Suspension for disk drive

Abstract

To provide a suspension for a disk device capable of optimizing a profile of an outrigger part.SOLUTION: A sag bent part 55 bent in a thickness direction of a load beam 12 is formed in a part in a length direction of the load beam 12. The load beam 12 includes a first part 12A and a second part 12B with the sag bent part 55 as a boundary. The load beam 12 and a flexure 13 are fixed to each other by a welding part 41 as a fixing part. A slit part 60 is formed around the fixing part. An outrigger supporting part 70 for supporting outrigger parts 33 and 34 is formed inside the slit part 60.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a suspension for a disk drive in which a load beam and a flexure are fixed to each other by a welded joint. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, a disk drive used in an information processing device such as a personal computer includes a magnetic disk that rotates around a spindle, a carriage that rotates around a pivot shaft, etc. A disk drive suspension is attached to the arm of the carriage.

[0003] A disk drive suspension (hereinafter referred to as a suspension) comprises a base plate, a load beam, and a flexure arranged along the load beam. A slider is mounted on a gimbal portion formed near the tip of the flexure. The slider is provided with an element for accessing, for example, reading or writing data recorded on the magnetic disk. Examples of conventional suspensions are described in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2.

[0004] The load beam is made of a metal plate such as stainless steel. An example of the flexure includes a metal base and a wiring portion formed along the metal base. The metal base is made of a metal plate such as stainless steel that is thinner than the load beam. Outrigger portions are formed on both sides of the gimbal portion.

[0005] The outrigger portion is made up of a part of the metal base and elastically supports the gimbal portion. The metal base is fixed to the load beam by a weld such as laser spot welding. Depending on the suspension specifications, the weld may be formed near the base of the outrigger portion.

[0006] As described in Patent Document 3, depending on the specifications of the suspension, a bent portion that bends at a small angle in the thickness direction is formed in the middle of the load beam in the longitudinal direction (between the base and tip). In the industry, this bent portion is called a sag bend. The sag bend is formed by bending a portion of the load beam in the thickness direction using a mold. A load beam with a sag bend includes, with the sag bend as the boundary, a first portion closer to the base of the load beam and a second portion closer to the tip of the load beam. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2003 / 0086207 [Patent Document 2] US Patent Application Publication No. 2014 / 0268427 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2021-190151 [Patent Document 4] U.S. Patent No. 5,748,409 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] As disk rotation speeds increase and disk density and precision increase, controlling the vibration modes near the gimbal is becoming increasingly important. To suppress the vibration modes in the gimbal, it is necessary to properly control the profile of the outrigger.

[0009] In this specification, the "profile of the outrigger portion" refers to the shape of the outrigger portion when viewed from the side of the load beam, the angle of the outrigger portion relative to the load beam, etc. If the profile of the outrigger portion is not maintained properly, it may have an adverse effect on controlling vibration of the gimbal portion.

[0010] The metal base (also called a metal substrate) of the flexure is fixed to the load beam by a number of welds. These welds are typically formed by laser spot welding, for example. In some suspensions, some of the welds are formed near the base of the outrigger. In some cases, the welds are formed near the sag bend.

[0011] If the weld supporting the base of the outrigger is located near the sag bend, the profile of the outrigger may be affected by the sag bend. Because the second section bends in the thickness direction relative to the first section, the base of the outrigger is affected by the sag bend. In some cases, this can cause the vibration characteristics of the gimbal to deteriorate.

[0012] Patent Document 4 describes a welded portion that secures a load beam and a flexure together. In order to relieve thermal stress generated during welding, a circular slit is formed around almost the entire circumference of the welded portion. The slit is formed near the center of the width of the flat load beam. Furthermore, Patent Document 4 does not mention the sag bend or outrigger support portion of the load beam.

[0013] The present invention provides a suspension for a disk drive that can maintain the profile of the outrigger portion properly even if the weld is formed near the base of the outrigger portion and the weld is provided near a sag bend portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] One embodiment of a disk drive suspension includes a load beam and a flexure fixed to the load beam. The load beam has a sag bend that bends in the thickness direction of the load beam. The flexure has an outrigger that extends in the length direction of the load beam.

