnetic head suspension 54, thus alleviating manual positioning and routing. The service loop (bias reducing loop of unrestrained conductors near the head) of the embodied invention improves upon prior art through the controlled length and geometry of the conductive elements within the loop region. In addition, the wire capturing features upon the suspension can be eliminated resulting in a lower profile head suspension assembly upon excision or complete removal of the film carrier strip. The bulk of the film carrier strip itself with suspension assembly and electrical interconnect attached can provide handling and structural support during assembly operations which also provides protection from damage.
The prepatterned film carrier strip 50 can be comprised of a metal or plastic material such as PET polyester like MylarSTM of E.I. DuPont de
Nemours & Co. of Wilmington, Del. or an ASTM 300 series stainless steel foil. Film thickness of 50 to 250 micrometers can provide the structural rigidity to retain the desired orientation of the conductor elements and support the entire suspension/interconnect assembly during handling and assembly operations.
The conductor elements 52 can be insulated wire, twisted or parallel such as 44 AWG diameter (or smaller) oxygen free, high conductivity copper wire with 1.7 micrometers gold plating, insulated with 5 micrometers polyurethane such as that produced by Molecu Wire of Farmingdale, New Jersey. FIG. 3 portrays the patterned film carrier strip 50 including central void region 56 accommodating the attachment of the head suspension assembly 54, a fixturing tab 58, for accommodating electrical hook-up and test fixturing and 60. for positioning the conductor elements 52 during the head bonding operation. In addition, tooling reference features 62 within film carrier strip serve to reference conductor elements 52 and suspension assembly 54 to film carrier strip 50 and, in turn, one another.
Patterned appendages 64 extending from the bulk of the carrier strip 50 within the central void region 56 serve as bonding sites for the conductor elements and the suspension assembly. The conductive interconnect 52 could be attached to either left or right side, down the center, and upon the top or bottom surface of the suspension assembly 54. The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 shows the film carrier strip appendage 64 in intermediate relationship between the conductive elements 52 and the suspension assembly 54 affixed in a location along the side, top surface. Another embodiment of the invention could portray the conductive elements bonded directly to the suspension assembly. The bond between the suspension assembly 54, film carrier strip appendage 64, and conductor elements 52 portrayed in FIG. 5 can be accomplished by reflowing a thermoplastic material such as the conductor element insulative coating 72 or the thermoplastic film carrier strip appendage 64. In another embodiment, the conductors could be attached to the film via an adhesive such as an acrylic, epoxy or cyanoacrylate. The film carrier strip could be bonded to the suspension assembly via adhesive bond with a polyester based adhesive film product such as GTS300 UltraflexSTM by GTS America of Warwick, Rhode Island, or liquid dispensed epoxy or cyanoacrylate adhesives and in another embodiment, the conductors could be attached directly to the head suspension assembly using the previously mentioned adhesives.
Removal of the film carrier strip from the head suspension assembly could take place via excision at the appendages 64 leaving a small segment of the appendage material and the conductive elements attached to the suspension assembly or via complete removal of the film carrier strip leaving only the conductive elements attached to the suspension.
Appendages near the slider bond site 68 and the electronics bond site 70 also function to secure the conductive elements 52 in fixedly spaced relationship. An embodiment shown in FIG. 4 portrays an appendage 68 near the slider bond site utilizing the material thickness of the film carrier strip 50 as the element defining the conductive element spacing. Additional methods of fixedly spacing the conductive elements could also be employed such as patterned features within the film carrier strip, cured adhesive globules, pins or spacers attached to the film carrier strip, or insulation thicknesses and wire coatings.
Crease or cut features 66 portray locations of structural stiffness reduction of the film carrier strip 50 for the expressed purpose of accommodating the bend of an unloaded head suspension assembly 54 and placement of the conductive elements 52 in close proximity to the slider bond sites 78.
The invention, though portrayed with two conductive elements 52, could accommodate multiple conductors such as required to satisfy the multi- wire (3 to 6 or more) needs of magneto-resistive heads.
Usage, as portrayed with more than one suspension assembly, can be utilized with assorted Winchester flexure and Whitney suspension mechanism designs, and consistent location of patterned tooling features 62 from one head suspension assembly to another allows consistent handling equipment between head suspension assembly types.
