Suspension assembly and disk device

Abstract

To provide: a suspension assembly capable of stably joining a magnetic head to a wiring member; and a disk device having the same.SOLUTION: According to an embodiment, a suspension assembly includes: a support plate; a wiring member which includes an elastically deformable gimbal portion that has a tongue portion, on which a magnetic head is mounted, and an outrigger connected to the tongue portion, and which is provided on the support plate; and a viscoelastic material filled in the gap between the outrigger and the support plate to form a damper.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a suspension assembly and a disk device including the same.

Background Art

[0002] As a disk device, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) includes a plurality of magnetic disks rotatably disposed in a housing, a plurality of magnetic heads for reading and writing information to and from the magnetic disks, and a head actuator that movably supports the magnetic heads with respect to the magnetic disks. The head actuator has a plurality of suspension assemblies (sometimes referred to as gimbal assemblies) that support magnetic heads at their tip portions. The suspension assembly has a suspension made of a metal support plate and a flexure (wiring member) provided on the suspension. The flexure has a displaceable gimbal portion, and a magnetic head is mounted on this gimbal portion. In recent years, a piezoelectric element such as a piezo element has been mounted on the flexure to constitute a micro actuator.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Generally, the gimbal section has elastically deformable outriggers, and supports the magnetic head so that it can be displaced by the outriggers. In such a suspension assembly, a torsion mode occurs in the gimbal section during the positioning operation of the magnetic head. The torsion mode is generally an oscillation mode that occurs around 10 kHz, and when it oscillates, the positioning accuracy of the magnetic head deteriorates. An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a suspension assembly and a disk device capable of improving the positioning accuracy of a head.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] According to an embodiment, a suspension assembly includes an elastically deformable gimbal section having a support plate, a tongue section on which a magnetic head is mounted, and an outrigger connected to the tongue section, a wiring member provided on the support plate, and a viscoelastic material filled in a gap between the outrigger and the support plate to form a damper.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006]

Figure 1

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[0007] Hereinafter, a disk device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the disclosure is merely an example, and for those skilled in the art, appropriate changes that maintain the gist of the invention and can be easily conceived are naturally included in the scope of the present invention. Also, for the purpose of making the description clearer, the drawings may schematically represent the size, shape, etc. of each part compared to the actual aspect, but this is merely an example and does not limit the interpretation of the present invention. Further, in this specification and each drawing, the same reference numerals may be given to the same elements as those described above with respect to the already shown drawings, and detailed description may be omitted as appropriate.

[0008] (First Embodiment) As a disk device, a hard disk drive (HDD) according to the first embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an HDD according to a first embodiment, showing the top cover disassembled. As shown in the figure, the HDD includes a rectangular housing 10. The housing 10 has a rectangular box-shaped base 12 with an open top surface and a top cover 14. The base 12 has a rectangular bottom wall 12a and a plurality of side walls 12b erected along the periphery of the bottom wall 12a, and is integrally formed of, for example, aluminum. The top cover 14 is formed in a rectangular plate shape of, for example, stainless steel. The top cover 14 is screwed onto the side wall 12b of the base 12 by a plurality of screws 13 to close the upper opening of the base 12.

[0009] Inside the housing 10, a plurality of magnetic disks 18 as disk-shaped recording media and a spindle motor 19 for supporting and rotating the magnetic disks 18 are provided. The spindle motor 19 is disposed on the bottom wall 12a. Each magnetic disk 18 is formed in a disk shape, for example, with a diameter of 96 mm (3.5 inches), made of a non-magnetic material such as glass or aluminum, and has a substrate and a magnetic recording layer formed on the upper surface and / or lower surface of the substrate. The magnetic disks 18 are coaxially fitted onto a hub (not shown) of the spindle motor 19 and are further clamped by a clamp spring 20. Thereby, the magnetic disks 18 are supported in a state parallel to the bottom wall 12a of the base 12. The plurality of magnetic disks 18 are rotated at a predetermined rotational speed by the spindle motor 19. In this embodiment, for example, five magnetic disks 18 are arranged in the housing 10, but the number of magnetic disks 18 is not limited to this, and may be four or less, or six or more.