[0015] The load beam has a slit formed around the periphery of the fixed portion between the load beam and the flexure, and an outrigger support portion for supporting the outrigger portion is formed inside the slit.

[0016] An example of the slit portion includes an arc-shaped slit formed around the fixing portion and a pair of extension slits connected to both ends of the arc-shaped slit, and forms a U-shape in a plan view of the load beam. In the above embodiment, the fixing portion is a welded portion that fixes the load beam and the flexure to each other, a surface nugget of the welded portion is exposed on the surface of the flexure, and the distance from the center of the welded portion to the slit portion is preferably 1 to 3 times the diameter of the surface nugget.

[0017] In the above embodiment, a flange bent portion may be provided on a side of the load beam along the length of the load beam, and a narrow portion may be provided in a part of the load beam between the flange bent portion and the slit portion, the narrow portion extending in the length direction of the load beam along the flange bent portion.

[0018] The load beam may have a first portion closer to the base of the load beam and a second portion closer to the tip of the load beam, with the sag bend portion as the boundary. The arc-shaped slit may be formed in the second portion, and the extension slit may extend to the first portion across the sag bend. In a cross section along the length of the load beam, an angle of the outrigger support portion with respect to an imaginary line extending the first portion in the length direction may be smaller than an angle of the second portion. The arc-shaped slit may be formed in the first portion, and the extension slit may extend to the second portion across the sag bend.

[0019] In another embodiment, the slit portion includes a first slit formed in the first portion and a second slit formed in the second portion, and the first slit and the second slit are symmetrical with respect to the sag bend portion. In yet another embodiment, the slit portion is formed in the first portion, and the extension slit extends in the width direction of the load beam. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a disk drive suspension according to a first embodiment, viewed from the load beam side. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the suspension shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the flexure side. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the suspension shown in FIG. 1; [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the suspension shown in FIG. 2; [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the outrigger portion and welded portions of the suspension shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the suspension taken along line F6-F6 in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the suspension taken along line F7-F7 in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a load beam of the suspension shown in FIG. 1; [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a disk device. [Figure 10] 5 is a plan view of a portion of the suspension shown in FIG. 4, shown in reverse. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the position and height along the line segments L1, L2, and L3 shown in FIG. 10. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the root and welded portions of the outrigger portion of the suspension according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the position and height along the line segments L1, L2, and L3 shown in FIG. 10 in the suspension shown in FIG. 12. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the root and welded portions of the outrigger portion of the suspension according to the third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a portion of a suspension according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a portion of a suspension according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a plan view of a portion of a suspension according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 18] 18 is a cross-sectional view of the suspension taken along line F18-F18 in FIG. 17. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] [First embodiment] A disk drive suspension according to a first embodiment (hereinafter referred to as a suspension 10) will be described below with reference to FIGS. The suspension 10 shown in Fig. 1 includes a base plate 11, a load beam 12, and a flexure 13. Fig. 1 is a plan view of the suspension 10 seen from the load beam 12 side. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the suspension 10 seen from the flexure 13 side.

[0022] The load beam 12 is made of a stainless steel plate and extends in the longitudinal direction of the suspension 10. The direction indicated by the double-headed arrow X1 in FIG. 1 is the longitudinal direction of the load beam 12. The direction indicated by the double-headed arrow Y1 in FIG. 1 is the width direction of the load beam 12. A base 12a (shown in FIG. 2) of the load beam 12 is fixed to the base plate 11. The thickness of the load beam 12 is, for example, 20 to 40 μm, but may be other thicknesses.

[0023] First piezoelectric elements 15a and 15b (shown in FIG. 1) are disposed near the base 12a of the load beam 12. Second piezoelectric elements 16a and 16b (shown in FIG. 2) are disposed near the tip 12b of the suspension 10. These piezoelectric elements 15a, 15b, 16a, and 16b have the function of moving the tip 12b of the suspension 10 in the sway direction (the direction indicated by the double-headed arrow S1 in FIG. 1).

