Transition Load Beam Rails for Hard Disk Drive Suspensions

Abstract

Described herein is an example of a load beam including a lifter tab extending toward a distal end, a dustpan defined by a dustpan forming line at a proximal end and a lifter tab at a distal end, and a first and second plurality of rail sections separated by a longitudinal axis. The first and second plurality of rail sections include a rear rail, a mid rail, and a front rail. The rear rail extends from a proximal end of the load beam to the first mid rail, the mid rail extends from the first rear rail to the dustpan forming line, and the front rail extends from the dustpan forming line to a proximal end of the lifter tab.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to suspension systems for hard disk drive systems, and more particularly to load beams used in hard disk drive suspension assemblies. [Background technology]

[0002] Information storage devices typically include a head for reading and / or writing data on a storage medium, such as a disk in a rigid disk drive. An actuator mechanism is used to position the head at a specific location or track according to the use of the disk drive. Based on the way the head moves, linear and rotary actuators are known. A head suspension is provided between the actuator and the head to support the head in a proper orientation relative to the disk surface.

[0003] Rigid disk drives are provided with a head suspension that supports a read / write head to fly over the surface of the rigid disk as it rotates. Specifically, the head is typically disposed on a slider having an aerodynamic design, such that the slider flies on an air bearing generated by the rotating disk. To establish a flying height, the head suspension is also provided with a spring force that counteracts the aerodynamic lift force.

[0004] Head suspensions of the kind used in rigid disk drives include a load beam and a flexure to which the slider is attached. The load beam typically has an actuator mounting portion, a rigid section, and a spring area between the actuator mounting area and the rigid section for providing the aforementioned spring force. The flexure is provided at the tip of the load beam to which the slider is attached, allowing the pitch and roll motion of the slider to follow disk surface variations. The flexure is known to be integrated into the load beam design and formed as a separate element that is fixed to the rigid area of ​​the load beam.

[0005] A preformed bend or radius is formed in the spring region of the load beam when a spring force is applied to the rigid section of the load beam to counteract the aerodynamic lift force on the slider. The radius provides the spring force and therefore the desired gram load on the slider for a given offset height, the offset height being a measurement of the distance between the mounted height of the head suspension and the slider at its "flying" height. Drive design constraints, including the spacing of the disks within the drive, take into account the given offset height. In any case, the gram load at the offset height provides a counteracting force against the aerodynamic lift force to establish the "flying" height of the slider above the disk surface. As used hereinafter, the term "loaded" head suspension means the head suspension in combination with the slider at its "flying" height and in equilibrium under the influence of the aerodynamic lift force and the opposing spring force. Summary of the Invention

[0006] A load beam and associated methods are described. One embodiment of the load beam includes a lifter tab extending toward a distal end, a dustpan defined by a dustpan forming line at a proximal end and a lifter tab at a distal end, and a first plurality of rail sections and a second plurality of rail sections separated by a longitudinal axis. The first and second plurality of rail sections include a rear rail, a mid rail, and a front rail. The rear rail extends from a proximal end of the load beam to the first mid rail, the mid rail extends from the first rear rail to the dustpan forming line, and the front rail extends from the dustpan forming line to a proximal end of the lifter tab.

[0007] Other features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows. Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols indicate similar elements and in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a suspension assembly according to an example of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of a load beam of the suspension assembly of FIG. 1 according to an example of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the load beam of FIG. 2 according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a top view of a load beam of a suspension assembly according to an example of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Described herein is an example of a load beam including a lifter tab extending toward a distal end, a dustpan defined by a dustpan forming line at a proximal end and a lifter tab at a distal end, and first and second multiple rail sections separated by a longitudinal axis. The first and second multiple rail sections include a rear rail, a mid rail, and a front rail. The rear rail extends from a proximal end of the load beam to the first mid rail, the mid rail extends from the first rear rail to the dustpan forming line, and the front rail extends from the dustpan forming line to a proximal end of the lifter tab.