[0010] Inside the housing 10, there are provided a plurality of magnetic heads 17 that write and read information to and from the magnetic disk 18, and an actuator assembly 22 that movably supports these magnetic heads 17 with respect to the magnetic disk 18. Also, inside the housing 10, there are provided a voice coil motor (VCM) 24 that rotates and positions the actuator assembly 22, a ramp load mechanism 25 that holds the magnetic head 17 at an unload position spaced apart from the magnetic disk 18 when the magnetic head 17 moves to the outermost periphery of the magnetic disk 18, and a substrate unit (FPC unit) 21 on which electronic components such as a conversion connector are mounted. The actuator assembly 22 and the VCM 24 constitute a head actuator. The ramp load mechanism 25 has a ramp provided on the base 12 and a lift tab provided on the actuator assembly 22.

[0011] The actuator assembly 22 has a rotatably supported actuator block 29, a plurality of arms 32 extending from the actuator block 29, and a suspension assembly 30 extending from each arm 32. The magnetic head 17 is supported at the tip of each suspension assembly 30. The magnetic head 17 includes a read head, a write head, an assist element, a heater, and the like. The suspension assembly 30 is an assembly including the magnetic head 17 and may also be referred to as a head suspension assembly. A printed circuit board (not shown) is screwed to the outer surface of the bottom wall 12a of the base 12. The printed circuit board controls the operation of the spindle motor 19 and constitutes a control unit that controls the operations of the VCM 24 and the magnetic head 17 via the substrate unit 21.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the actuator assembly 22 and the FPC unit 21. As shown in the figure, the actuator assembly 22 includes an actuator block 29 having a through hole 31, a bearing unit 28 provided in the through hole 31, a plurality of, for example, six arms 32 extending from the actuator block 29, and ten suspension assemblies 30 attached to the arms 32. A support shaft (pivot) 26 is erected on the bottom wall 12a. The actuator block 29 is rotatably supported by the bearing unit 28 around the support shaft 26.

[0013] In this embodiment, the actuator block 29 and the six arms 32 are integrally formed of aluminum or the like, constituting a so-called E-block. The arm 32 is formed, for example, in an elongated flat plate shape and extends from the actuator block 29 in a direction orthogonal to the support shaft 26. The six arms 32 are provided in parallel with a gap therebetween. The actuator assembly 22 has a support frame 33 extending from the actuator block 29 in a direction opposite to the arms 32, and the voice coil 35 is supported by this support frame 33. As shown in FIG. 1, the voice coil 35 is located between a pair of yokes 39, one of which is fixed on the base 12. The voice coil 35 constitutes the VCM 24 together with these yokes 39 and a magnet fixed to one of the yokes.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the ten suspension assemblies 30 are respectively attached to the tip portions 32a of the respective arms 32. The plurality of suspension assemblies 30 include an up-head suspension assembly that supports the magnetic head 17 upward and a down-head suspension assembly that supports the magnetic head 17 downward. The up-head suspension assembly and the down-head suspension assembly are configured by arranging suspension assemblies 30 having the same structure with their up-and-down directions reversed.

[0015] The FPC unit 21 integrally includes a substantially rectangular base portion 70, an elongated strip-shaped relay portion 72 extending from one side edge of the base portion 70, and a substantially rectangular joint portion (FPC joint portion) 74 continuously provided at the tip of the relay portion 72. These base portion 70, relay portion 72, and joint portion 74 are formed of a flexible printed circuit board (FPC).

[0016] On one surface (outer surface) of the base portion 70, electronic components such as a conversion connector (not shown) and a plurality of capacitors 73 are mounted and electrically connected to a wiring (not shown). On the other surface (inner surface) of the base portion 70, two metal plates 75 and 76 that function as reinforcing plates are respectively attached. The base portion 70 is disposed on the bottom wall 12a of the housing 10 and screwed to the bottom wall 12a with two screws. The conversion connector on the base portion 70 is connected to a control circuit board provided on the bottom surface side of the housing 10.