[0024] The flexure 13 includes a metal substrate (metal base) 20 made of a thin plate of stainless steel, and a wiring portion 21 arranged along the metal substrate 20. The thickness of the metal substrate 20 is, for example, 20 μm (12 to 25 μm), but may be other thicknesses. The thickness of the metal substrate 20 is smaller than the thickness of the load beam 12.

[0025] 2, the flexure 13 includes a flexure body 30 fixed to the load beam 12, a flexure tail 31 extending rearward from the base plate 11 (in the direction indicated by R1 in FIG. 1), a gimbal portion 32, and a pair of outrigger portions 33 and 34. The gimbal portion 32 is formed near the tip end 13a of the flexure 13. A slider 36 functioning as a magnetic head is disposed on a tongue 35 provided on the gimbal portion 32.

[0026] The outrigger portions 33, 34 are made of part of the metal substrate 20. The outrigger portions 33, 34 extend from both sides of the flexure body 30 toward both sides of the gimbal portion 32 in the length direction of the flexure 13 (the length direction of the load beam 12). The outrigger portions 33, 34 each have an elongated shape and elastically support the tongue 35 of the gimbal portion 32 and the like. The root portions 33a, 34a of the outrigger portions 33, 34 are continuous with the flexure body 30.

[0027] The metal substrate 20 of the flexure 13 is fixed to the load beam 12 by a plurality of welds 41, 42, and 43. These welds 41, 42, and 43 are formed by laser spot welding. The first weld 41 is formed near the base portions 33a and 34a of the outrigger portions 33 and 34. The second weld 42 fixes the flexure body 30 to the load beam 12. The third weld 43 fixes the tip end 13a of the flexure 13 to the load beam 12.

[0028] Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the suspension 10 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the suspension 10 shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the base portion 33a of one outrigger portion 33, the welded portion 41, and the like. The base portion 33a of the outrigger portion 33 is supported by the welded portion 41.

[0029] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the suspension 10 (near the welded portion 41) taken along line F6-F6 in Fig. 5. Fig. 6 shows a cross-section along the length of the load beam 12. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view along line F7-F7 in Fig. 5 near the welded portion 41. Fig. 7 shows a cross-section along the width of the load beam 12.

[0030] 6 and 7 show the root portion 33a and welded portion 41 of one outrigger portion 33 of the pair of outrigger portions 33, 34. The root portion 34a and welded portion 41 of the other outrigger portion 34 are configured similarly to the root portion 33a and welded portion 41 of one outrigger portion 33. For this reason, hereinafter, one outrigger portion 33 and welded portion 41 will be described as a representative example.

[0031] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the load beam 12. Flange bent portions 51 and 52 are formed on both sides of the load beam 12. The flange bent portions 51 and 52 extend in the longitudinal direction of the load beam 12. The direction indicated by the double-headed arrow X1 in FIG. 8 is the longitudinal direction of the load beam 12. The direction indicated by the double-headed arrow Y1 in FIG. 8 is the width direction of the load beam 12.

[0032] A sag bend 55 is formed in a portion of the length of the load beam 12 (between the base 12a and the tip 12b). As shown in Fig. 6, the sag bend 55 is formed by bending a portion of the length of the load beam 12 in the thickness direction at an angle θ1. As shown in Fig. 8, the sag bend 55 extends in the width direction of the load beam 12.

[0033] The load beam 12 having the sag bend 55 includes a first portion 12A closer to the base 12a and a second portion 12B closer to the tip 12b, with the sag bend 55 as the boundary. The weld 41 is formed in the second portion 12B of the load beam 12 near the sag bend 55. The weld 41 fixes the base 33a of the outrigger 33 to the load beam 12 and supports the base 33a of the outrigger 33 on the load beam 12.

[0034] A U-shaped slit portion 60 is formed in the load beam 12. The slit portion 60 is formed in an area W1 (shown in FIG. 3 ) including the welded portion 41 in a plan view of the load beam 12. In this specification, the "area W1 including the welded portion 41" refers to a part of the load beam 12 that includes the root portion 33a of the outrigger portion 33, the welded portion 41, and a part of the sag bend portion 55.