The presently disclosed carrier strip head interconnect is particularly useful in the following areas. The conductive wire leads provide means of electrical signal transfer between read/write transducer (head) and amplifier electronics. Using adhesive/thermoplastic for bonding the interconnect to the suspension secures the interconnect to the suspension, while avoiding internal stresses to the suspension during wire crimping and providing variable bond surface area, count and location. The conductor design elements provide multiple twists per linear inch, various conductor insulating coatings, various conductor metallurgies and platings, multiple conductors per interconnect and allow twisted or parallel conductor format. The spaced conductor design provides options for multiple spacing widths of fixed leads, strip lengths and locations of fixed leads, parallel and angular conductor routing at the head relative to one another. The spaced conductors at the bond sites provide means of matching conductive pad spacings on the head and on the electronics, attachment to the head with limited or no manual positioning of the conductors, attachment to the electronics without manual positioning of the conductors, accommodating su -assembly electrical test probe access, accommodating variable conductor count per interconnect, and positioning of multiple leads in a single operation or locating step. The fixed length service loop allows reduced variation in static bias, and allows positioning a service loop on the "left" or "right" side as well as straight out over the nose of the suspension. The conductive leads secured to the plastic carrier strip provide novelty in the following features. Consistent interconnect routing is provided along the X and Y (horizontal) and Z (vertical) axes of the suspension assembly. The interconnect support during shipping and handling avoids damaging contact with the conductors (bends) and allows damage-free multi-axis rotation of the conductors. The plastic film carrier strip defines alignment between the interconnect and the suspension during assembly. The carrier strip can aid in avoiding conductor contact with sharp metal edges of the suspension by functioning as an intermediate substrate. The carrier strip permits securing variable conductor lengths at the electronics end, and facilitates conductor positioning and electrical test by providing a placement tab at the electronics end. Particulate entrapment within pocketed cavities (such as the tube) is avoided. Particulate generation is avoided by eliminating the wire crimping operation. Improved consistency in static bias is achieved through repeatable interconnect routing along the suspension. Installation bias is reduced by elimination of manual interconnect routing and fixing to the suspension. Static bias to the suspension is reduced by reducing the interconnect structure (i.e., tube elimination) in the radius bend area of the suspension and preforming the interconnect and the carrier strip to match pre¬ loaded position prior to application to the suspension. The outrigger carrier strip format reduces the chance of thermal mismatch between the suspension and the carrier by reducing contact area attached to the suspension. The interconnect/suspension and the HGA assembly are automatable due to tooling and reference features on the carrier strip. The strip format is conducive to line processing. The "left" and "right", and the top and bottom attachment of the interconnect to the suspension is facilitated. Manipulation of the carrier strip holding the suspension facilitates handling, holding and manipulating the suspension without actually holding the suspension itself, reducing potential for handling damage and/or contamination.
The presently disclosed carrier strip head interconnect improves upon the prior art in the following ways. The carrier strip allows the elimination of manual lead positioning during bonding at slide and electronic bond sites. Manual routing of the interconnect along the suspension is also avoided. The wire crimping operation is eliminated, which in turn, eliminates induced stress to the suspension, lowers the require_! profile of the suspension and reduces labor required for the assembly. Eliminating the need for the containment tube lowers the required profile of the suspension and reduces the mass of the interconnect assembly.

Claims

What Is Claimed Is: 1. An electrically conductive interconnect between a magnetic read/write transducer and signal processing circuitry of a magnetic disk drive 5 comprised of: conductive element (s) fixedly attached to a prepatterned film carrier strip along a predetermined orientation and placement 10 matching final required routing relationship upon a head suspension assembly; said conductive element(s) adapted and arranged in relationship to one 15 another at both transducer end and electronics end of the interconnect to provide multiple bonding pad sites for direct electrical connection thereto; 20 said carrier strip containing patterned regions of accommodation for the suspension, rigid conductor support appendages, and tooling and interconnect/suspension assembly „,. features; said carrier strip appendages containing conductor-to-carrier bond sites, fixedly attached to the suspension with the carrier as the intermediary 30 material of contact between the conductor and the suspension; wherein the carrier strip functions as a non-contact means of manipulation and support of conductive interconnect, .. r suspension, and subsequently bonded magnetic head until the main structure of the carrier can be removed or excised at the appendages, leaving the completed form of the head, suspension, and interconnect assembly.
2. An electrically conductive interconnect as in claim l wherein said conductor element(s) are selected from 44 AWG diameter or smaller oxygen- free, high-conductivity gold plated copper insulated with polyurethane.
3. An electrically conductive interconnect as in claim 1 containing one or more conductor element(s) to satisfy the needs of a single inductive element or a magneto-resistive read element and an inductive write element transducer.