[0017] The relay portion 72 extends from the base portion 70 toward the actuator assembly 22. The joint portion 74 provided at the extending end of the relay portion 72 is formed in a rectangular shape with a height and width substantially equal to those of the side surface (installation surface) of the actuator block 29. The joint portion 74 is attached to the installation surface of the actuator block 29 via a backing plate formed of aluminum or the like, and further screwed and fixed to the installation surface with fixing screws 65. A head IC (head amplifier) 59 is mounted on the joint portion 74. A pair of connection pads 55 and a large number of connection pad groups (not shown) are provided on the joint portion 74. The head IC 59 is connected to the connection pad group and the base portion 70 via a plurality of wirings (not shown). A voice coil 35 is connected to the connection pad 55. The connection end portion 42c of a flexure 42 described later is joined to the connection pad group.

[0018] Next, an example of the suspension assembly 30 will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the head suspension assembly, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the tip of the head suspension assembly. As shown in FIG. 3, the suspension assembly 30 has a suspension 34 extending from an arm 32, and a magnetic head 17 is attached to the tip of the suspension 34. The suspension 34 that functions as a support plate has a rectangular base plate 36 made of a metal plate and an elongated leaf spring-like load beam 38 made of a metal plate. The load beam 38 has its base end portion disposed overlapping the tip end portion of the base plate 36 and is fixed to the base plate 36 by welding at a plurality of locations. The tip end portion of the load beam 38 constitutes the tip end portion of the support plate, and the base end portion of the load beam 38 and the base plate 36 constitute the base end portion of the support plate. The load beam 38 is formed to be tapered, and a rod-shaped lift tab 40 protrudes from the tip end thereof.

[0019] The base plate 36 has a circular opening 36a at its base end portion and an annular protrusion 36b located around this opening 36a. The base plate 36 fits the protrusion 36b into a circular caulking hole 37 (see FIG. 2) formed in the caulking seat surface of the arm 32, and is fastened to the tip end portion 32a of the arm 32 by caulking this protrusion 36b. The base plate 36 may be fixed to the tip end portion 32a of the arm 32 by laser welding, spot welding, or adhesion.

[0020] The suspension assembly 30 has an elongated strip-shaped flexure (wiring member) 42 for transmitting a recording signal, a reproduction signal, and a drive signal of a piezoelectric element, and a pair of piezoelectric elements (for example, PZT elements) 50 mounted on the flexure 42. The flexure 42 has a tip-side portion 42a disposed on the load beam 38 and the base plate 36, a base-side portion 42b extending outward from the side edge of the base plate 36 and extending along the side edge of the arm 32 to the actuator block 29, and a connection end portion (tail connection end portion) 42c extending from the extended end of the base-side portion 42b. The connection end portion 42c has a plurality of connection terminals (electrode pads) 43 provided side by side. These connection terminals 43 are electrically joined to the connection pad group of the joint portion 74 provided on the actuator block 29.

[0021] The flexure 42 has a base metal thin plate (metal plate) 46 such as stainless steel, and a strip-shaped wiring board (flexible printed wiring board: FPC) 48 attached or fixed on the metal plate 46, forming an elongated laminated plate. The wiring board (FPC) 48 has a base insulating layer mostly fixed to the metal plate 46, a conductive layer (wiring pattern) formed on the base insulating layer, and a cover insulating layer laminated on the base insulating layer covering the conductive layer. As the conductive layer, for example, a copper foil is used, and by patterning this copper foil, a plurality of wirings (signal wiring, drive wiring, ground wiring), a plurality of connection pads, and a plurality of connection terminals are formed.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, at the tip side portion 42a of the flexure 42, the metal plate 46 is attached on the surfaces of the load beam 38 and the base plate 36, or spot welded at a plurality of weld points. In one example, the tip of the metal plate 46 has six weld points (first weld portion) B1, B2, B3 (see FIG. 4) welded to the base end portion of the load beam 38, and one weld point (second weld portion) B4 welded to the tip portion of the load beam 38.