[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates a suspension assembly 100 according to an example of the present disclosure. The suspension assembly 100 can be configured as a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) suspension. HAMR generally refers to the concept of locally heating a recording medium to reduce the coercivity of the medium so that an applied write magnetic field can more easily orient the magnetization of the medium during a temporary softening of the medium caused by a heat source. A laser diode 120 can be used to heat a portion of the recording medium. The heated portion is then exposed to a magnetic field that sets the direction of magnetization of the heated portion. It is understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in any disk drive suspension assembly.

[0011] The suspension assembly 100 also includes a load beam 90 having side rails 175A, 175B extending along at least a portion of the first edge 174A and the second edge 174B, respectively. The side rails 175A, 175B of the load beam 90 are provided to improve the frequency response of the suspension assembly 100. The load beam 90 is formed from a material such as stainless steel or other acceptable material and includes a mounting region adapted to mount the load beam 90 to an actuator arm. The mounting region is disposed toward the proximal end 20 of the load beam 90.

[0012] The load beam 90 also includes a rigid region 62 disposed distally from the attachment region and extending longitudinally toward the distal end 11 of the load beam 90 . A flexure 80 that supports a slider for reading and writing data from the disk drive is attached to the load beam 90. According to some embodiments, a laser diode 120 extends from the flexure 80. The load beam 90 can define a load beam window 140 to allow the laser diode 120 to extend beyond the rigid region 62 of the load beam 90. In some embodiments, the flexure 80 and the load beam 90 are fixed together to allow a portion of the flexure 80 to move generally freely from the load beam 90. The load beam 90 includes a dimple 180 configured to contact the flexure 80 to transfer a force to the flexure 80 at a desired height and in a generally parallel orientation relative to the surface of the disk.

[0013] 2 illustrates a top view of the load beam 90 of the suspension assembly of FIG. 1 according to one example of the present disclosure. The load beam 90 further comprises a dust pan 160 and a lifter tab 110 extending distally from the rigid region 62. According to some embodiments, the load beam 90 comprises first and second side rails 175A, 175B extending from the attachment region 61 to the lifter tab 110. According to some embodiments, the first side rail 175A comprises two regions.

[0014] According to some embodiments, the first side rail 175A comprises a first rear rail 176A that extends from the attachment area to the dustpan forming location 161 and a first front rail 173A that extends the length of the dustpan 160. The second side rail comprises two sections. According to some embodiments, the second side rail 175B comprises a second rear rail 176B that extends from the attachment area to the dustpan forming location 161 and a second front rail 173B that extends the length of the dustpan 160.

[0015] 3 illustrates a side view of a load beam 90 according to an example of the present disclosure. The dust pan 160 is disposed between the first front rail 173A and the second front rail 173B and extends longitudinally from the base end 20 to the tip end 11. The tip end of the dust pan 160 is at a higher height compared to the base end of the dust pan 160. The lifter tabs 110 extend longitudinally along the higher height towards the tip end 11. The length D of the dust pan 160 is shortened in modern suspension assemblies to account for modern flexure designs.

[0016] As a result, the dustpan forming angle A0 is increased to achieve the target offset height H of the lifter tab 110. Therefore, buckling of the load beam at the dustpan forming position 161 is likely to occur.

[0017] FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of a load beam of a suspension assembly according to an example of the present disclosure. Similar to the suspension assembly 100, the suspension assembly can be configured as a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) suspension. The suspension assembly includes a load beam 190 having a longitudinal axis 210 extending from a proximal end 202 to a distal end 201. The load beam 190 further includes a dust pan 260 and a lifter tab 211 extending from a rigid region 262 to the distal end. The load beam 190 also defines a load beam window 240. According to some embodiments, the load beam window 240 is configured to allow a laser diode to extend beyond the load beam 190.