4. An electrically conductive interconnect as in claim 3, such that said conductor elements are arranged in either parallel or twisted format with respect to one another.
5. An electrically conductive interconnect as in claim 1 wherein said film carrier strip is fabricated from metallic, cellulosic, composite, or plastic materials.
6. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 5 wherein the film carrier strip is prepatterned with open regions to accommodate placement of suspension in similar planer relationship within the carrier strip.
7. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 5 wherein the film carrier strip contains patterned crease locations for z-axis bends to define interconnect orientation and placement to an unloaded suspension member as well as orientation to the lead bond sites.
8. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 6 in which the film carrier contains patterned appendages extending within the prepatterned open regions for attachment of conductive elements and suspension.
9. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 5 in which the film carrier strip contains patterned tooling and position reference features for manipulation, assembly aid, and electrical test fixturing.
10. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 6 in which the conductor elements are routed along and fixedly bonded t.:- film carrier strip appendages, which define the positional relationships along the X, Y and Z axes as required to match the conductor routing desired upon the suspension.
11. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 10 in which the bond between film carrier strip appendages and conductor elements is n adhesive bond or a thermal reflow of either carrier strip or conductor insulation.
12. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 11 wherein assembly is subsequently bonded to suspension at predetermined ~ locations along said suspension as defined by carrier strip appendages.
13. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 12 wherein the bond between film carrier strip appendages or conductor elements and suspension are an adhesive bond or a thermal reflow of carrier strip.
14. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 13 wherein the bond places the carrier in intermediary relationship between the conductor and the suspension to prevent contact between the conductor insulation and the suspension during normal operation.
15. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 8 wherein the carrier strip patterned appendages define the location along which the suspension and attached conducting elements are excised from the bulk of the carrier strip upon final head suspension assembly.
16. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 15 wherein excising is carried out by mechanical or thermal separation of the film appendages.
17. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claims 8, wherein the conductor elements are temporarily bonded to the carrier strip appendages during intermediary assembly and handling steps.
18. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 17 wherein the temporary bond is separated upon final assembly of the conductor elements to the suspension, removing the carrier strip from the conducting elements and the suspension.
19. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 17 wherein the temporary bond between the conductor elements and carrier strip is an adhesive bond or a thermal reflow of either carrier strip or conductor insulation.
20. An electrically conductive interconnect between a magnetic read/write transducer and signal processing circuitry of a magnetic disk drive comprised of: conductive element(s) attached to a prepatterned film carrier strip along a predetermined orientation and placement matching final required routing relationship upon a head suspension assembly; with conductor elements fixedly spaced with respect to one another to match bond site geometries with both ends of the interconnect allowing physical manipulation of the carrier strip to orientate and register multiple conductors as a single entity.
21. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 20 with conductor elements having center to center spacing of approximately 0.1 mm to 1.2 mm at the slider end of the interconnect.
22. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 20 with conductor elements having center to center spacing of approximately 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm at the electronic end of the interconnect.
23. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 20 wherein the thickness of the carrier strip material defines the spacing between the conductors.
24. An electrically conductive interconnect as described as in claim 20 wherein the spacing between 5 the conductors is defined by patterned appendages of the carrier strip, pins inserted into the carrier strip, or adhesive coating applied while spacing the conductors at a predetermined distance apart upon curing.
° 25. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 20 wherein fixed conductor spacing is carried across a patterned void in the carrier strip allowing access to the conductors for bonding to the transducer pads on the slider or 5 conductive pads on the electronic circuitry.
26. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 20 wherein conductor elements are fixedly spaced with parallel or angular relationship to one another.
0 27. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 20, wherein conductor elements in the region of fixedly spaced relationship have insulative coatings remaining or removed across sufficient length to allow electrical connective 5 bonding methods selected from ultrasonic, thermal compression, or tin-lead solder reflow bonding.
28. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 27 wherein insulative coating removal is carried out by laser irradiation, 0 chemical stripping or mechanical abrasion.
29. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 1 wherein said head functions as a magnetic read/write transducer.
30. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 1 wherein the head functions as an optical read or write element.
31. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 2, wherein conducting elements are encapsulated along entire length or at predetermined intervals with cured adhesive.