[0023] The tip of the flexure 42 is located above the tip of the load beam 38 and constitutes a gimbal portion 44 that functions as an elastic support portion. The magnetic head 17 is placed and fixed on the gimbal portion 44 and supported by the load beam 38 via this gimbal portion 44. A pair of piezoelectric elements 50 constituting the micro actuator are mounted on the gimbal portion 44 and arranged on both sides of the magnetic head 17.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, in the gimbal portion 44, the metal plate 46 has a substantially rectangular tongue portion (support portion) 44a located on the tip side of the load beam 38, a base end portion 44b spaced from the tongue portion 44a on the base end side of the load beam 38, a pair of outriggers 44c extending from the base end portion 44b through the outside of the tongue portion 44a to the tip of the load beam 38 and connected to each other at the tip side, and a substantially rectangular fixing pad 44d extending from the tip of the outrigger 44c to the side of the tongue portion 44a and facing the tip of the tongue portion 44a, and integrally has them. The fixing pad 44d constitutes the tip of the outrigger 44c. Each of the outriggers 44c integrally has a spring-like connecting portion 44e connecting the middle portion in its longitudinal direction and the tongue portion 44a.

[0025] The base end portion 44b of the metal plate 46 is attached on the surface of the load beam 38 and welded to the load beam 38 at the above-described weld points B1, B2, and B3. The fixing pad 44d is disposed overlapping the load beam 38 (overlapping in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the load beam 38) between the tip of the outrigger 44c and the tongue portion 44a, and is welded to the load beam 38 at the above-described weld point B4. In one example, the weld point B4 is located on the central axis C of the suspension 34.

[0026] Each outrigger 44c is formed to have a substantially constant width W1 except for a root portion 45 connected to the base end portion 44b described later, and is formed to be elastically deformable. The pair of outriggers 44c connect the base end portion 44b and the tongue portion 44a and support the tongue portion 44a so as to be displaceable. The magnetic head 17 is mounted and fixed on the tongue portion 44a.

[0027] The tongue portion 44a has its substantially central portion in contact with a dimple (protrusion) 52 protruding from the tip of the load beam 38. The tongue portion 44a can be displaced in various directions with the dimple 52 as a fulcrum due to the elastic deformation of the pair of outriggers 44c. As a result, the magnetic head 17 mounted on the tongue portion 44a can flexibly follow the surface fluctuations of the magnetic disk 18 and be displaced in the roll direction or the pitch direction, and a minute gap can be maintained between the surface of the magnetic disk 18 and the magnetic head 17.

[0028] In the gimbal portion 44, the wiring substrate 48 of the flexure 42 is disposed on the metal plate 46 and extends from the base end portion 44b to above the tongue portion 44a along the central axis C of the suspension assembly 30. That is, the wiring substrate 48 has a base end portion 48a attached on the base end portion 44b, a tip portion 48b attached to the tongue portion 44a, and a pair of strip-shaped bridge portions 48c extending bifurcated from the base end portion 48a to the tip portion 48b. The magnetic head 17 and the piezoelectric element 50 are mounted on the tip portion 48b. The magnetic head 17 is placed on the tongue portion 44a and a part thereof is mounted on the tip portion 48b. The pair of piezoelectric elements 50 are respectively disposed on the bridge portions 48c and are disposed on both sides in the width direction of the magnetic head 17.

[0029] A plurality of connection pads (electrode pads) 53 are provided side by side in the width direction on the tip portion 48b. Also, a plurality of connection pads (electrode pads) (not shown) for connecting the piezoelectric element 50 are provided on the tip portion 48b. The wiring substrate 48 has a plurality of signal wirings WL extending from the connection pads 53 around both side edges of the tip portion 48b to the base end portion 48a side and a plurality of signal wirings WL extending from the connection pads to the base end portion 48a side. These signal wirings WL extend over substantially the entire length of the flexure 42 and are connected to a plurality of connection terminals 43 provided at the connection end portion 42c (see FIG. 3).

[0030] As shown in FIG. 4, the magnetic head 17 has a substantially rectangular head slider, a recording element (write head), a read element (read head), and an assist element (heater) (not shown) provided on the head slider. The magnetic head 17 is mounted on the tip portion 48b on the tongue portion 44a. The recording element (write head), the read element (read head), and the assist element (heater) are electrically connected to a plurality of connection pads 53 on the tip portion 48b via wirings, electrodes, and conductive adhesives (not shown). Thereby, the magnetic head 17 is connected to the signal wiring WL of the wiring board 48 via the connection pads 53.