[0018] The load beam 190 comprises a first side and a second side separated by a longitudinal axis 210. The first side comprises a plurality of rail sections. The second side comprises a plurality of rail sections. For example, the first side comprises a first rear rail 275A, a first mid rail 273A, and a first front rail 271A. The second side comprises a second rear rail 275B, a second mid rail 273B, and a second front rail 271B. In some embodiments, the side rails of the load beam 190 are configured to improve the frequency response of the suspension assembly. Although one side, i.e., the first side, is described in detail, it is understood that the second side, opposite the longitudinal axis 210, can have an identical structure. For example, the second side comprises a second rear rail, a second mid rail, and a second front rail that are identical to the first side.

[0019] The first rear rail 275A, according to some embodiments, extends from the base end 202 to the rear edge 280 of the load beam window 240. The first rear rail 275A is disposed at an angle A1, defined as the angle between the longitudinal axis 210 and the first rear rail 275A. According to some embodiments, the first intermediate rail 273A extends from the rear edge 280 of the load beam window 240 to the dustpan forming line 261. The first intermediate rail 273A is disposed at an angle A2, defined as the angle between the longitudinal axis 210 and the first intermediate rail 273A.

[0020] The first rear rail 275A and the first intermediate rail 273A can be positioned such that the forming angle difference D1 is negative. The forming angle difference D1 represents the angle difference between the angle A1 of the first rear rail 275A and the angle A2 of the first intermediate rail 273A. The first front rail 271A, in some embodiments, extends from the dustpan forming line 261 to the base end of the lifter tab 211.

[0021] The first front rail 271A is disposed at an angle A3, which is defined as the angle between the longitudinal axis 210 and the first front rail 271A. In some examples of the present disclosure, the load beam 190 is configured such that the first front rail 271A is parallel or nearly parallel to the longitudinal axis 210. In this example, the proximal and distal ends of the first front rail 271A are approximately the same distance from the longitudinal axis 210.

[0022] In some alternative examples of the present disclosure, the load beam 190 can be configured such that the angle A3 of the first front rail 271A is negative with respect to the longitudinal axis 210. In this example, the base end of the first front rail 271A is closer to the longitudinal axis 210 than the tip end of the first front rail 271A.

[0023] The first front rail 271A and the first middle rail 273A can be positioned such that the forming angle difference D2 is positive. The forming angle difference D2 represents the angle difference between the angle A3 of the first front rail 271A and the angle A2 of the first middle rail 273A.

[0024] In some examples of the present disclosure, angle A2 is greater than angle A1 so that the tip of the first intermediate rail 273A is closer to the longitudinal axis 210. This allows the first front rail 271A to have an angle A3 that is smaller than the angle of the current state of the art in load beams, for example. As angle A3 of the first intermediate rail 273A approaches zero or even negative values, the angle difference D2 between angle A3 of the first front rail 271A and angle A2 of the first intermediate rail 273A increases. The increasing angle difference D2 improves the buckling condition at the location of the dustpan forming line 261 over the current state of the art in load beams.

[0025] The load beam 190 also includes a rigid region 262 disposed distally from the attachment region 263 and extending longitudinally toward the distal end 201 of the load beam 190. In some embodiments, the surface of the rigid region 262 includes a slack region 281, which is a bow in the surface of the rigid region, as opposed to a crease of the type found when metal is formed by introducing a bend. In some instances, the rigid region 262 departs from a generally flat surface to compensate for the compression and tension required to form the side rails.

[0026] In some examples of the present disclosure, the slack region has a generally constant width across the rigid region 262. In yet other examples, the slack region does not extend across the entire width of the rigid region 262. Instead, the rigid region 262 has a slack region on each of the first and second sides of the longitudinal axis 210.

[0027] In alternative examples of the present disclosure, the first intermediate rail 273A may extend from the sag region and extend to the dustpan forming line 261. In further alternative examples of the present disclosure, the first intermediate rail 273A may extend from a location between the sag region and the base end 202 and extend to the dustpan forming line 261. In these examples, the tip of the first intermediate rail 273A is positioned closer to the longitudinal axis 210, causing the first front rail 271A to have a larger negative angle B3, thereby further improving rail buckling at the dustpan forming line 261.