[0035] The slit portion 60 includes an arc-shaped slit 61 that surrounds approximately half the circumference of the welded portion 41, and a pair of extension slits 62, 63 that connect to both ends of the arc-shaped slit 61. An outrigger support portion 70 is formed inside the slit portion 60. The welded portion 41 is formed in the outrigger support portion 70.

[0036] The arc-shaped slit 61 is formed in the second portion 12B of the load beam 12. In this embodiment, the arc-shaped slit 61 is formed in a substantially semicircular shape around the welded portion 41. The extension slits 62, 63 extend from both ends of the arc-shaped slit 61 in a direction away from the welded portion 41 along the length of the load beam 12. These extension slits 62, 63 extend from the second portion 12B of the load beam 12, across the sag bend portion 55, to the first portion 12A of the load beam 12.

[0037] A narrow width portion 71 is formed between the flange bend portion 51 and the slit portion 60. The narrow width portion 71 is a part of the load beam 12 and extends in the longitudinal direction of the load beam 12 along the flange bend portion 51. Because the slit portion 60 is formed in the load beam 12, the bending rigidity of the load beam 12 is reduced near the slit portion 60. However, because the flange bend portion 51 is located near the narrow width portion 71, the load beam 12 still has the required rigidity.

[0038] The welded portion 41 is formed by irradiating a laser beam from the flexure 13 side using a laser irradiation device. The portion where the laser beam is focused melts and hardens to form the welded portion 41. The welded portion 41 has a roughly circular front nugget 41a exposed on the surface of the flexure 13 and a roughly circular back nugget 41b exposed on the back surface of the load beam 12. In other embodiments, the laser beam may be irradiated from the load beam 12 side.

[0039] The diameter D1 of the front nugget 41a of the weld 41 shown in Fig. 5 is larger than the diameter of the back nugget 41b (shown in Fig. 6). The diameter D1 of the front nugget 41a is, for example, 0.13 to 0.16 mm. If the distance D2 from the center C1 of the weld 41 to the slit portion 60 is too small, it becomes difficult to secure a contact surface for the pressing jig used during welding.

[0040] If the distance D2 from the center C1 of the weld 41 to the slit portion 60 is too large, it is undesirable because there is a possibility that part of the slit portion 60 may reach the flange bend portion 51. Furthermore, the greater the distance D2 from the center C1 of the weld 41 to the slit portion 60, the larger the area of ​​the outrigger support portion 70, which results in excessive rigidity of the outrigger support portion 70. It is desirable that the distance D2 from the center C1 of the weld 41 to the slit portion 60 be at least one time and at most three times the diameter D1 of the front nugget 41a.

[0041] 6, when the load beam 12 is viewed from the side, the second portion 12B is bent in the thickness direction of the load beam 12 relative to the first portion 12A. That is, the second portion 12B is bent at an angle θ1 in the thickness direction of the load beam 12 at the sag bend portion 55. In contrast, the outrigger support portion 70 is bent at an angle θ2 on the same side as the second portion 12B of the load beam 12.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 6, the outrigger support 70 extends in a different direction from the second portion 12B of the load beam 12. An imaginary line segment X2 (shown in Fig. 6) extending from the first portion 12A in the longitudinal direction of the load beam 12 is defined as X2. The angle θ2 formed by the outrigger support 70 with respect to the line segment X2 is smaller than the angle θ1 formed by the second portion 12B with respect to the line segment X2.

[0043] The base portion 33a of the outrigger portion 33 is fixed to the outrigger support portion 70 by a welded portion 41. Therefore, the base portion 33a of the outrigger portion 33 is bent at an angle θ2 corresponding to the outrigger support portion 70. As shown in FIG. 7, the outrigger support portion 70 is located at a different height in the thickness direction relative to the load beam 12.

[0044] 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic example of a disk device 80. The disk device 80 has a case 81 (only a portion of which is shown), a disk 82 that rotates around a spindle, a carriage 84 that rotates around a pivot shaft 83, and a positioning motor 85 that drives the carriage 84. The case 81 is sealed with a lid. The base plate 11 of the suspension 10 is fixed to the tip of each of a plurality of arms 86 of the carriage 84.