[0031] The pair of piezoelectric elements 50 uses, for example, rectangular plate-shaped thin film piezoelectric elements (PZT elements). The piezoelectric elements 50 are not limited to the thin film type (about 10 μm thick), and bulk type or bulk laminate type (40 μm or more thick) piezoelectric elements may be used. Further, the piezoelectric elements 50 are not limited to PZT elements, and other piezoelectric elements may be used. Furthermore, the drive element is not limited to piezoelectric elements, and other drive elements that can expand and contract by current application may be used. The piezoelectric elements 50 are arranged such that their longitudinal direction (expansion and contraction direction) is parallel to the central axis C of the suspension 34. The two piezoelectric elements 50 are arranged on both sides in the width direction of the magnetic head 17 and are arranged parallel to each other.

[0032] The suspension assembly 30 includes a viscoelastic material (sometimes referred to as a damper) 60 provided at an overlapping portion of the outrigger 44c that overlaps with the load beam 38. The base portion 45 of the outrigger 44c connected to the base end portion 44b of the metal plate 46 is located overlapping with the load beam 38. That is, the base portion 45 constitutes an overlapping portion that overlaps in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the load beam 38. In the present embodiment, viscoelastic materials (dampers) 60 are provided at a pair of base portions 45.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an enlarged view of the base portion of the outrigger before filling with the viscoelastic material, and FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an enlarged view of the base portion of the outrigger after filling with the viscoelastic agent. FIG. 7 is a side view schematically showing the gimbal portion of the suspension assembly.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 5, the base portion 45 of the outrigger 44c has a width W2 that is wider than the width W1 of the other portions of the outrigger 44c. In one example, the base portion 45 has a substantially triangular shape in which the width gradually narrows from the base end portion 44b toward the extending side of the outrigger 44c. The base portion 45 as the overlapping portion is positioned overlapping the load beam 38. That is, the base portion 45 faces the surface of the load beam 38 with a gap therebetween. And a substantially triangular through hole 47 is provided in the base portion 45. The through hole 47 faces the load beam 38. The through hole 47 may be formed in an area smaller than the area of the base portion 45, and its shape is not limited to a triangle and may be any other shape such as a circle or an ellipse.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, through the through hole 47, the gap between the base portion 45 of the outrigger and the load beam 38 is filled with the viscoelastic material 60. The viscoelastic material 60 is spread and held in the above-mentioned gap, inside the through hole 47, and the region around the through hole 47 on the surface side of the base portion 45. The viscoelastic material 60 forms a damper with the load beam 38 as a restraint layer and has the effect of attenuating the vibration of the outrigger 44c due to its viscosity. As the viscoelastic material 60, for example, a resin adhesive such as a thermosetting adhesive can be used.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 7, when the metal plate 46 of the flexure 42 is welded to the load beam 38, the tongue portion 44a abuts against the dimple 52 of the load beam 38, whereby the pair of outriggers 44c are also pulled up, and a gap is generated between the load beam 38 and the base portion 45 of the outrigger 44c. The viscoelastic material 60 filled into the gap from the through hole 47 spreads in the gap and spreads beyond the outer edge of the through hole 47. That is, in the above gap, the viscoelastic material 60 spreads over an area larger than the area of the through hole 47. Thereby, the viscoelastic material 60 is adhered in a state of being in close contact with the surface of the load beam 38 and the opposing surfaces around the through hole 47 of the base portion 45 in the above gap. Note that, on the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the base portion 45, it is desirable that the viscoelastic material 60 spreads within a range not exceeding the side edge of the base portion 45.

[0037] According to the suspension assembly 30 configured as described above, there is a viscoelastic material 60 filled between the portions where the load beam 38 and the outrigger 44c overlap, for example, between the base portion 45. The viscosity of the viscoelastic material 60 acts as a damper against the torsion mode of the gimbal portion, and the generation of the torsion mode can be suppressed. Thereby, the positioning accuracy of the magnetic head can be improved. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a comparison of the vibration characteristics between the suspension assembly (with damper) according to the embodiment and the suspension assembly (without damper) according to the comparative example. As shown in the figure, in the suspension assembly according to the comparative example, a vibration mode in which the gimbal twists is generated around 10 kHz. On the other hand, in the suspension assembly according to the present embodiment, it can be seen that the vibration around 10 kHz is attenuated and the torsion vibration mode of the gimbal is suppressed.