[0028] As used herein, terms such as "top," "bottom," "upper," "lower," and x-, y-, and z-directions are understood as terms of convenience to indicate the spatial relationship of parts relative to one another, rather than any particular spatial or gravitational orientation. These terms are therefore intended to encompass an assembly of components, whether the assembly is oriented in the particular orientation shown in the drawings and described herein, oriented upside down from that orientation, or any other rotational variation.

[0029] It is understood that the term "the present disclosure" used in this specification is not to be interpreted as meaning that only a single disclosure having a single essential element or group of elements is presented. Similarly, it is also understood that the term "the present disclosure" encompasses several separate innovations, each of which may be considered as a separate disclosure. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiment and its drawings, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that various adaptations and modifications of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be achieved without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A load beam, Lifter tabs and a dustpan defined by a dustpan forming line; a first plurality of rail sections on a first side of the longitudinal axis; a second plurality of rail sections on a second side of the longitudinal axis, wherein the first and second plurality of rail sections each include a rear rail, a middle rail, and a front rail, the rear rail extending from a base end of the load beam to the middle rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections, the middle rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections extending from the rear rail to the dustpan forming line, and the intermediate rail is angled such that a first forming angle difference D1 between the rear rail and the intermediate rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections is negative, the front rail extends from the dustpan forming line to a base end of the lifter tab, and the intermediate rail and the front rail are angled such that a second forming angle difference D2 between the intermediate rail and the front rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections is positive.

2. 2. The load beam of claim 1, wherein the rear rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections extends from the base end of the load beam to a rear edge of a load beam window.

3. 2. The load beam of claim 1, wherein the rear rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections is disposed at an angle between the longitudinal axis and the rear rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections.

4. 2. The load beam of claim 1, wherein the intermediate rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections is disposed at an angle between the longitudinal axis and the intermediate rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections.

5. 2. The load beam of claim 1, wherein the intermediate rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections extends from a slack region of the load beam to the dustpan forming line.

6. 6. The load beam of claim 5, wherein the intermediate rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections extends from a position between the slack region and the base end of the load beam and extends to the dustpan forming line.

7. A suspension, a flexure assembly; a load beam attached to the flexure assembly, a lifter tab extending toward the tip of the load beam; a dust pan defined by a dust pan forming line; and a load beam comprising: a first plurality of rail sections on a first side of the longitudinal axis; a second plurality of rail sections on a second side of the longitudinal axis; the first and second plurality of rail sections each include a rear rail, a mid rail, and a front rail, the rear rail extending from a base end of the load beam to the mid rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections, the mid rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections extending from the rear rail to the dustpan forming line, the rear rail and the mid rail being angled such that a first forming angle difference D1 between the rear rail and the mid rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections is negative, the front rail extending from the dustpan forming line to a base end of the lifter tab, and the mid rail and the front rail being angled such that a second forming angle difference D2 between the mid rail and the front rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections is positive.

8. The suspension of claim 7 configured as a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) suspension.

9. 8. The suspension of claim 7, wherein the rear rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections extends from the base end of the load beam to a rear edge of a load beam window.

10. 8. The suspension of claim 7, wherein the rear rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections is disposed at an angle between the longitudinal axis and the rear rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections.

11. 8. The suspension of claim 7, wherein the intermediate rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections is disposed at an angle between the longitudinal axis and the intermediate rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections.

12. 8. The suspension of claim 7, wherein the intermediate rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections extends from a slack region of the load beam and extends to the dustpan forming line.

13. 13. The suspension of claim 12, wherein the intermediate rail of each of the first and second plurality of rail sections extends from a location between the slack region and the base end of the load beam and extends to the dustpan forming line.

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