[0045] When the disk 82 rotates, an air bearing is formed between the slider 36 and the disk 82. When the carriage 84 is rotated by the positioning motor 85, the suspension 10 moves in the radial direction of the disk 82. This moves the slider 36 to the desired position on the disk 82.

[0046] FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the suspension 10 including the outrigger portion 33. For ease of explanation, FIG. 10 is shown upside down from FIG. 4. FIG. 11 shows the relationship between position and height along the line segments L1, L2, and L3 shown in FIG. 10. As shown by the line segment L3 in FIG. 11, the profile of the outrigger portion 33 is optimized according to the angle θ2 (shown in FIG. 6) of the outrigger support portion 70.

[0047] [Second embodiment] 12 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of an outrigger support 70 of a suspension 10A according to the second embodiment. The outrigger support 70 of this suspension 10A extends in the same direction as the first portion 12A of the load beam 12 in a cross section along the longitudinal direction of the load beam 12. The outrigger support 70 forms an angle θ1 with respect to the second portion 12B of the load beam 12 and extends in a different direction from the second portion 12B.

[0048] Fig. 13 shows the relationship between the position and height of the portions corresponding to the line segments L1, L2, and L3 shown in Fig. 10. The outrigger portion 33 of the suspension 10A of the second embodiment (shown in Fig. 12) has a profile corresponding to the outrigger support portion 70, as shown by the line segment L3 in Fig. 13. In this embodiment, the height of the portions corresponding to the line segments L1 and L2 is measured with reference to the rear surface of the load beam 12, and the direction and height are aligned in Fig. 13. As the suspension 10A of the second embodiment has other configurations and functions in common with the suspension 10 of the first embodiment (shown in Figs. 1 to 8), common reference numerals are used to designate common portions, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0049] [Third embodiment] 14 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of an outrigger support portion 70 of a suspension 10B according to the third embodiment. The outrigger support portion 70 of this suspension 10B is bent at a negative angle θ3 on the opposite side of the second portion 12B in a cross section along the longitudinal direction of the load beam 12. The outrigger portion 33 of this suspension 10B has a profile corresponding to the outrigger support portion 70 that is bent at the negative angle θ3. As the suspension 10B of the third embodiment has other configurations and functions in common with the suspension 10 of the first embodiment, common reference numerals are used to designate common parts, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0050] [Fourth embodiment] 15 is a plan view showing a suspension 10C according to the fourth embodiment. The arc-shaped slit 61 of the slit portion 60 of this suspension 10C is formed in the first portion 12A of the load beam 12. The extension slits 62 and 63 extend from the first portion 12A across the sag bend portion 55 to the second portion 12B. The suspension 10C according to the fourth embodiment has other configurations and functions in common with the suspension 10 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, common reference numerals are used to designate common parts, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0051] [Fifth embodiment] 16 is a plan view showing a suspension 10D according to a fifth embodiment. The slit portion 60 of this suspension 10D has a first slit 60A and a second slit 60B that are symmetrical with respect to the sag bend portion 55. The first slit 60A is formed in the first portion 12A of the load beam 12. The second slit 60B is formed in the second portion 12B of the load beam 12.

[0052] An outrigger support portion 70 having a welded portion 41 is formed inside a slit portion 60 consisting of a first slit 60A and a second slit 60B. Note that the first slit 60A and the second slit 60B do not need to be completely symmetrical. For example, the first slit 60A and the second slit 60B may be somewhat asymmetrical with respect to the sag bend portion 55. Other than these, the configuration and operation of the suspension 10D of the fifth embodiment are common to the suspension 10 of the first embodiment, and therefore common reference numerals are used to designate parts common to both, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0053] [Sixth embodiment] FIG. 17 is a plan view showing a suspension 10E according to a sixth embodiment. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the suspension 10E taken along line F18-F18 in FIG. 17. The suspension 10E has a pair of symmetrical slits 60 with respect to an axis X3 extending in the longitudinal direction of the load beam 12. These slits 60 are formed in the first portion 12A of the load beam 12. The extension slits 62 and 63 extend in the width direction of the load beam 12. An outrigger support 70 having a weld 41 is formed inside the slit 60.