32. An electrically conductive interconnect between a magnetic read/write transducer and signal processing circuitry of a magnetic disk drive comprised of: conductive element (s) fixedly attached to a prepatterned film carrier strip along a predetermined orientation and placement matching final required routing relationship upon a head suspension assembly features; said conductive element (s) adapted and arranged in relationship to one another at both transducer end and electronics end of the interconnect to provide multiple bonding pad sites for direct electrical connection thereto; said carrier strip containing patterned regions of accommodation for the suspension, rigid conductor support appendages, and tooling and interconnect/suspension assembly; said carrier strip appendages containing conductor- o-carrier bond sites, fixedly attached to the suspension with the carrier as the intermediary material of contact between the conductor and the suspension.
WO 93/15593 AMENDED CLAIMS PCT/US92/ 10607
[received by the International Bureau on 26 May 1993 (26.05.93); original claims 17,18 and 28 deleted; original claims 1,4,6,15,20,26,27 and 32. am new claims 33-35 added; remaining claims unchanged (8 pages)]
1. An electrically conductive interconnect between a magnetic read/write transducer and signal processing circuitry of a magnetic disk drive comprised of: conductive elemen (s) fixedly attached to a patterned film carrier strip along an orientation and placement matching a routing relationship upon a head suspension assembly; said conductive element(s) adapted and arranged in relationship to one another at both a transducer end and an electronics end of the interconnect to provide multiple bonding pad sites for direct electrical connection thereto; said carrier strip containing patterned regions of accommodation for the suspension, rigid conductor support appendages, and tooling and interconnect/suspension assembly features; and appendages of said carrier strip containing conductor-to-carrier bond sites, fixedly attached to the suspension with the carrier as an intermediary material of contact between the conductor and the suspension.
2. An electrically conductive interconnect as in claim 1 wherein said conductor element(s) are selected from 44AWG diameter or smaller oxygen-free, high-conductivity gold-plated copper insulated with polyurethane.
3. An electrically conductive interconnect as in claim 1 containing one or more conductor element(s) to satisfy the needs of a single inductive element or a magneto-resistive read element and an inductive write element transducer.
4. An electrically conductive interconnect as in claim 3, such that said conductive elements are arranged in either parallel or twister form with respect to one another.
5. An electrically conductive interconnect as in claim 1 wherein said film carrier strip is fabricated from metallic, cellulosic, composite, or plastic materials.
6. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 5 wherein the film carrier strip is patterned with open suspension placement accommodation regions in similar planar relationship within the carrier strip.
7. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 5 wherein the film carrier strip contains patterned crease locations for z-axis bends to define interconnect orientation and placement to an unloaded suspension member as well as orientation to the lead bond sites.
8. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 6 in which the film carrier contains patterned appendages extending within the prepattemed open regions for attachment of conductive elements and suspension.
9. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 5 in which the film carrier strip contains patterned tooling and position reference features for manipulation, assembly aid, and electrical test fixturing.
10. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 6 in which the conductor elements are routed along and fixedly bonded to film carrier strip appendages, which define the positional relationships along the X, Y and Z axes as required to match the conductor routing desired upon the suspension.
11. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 10 in which the bond between film carrier strip appendages and conductor elements is an adhesive bond or a thermal reflow of either carrier strip or conductor insulation.
12. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 11 wherein assembly is subsequently bonded to suspension at predetermined locations along said suspension as defined by carrier strip appendages.
13. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 12 wherein the bond between film carrier strip appendages or conductor elements and suspension are an adhesive bond or a thermal reflow of carrier strip.
14. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 13 wherein the bond places the carrier in intermediary relationship between the conductor and the suspension to prevent contact between the conductor insulation and the suspension during normal operation.
15. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in column 8 wherein the carrier strip patterned appendages define a location along which the suspension and attached conducting elements are excised from the carrier strip upon final head suspension assembly.
16. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 15 wherein excising is carried out by mechanical or thermal separation of the film appendages. 19. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 8 wherein the temporary bond between the conductor elements and carrier strip is an adhesive bond or a thermal reflow of either carrier strip or conductor insulation.
20. An electrically conductive interconnect between a magnetic read/write transducer and signal processing circuitry of a magnetic disk drive comprised of: conductive elemen (s) attached to a patterned film carrier strip such that orientation and placement of the conductive element(s) matches a routing relationship upon a head suspension assembly; with conductive elements fixedly spaced with respect to one another to match bond site geometries with both ends of the interconnect allowing physical manipulation of the carrier strip to orientate and register multiple conductors as a single entity.
21. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 20 with conductor elements having center to center spacing of approximately 0.1 mm to 1.2 mm at the transducer end of the interconnect.
22. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 20 with conductor elements having center to center spacing of approximately 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm at an electronic end of the interconnect.
23. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 20 wherein the thickness of the carrier strip material defines the spacing between the conductors.
24. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 20 wherein the spacing between the conductors is defined by patterned appendages of the carrier strip, pins inserted into the carrier strip, or adhesive coating applied while spacing the conductors at a predetermined distance apart.
25. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 20 wherein fixed conductor spacing is carried across a patterned void in the carrier strip allowing access to the conductors for bonding to the transducer pads on the transducer or on conductive pads on the electronic circuitry.
26. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 20 wherein conductor elements are fixedly spaced with parallel or non-parallel relationship to one another.
27. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 20, wherein conductive elements in a region of fixedly spaced relationship have insulative coatings across sufficient length of said elements to allow electrical connective bonding.
29. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 1 wherein said head functions as a magnetic read/write transducer.
30. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 1 wherein the head functions as an optical read or write element.
31. An electrically conductive interconnect as described in claim 2, wherein conducting elements are encapsulated along entire length or at predetermined intervals with cured adhesive. 32. A electrically conductive interconnect between a magnetic read/write transducer and signal processing circuitry of a magnetic disk drive comprised of: conductive element(s) fixedly attached to a patterned film carrier strip along an orientation and placement matching a routing relationship upon a head suspension assembly features; said conductive element(s) adapted and arranged in relationship to one another at both a transducer end and an electronics end of the interconnect to provide multiple bonding pad sites for direct electrical connection thereto; said carrier strip containing patterned regions of accommodation for the suspension, rigid conductor support appendages, and tooling and interconnect/suspension assembly; said carrier strip appendages containing conductor-to-carrier bond sites, fixedly attached to the suspension with the carrier as the intermediary material of contact between the conductor and the suspension.
33. A method of making an electrically conductive interconnect assembly for providing direct electrical connection from a magnetic read/write transducer, along a head suspension, to a signal processing circuitry of a magnetic disk drive, said interconnect assembly comprising: patterning regions of accommodation for the head suspension, rigid conductor support appendages, and tooling and interconnect/suspension assembly features onto a film carrier strip, such that said appendages contain conductor-to-carrier bond sites, fixedly attached to the suspension with the carrier strip as an intermediary material of contact between the conductor and the head suspension; fixedly attaching conductive element(s) to said patterned film carrier strip along an orientation and placement matching a routing relationship upon the head suspension; adapting and arranging said conductive element(s) in relationship to one another at both a transducer end and an electronics end of the interconnect to provide multiple bonding pad sites for direct electrical connection thereto; and allowing the film carrier strip to function as a non-contact means of manipulation and support of conductor interconnect, suspension, and subsequently bonded magnetic head, until a main structure of the carrier is removed at the appendages.
34. A method of forming an electrically conductive interconnect between a magnetic read/write transducer and signal processing circuitry of a magnetic disk drive comprised of: attaching conductive element(s) to a prepattemed film carrier strip along an orientation and placement of the conductive element(s) that matches a routing relationship upon a head suspension assembly; and fixedly spacing said conductive element(s) with respect to one another to match bond site geometries with both ends of the interconnect allowing physical manipulation of the carrier strip to orientate and register multiple conductors as a single entity.
35. A method of forming an electrically conductive interconnect between a magnetic read/write transducer and signal processing circuitry of a magnetic disk drive comprised of: patterning a carrier strip with regions of accommodation for the suspension, rigid conductor support appendages, and tooling and interconnect/suspension assembly, said carrier strip appendages containing conductor-to-carrier bond sites, fixedly attached to the suspension with the carrier as the intermediary material of contact between the conductor and the suspension; fixedly attaching conductive element(s) to the patterned film carrier strip along an orientation and placement matching a routing relationship upon head suspension assembly features; and adapting and arranging said conductive element(s) in relationship to one another at both a transducer end and an electronics end of the interconnect to provide multiple bonding pad sites for direct electrical connection thereto.
EP93900955A 1992-01-28 1992-12-08 Carrier strip head interconnect assembly. Withdrawn EP0624305A4 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US80840692A 1992-01-28 1992-01-28
PCT/US1992/010607 WO1993015593A1 (en) 1992-01-28 1992-12-08 Carrier strip head interconnect assembly
US808406 2001-03-14

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EP0624305A1 true EP0624305A1 (en) 1994-11-17
EP0624305A4 EP0624305A4 (en) 1995-12-13

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EP0624305A4 (en) 1995-12-13
JP2592773B2 (en) 1997-03-19
WO1993015593A1 (en) 1993-08-05
JPH07502855A (en) 1995-03-23

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