[0038] Further, according to the suspension assembly 30 according to the present embodiment, by providing the viscoelastic material 60 only at the root portion of the outrigger 44c, the effect of improving the positioning accuracy can be obtained while suppressing an increase in the mass of the gimbal portion and the risk of contamination. By providing through holes 47 in the outrigger 44c and filling the viscoelastic material 60 into the gaps from the through holes 47, the viscoelastic material 60 can be provided between the outrigger 44c and the load beam 38 after the metal plate 46 is positioned and fixed to the load beam 38 by welding. Therefore, a damper can be provided without degrading the existing assembly accuracy and manufacturability of the suspension assembly 30. Further, in the outrigger 44c, the portion where the through holes 47 are provided is formed with a wider width than other portions. Therefore, even when the through holes 47 are provided, the strength of the outrigger 44c does not decrease. Further, since a damper structure can be formed without changing the gap between the outrigger 44c and the load beam 38, it is possible to suppress the influence on other vibration modes. From the above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a suspension assembly capable of improving the positioning accuracy of the head and a disk device including the same.

[0039] Next, a suspension assembly of an HDD according to another embodiment will be described. In the other embodiments described below, the same parts as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description thereof is omitted or simplified, and the description will be centered on the parts different from the first embodiment.

[0040] (Second Embodiment) FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an enlarged front end portion of a suspension assembly according to the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, according to the second embodiment, the viscoelastic material 60 is disposed at the front end portion of the outrigger 44c, here, at the base end portion of the fixed pad 44d, in the overlapping portion of the outrigger 44c overlapping the load beam 38, and forms a damper.

[0041] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an enlarged view of the tip of the outrigger before filling with the viscoelastic agent, and FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an enlarged view of the tip of the outrigger after filling with the viscoelastic agent. FIG. 12 is a side view schematically showing the gimbal portion of the suspension assembly.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 10, the fixed pad 44d integrally connected to the tip of the outrigger 44c is located overlapping the load beam 38 and is welded to the load beam 38 at the weld point B4. The base end portion of the fixed pad 44d connected to the outrigger 44c has a width W3 larger than the width W1 of the other portion of the outrigger 44c. This base end portion faces the load beam 38 with a gap therebetween. A substantially rectangular through hole 51 is provided in the base end portion of the fixed pad 44d. The through hole 51 may be formed in an area smaller than the area of the base end portion, and its shape is not limited to a rectangular shape and may be any other shape.

[0043] As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, through the through hole 51, the gap between the tip of the outrigger 44c and the load beam 38 is filled with the viscoelastic material 60. The viscoelastic material 60 is held spread in the above-mentioned gap, inside the through hole 51, and in the area around the through hole 51 on the surface side of the fixed pad 44d. The viscoelastic material 60 forms a damper with the load beam 38 as a restraint layer and has the effect of damping the vibration of the outrigger 44c due to its viscosity.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 12, when the fixed pad 44d is welded to the load beam 38, the tongue portion 44a abuts against the dimple 52 of the load beam 38, so that the base end portions of the pair of outriggers 44c and the fixed pad 44d are also pulled up, and a gap is generated between the base end portion of the fixed pad 44d and the load beam 38. The viscoelastic material 60 filled in the above-mentioned gap from the through hole 51 spreads into the above-mentioned gap and spreads beyond the outer edge of the through hole 51. That is, in the above-mentioned gap, the viscoelastic material 60 spreads over an area larger than the area of the through hole 51. Thereby, the viscoelastic material 60 is adhered in a state of being in close contact with the surface of the load beam 38 and the opposing surface around the through hole 51 of the fixed pad 44d in the above-mentioned gap. Note that on the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the base end portion of the fixed pad 44d, it is desirable that the viscoelastic material 60 spreads within a range not exceeding the side edge of the outrigger 44c including the fixed pad 44d.

[0045] According to the suspension assembly 30 configured as described above, it has the viscoelastic material 60 filled between the tip of the outrigger 44c and the load beam 38. The viscosity of the viscoelastic material 60 acts as a damper against the torsion mode of the gimbal portion, and the occurrence of the torsion mode can be suppressed. Thereby, the positioning accuracy of the magnetic head can be improved. In addition, in the suspension assembly according to the second embodiment as well, the same operational effects as those of the suspension assembly according to the first embodiment described above can be obtained. From the above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to provide a suspension assembly capable of improving the positioning accuracy of the head and a disk device including the same.