[0054] 18, the cross section (cross section in the width direction) of the load beam 12 of the suspension 10E has a central portion that is slightly convexly curved toward the opposite side from the flange bends 51 and 52. A pair of outrigger support portions 70 each extend in the width direction of the load beam 12. Other configurations and functions of the suspension 10E of the sixth embodiment are common to the suspension 10 of the first embodiment, so common reference numerals are used to designate common parts and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0055] In implementing the present invention, it goes without saying that the specific shapes and configurations of the load beam and flexure that make up the suspension, as well as the shapes and arrangements of the sag bend portion, outrigger portion, slit portion, and outrigger support portion can be modified as necessary. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E...disk device suspension, 12...load beam, 12a...base, 12b...tip, 12A...first portion, 12B...second portion, 13...flexure, 20...metal substrate, 30...flexure main body, 32...gimbal portion, 33, 34...outrigger portion, 33a, 34a...root portion, 41...welded portion, 41a...front nugget, 41b...back nugget, 51, 52...flange bend portion, 55...sag bend portion, 60...slit portion, 61...arc-shaped slit, 62, 63...extension slit, 70...outrigger support portion, 71...narrow width portion.

Claims

1. A load beam, a flexure fixed to the load beam and having an outrigger portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the load beam; A disk drive suspension comprising: The load beam has a sag bend portion formed in the thickness direction thereof, and a slit portion is formed in the load beam around a fixing portion between the load beam and the flexure, A disk drive suspension, characterized in that an outrigger support portion for supporting the outrigger portion is formed inside the slit portion.

2. 2. The disk drive suspension according to claim 1, The slit portion is The fixing portion has an arc-shaped slit formed around it, and a pair of extension slits connected to both ends of the arc-shaped slit. The disk drive suspension, wherein the slit portion is U-shaped when viewed from above the load beam.

3. 2. The disk drive suspension according to claim 1, a disk drive suspension, wherein the fixing portion is a welded portion that fixes the load beam and the flexure to each other, a surface nugget of the welded portion is exposed on the surface of the flexure, and the distance from the center of the welded portion to the slit portion is 1 to 3 times the diameter of the surface nugget.

4. 3. The disk drive suspension according to claim 1, a flange bent portion on a side of the load beam along the length of the load beam; The disk drive suspension has a narrowed width portion between the flange bent portion and the slit portion, the narrowed width portion being a part of the load beam and extending in the length direction of the load beam along the flange bent portion.

5. 3. The disk drive suspension according to claim 2, the load beam includes a first portion on a side closer to a base of the load beam with respect to the sag bend portion, and a second portion on a side closer to a tip of the load beam with respect to the sag bend portion, The disk drive suspension has the arc-shaped slit formed in the second portion, and the extension slit extending across the sag bend to the first portion.

6. 6. The disk drive suspension according to claim 5, A suspension for a disk drive, wherein, in a cross section along the longitudinal direction of the load beam, the angle of the outrigger support portion with respect to an imaginary line segment extending the first portion in the longitudinal direction is smaller than the angle of the second portion.

7. 3. The disk drive suspension according to claim 2, the load beam includes a first portion on a side closer to a base of the load beam with respect to the sag bend portion, and a second portion on a side closer to a tip of the load beam with respect to the sag bend portion, The disk drive suspension has the arc-shaped slit formed in the first portion, and the extension slit extending across the sag bend to the second portion.

8. 2. The disk drive suspension according to claim 1, the load beam includes a first portion on a side closer to a base of the load beam with respect to the sag bend portion, and a second portion on a side closer to a tip of the load beam with respect to the sag bend portion, The slit portion is a first slit formed in the first portion; a second slit formed in the second portion; The disk drive suspension has the first slit and the second slit symmetrical to each other with the sag bend portion as a boundary.

9. 3. The disk drive suspension according to claim 2, the load beam includes a first portion on a side closer to a base of the load beam with respect to the sag bend portion, and a second portion on a side closer to a tip of the load beam with respect to the sag bend portion, The disk drive suspension has the slit portion formed in the first portion of the load beam, and the extension slit extending in the width direction of the load beam.

Images