[0046] (Third Embodiment) FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a filling portion of a viscoelastic material in a suspension assembly of an HDD according to the third embodiment. As shown in the figure, in the third embodiment, in the region where the viscoelastic material 60 is filled, for example, an annular recess (or groove) 64 is provided on the surface side of the load beam 38. The recess 64 or the groove is formed, for example, by etching. The viscoelastic material 60 filled between the outrigger 44c and the load beam 38 spreads up to the position of the recess 64 and is arranged in a state where the peripheral portion is located within the recess 64. By providing the recess 64, the excessive spread of the viscoelastic material 60 is restricted. Thereby, the viscoelastic material 60 can be arranged at a desired position and size, and a damper having a desired vibration damping effect can be formed.

[0047] In the suspension assembly according to the third embodiment, other configurations are the same as those of the suspension assembly according to the first embodiment described above. Therefore, in the suspension assembly according to the third embodiment as well, the same operational effects as those of the suspension assembly according to the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

[0048] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and at the implementation stage, components can be modified and embodied without departing from the gist thereof. Also, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Further, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. For example, the material, shape, dimensions, etc. of the components constituting the suspension assembly are not limited to those in the above-described embodiments, and can be variously changed as needed. The piezoelectric elements are not limited to a pair, and may be one or three or more. The position where the viscoelastic material is provided is not limited to the base or tip of the outrigger, and may be provided at other positions as long as it is a portion overlapping with the load beam, that is, a portion facing the load beam with a gap.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0049] 10... Housing, 12... Base, 17... Magnetic head, 18... Magnetic disk, 19... Spindle motor, 22... Actuator assembly, 30... Suspension assembly, 32... Arm, 34... Suspension, 38... Load beam, 42... Flexure (wiring member), 44... Gimbal part, 44c... Outrigger, 44d... Fixed pad (tip), 45... Root part, 46... Metal plate, 47... Through hole, 48... Wiring board (FPC), 50... Piezoelectric element, 60... Viscoelastic material (damper), 64... Recess

Claims

1. A support plate, An elastically deformable gimbal part having a tongue part on which a magnetic head is mounted and an outrigger connected to the tongue part, a wiring member provided on the support plate, A viscoelastic material filled in a gap between the outrigger and the support plate to form a damper, And a suspension assembly comprising the same.

2. The outrigger includes an overlapping part that is located overlapping the support plate and a through hole provided in the overlapping part and facing the support plate, The viscoelastic material is filled in a gap between the overlapping part and the support plate and the through hole. The suspension assembly according to claim 1.

3. The overlapping part has a width wider than that of other parts of the outrigger. The suspension assembly according to claim 2.

4. The support plate has a recess provided at a position facing the overlapping part of the outrigger to restrict the spread of the viscoelastic material. The suspension assembly according to claim 3.

5. The outrigger has a root part located on the proximal side with respect to the tongue part and a tip part located on the distal side with respect to the tongue part, and the root part constitutes the overlapping part. The suspension assembly according to claim 2.

6. The outrigger has a root part located on the proximal side with respect to the tongue part and a tip part located on the distal side with respect to the tongue part, and the tip part constitutes the overlapping part. The suspension assembly according to claim 2.

7. A disk-shaped recording medium having a recording layer, A head actuator having a suspension assembly, and comprising: The suspension assembly is A support plate, An elastically deformable gimbal unit having a tongue portion on which a magnetic head is mounted and an outrigger connected to the tongue portion, a wiring member provided on the support plate, a viscoelastic material filled in a gap between the outrigger and the support plate to form a damper, and a disk device comprising the same.

8. The outrigger includes an overlapping portion positioned to overlap the support plate and a through hole provided in the overlapping portion and facing the support plate. The viscoelastic material is filled in a gap between the overlapping portion and the support plate and the through hole. The disk device according to claim 7.

9. The overlapping portion has a width wider than a width of other portions of the outrigger. The disk device according to claim 8.

10. The support plate has a recess provided at a position facing the overlapping portion of the outrigger to restrict the spread of the viscoelastic material. The disk device according to claim 9.

Images