Manufacturing method for magnetic head suspension

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension that can effectively prevent contact marks from being left on the portion of the lift tab tip that engages with the ramp during the tongue orientation confirmation process, which measures the relative orientation of the tongue region with respect to the base plate. [Solution] In the method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension according to the present invention, during the tongue posture confirmation step, the tip support member that supports the tip region of the lift tab is positioned to support at least one of the ranges of 0.45 × L from the base end of the tip region and 0.2 × L from the tip of the tip region, when the total length of the tip region is L.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension that supports a magnetic head slider for reading and / or writing data to a storage medium such as a hard disk.

Background Art

[0002] A magnetic head suspension is a member that supports a magnetic head slider for reading and / or writing data to a storage medium such as a hard disk, and includes a base plate, a load beam having a base end portion connected to the base plate, and a flexure that is fixed to the load beam and supports the magnetic head slider in a tongue region provided on the tip side.

[0003] The base plate is a high-rigidity member that is operatively connected to a main actuator such as a voice coil motor and is swung around a swing center.

[0004] The load beam has a connection portion connected to the base plate, a load bending portion extending from the connection portion to the tip side, a load transmission portion extending from the load bending portion to the tip side, and a lift tab extending from the load transmission portion to the tip side, and is a member having relatively high rigidity.

[0005] The load bending portion is configured to generate a pressing load for pressing the magnetic head slider against the disk surface of the storage medium.

[0006] The load transmission portion is configured to transmit the load generated in the load bending portion to the tip side. The load transmission portion has a flat central region to which the flexure is fixed, and a pair of front flanges bent from both sides in the width direction of the central region at least in a part of the central region in the longitudinal direction in order to increase the rigidity of the load transmission portion.

[0007] The tip of the central region is provided with dimples that protrude toward the disk surface of the recording medium, and the pressing force is transmitted to the tongue region of the flexure via these dimples.

[0008] The lift tab is configured to engage with a lamp attached to the storage medium when the magnetic head suspension transitions from a loaded state to an unloaded state.

[0009] More specifically, in the loaded state of the magnetic head suspension (the state in which the magnetic head slider is positioned on a desired track on the rotating disk surface), the force that causes the magnetic head slider to move upward away from the disk surface due to the air pressure generated as the disk rotates, and the force that causes the magnetic head slider to press toward the disk surface due to the pressing load from the load bending portion, are balanced, thereby holding the magnetic head slider at a constant floating height above the disk surface.

[0010] The ramp has an inclined surface provided on the movement trajectory of the lift tab when the magnetic head suspension transitions from a loaded state to an unloaded state (a state in which the magnetic head slider is moved radially outward from the disk surface). The inclined surface is tilted so that it is positioned above the disk surface as it moves radially outward from the disk surface.

[0011] The lift tab has an inclined region that extends from the load-transmitting portion toward the tip and is inclined to move upward away from the disc surface as it approaches the tip, and a tip region that extends from the inclined region toward the tip and engages with the ramp.

[0012] In this configuration, when the magnetic head suspension transitions from a loaded state to an unloaded state, the tip region engages with the inclined surface of the ramp, causing the tip side of the magnetic head suspension to be lifted upward, thereby separating the magnetic head slider upward from the disk surface.

[0013] The flexure has a flexure substrate that is fixed to the road beam. The flexure substrate has a load beam bonding region that is bonded in an overlapping state to the disk-facing surface of the load transmission portion, a pair of left and right outriggers that extend from the load beam bonding region toward the tip and are free from the load beam, and a tongue region that is supported via the pair of outriggers, supports the magnetic head slider on the disk-facing surface and engages with the dimple on the side opposite to the disk-facing surface.

[0014] The tongue region is flexibly pivotable in the roll and pitch directions with the dimple as a pivot point, thereby enabling the magnetic head slider to assume an appropriate orientation relative to the disk surface.

[0015] Thus, the tongue region determines the orientation of the magnetic head slider relative to the disk surface. Therefore, accurately controlling the initial orientation of the tongue region relative to the portion of the magnetic head suspension that is operably connected to the main actuator (the base plate) is important for the performance of the magnetic head suspension.

[0016] In light of this, conventional methods for manufacturing the magnetic head suspension include a tongue posture confirmation step for measuring the relative posture of the tongue region with respect to the base plate.

[0017] The tongue orientation confirmation step is performed after the base plate, the load beam, and the flexure substrate are welded together to form a laminate, and is configured to check whether the inclination angle of the tongue region with respect to the base plate is within a predetermined threshold while the base plate is fixed and the disc-facing surface of the tip region is supported by the tip support member. The tip support member is a member formed from a metal such as stainless steel.

[0018] Conventionally, the metal tip support member was positioned to support the central portion of the tip region in the longitudinal direction, and there was a risk that contact marks would be left on the central portion of the tip region in the longitudinal direction during the tongue posture confirmation process.

[0019] The lamp is often positioned to engage with the central portion of the tip region in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, if contact marks are left on the central portion of the tip region by the tip support member, the smooth transition of the magnetic head suspension from the loaded state to the unloaded state will be hindered. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0020] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4605748 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0021] The present invention has been made in view of the above prior art, and aims to provide a method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension that can effectively prevent contact marks from being left on the tip portion of the lift tab that engages with a lamp attached to a recording medium during a tongue orientation confirmation step, which measures the relative orientation of the tongue region supporting the magnetic head slider with respect to the base plate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0022] To achieve the above objective, a first aspect of the present invention comprises a base plate to which a main actuator is actuated, a load beam whose base end is fixed to the base plate, and a flexure fixed to the load beam, wherein the load beam includes a connecting portion connected to the base plate, a load bending portion extending from the connecting portion toward the tip, a load transmission portion extending from the load bending portion toward the tip, and a lift tab extending from the load transmission portion toward the tip, wherein the lift tab extends from the load transmission portion toward the tip and has an inclined region that is inclined to move away from the disk surface of the storage medium as it moves toward the tip, and a tip region that extends from the inclined region toward the tip and engages with a lamp attached to the storage medium, wherein the flexure includes a flexure substrate fixed to the load beam, wherein the flexure substrate has a load beam bonding region that is bonded in an overlapping state to the disk-facing surface of the load transmission portion, and a pair of left and right outlets that extend from the load beam bonding region toward the tip and are free from the load beam A method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension having a rigger and a tongue region supported via a pair of outriggers, which supports a magnetic head slider on the disk-facing surface and engages with dimples provided in the load-transmission portion on the opposite side of the disk-facing surface, the method comprising a tongue posture confirmation step for measuring the relative posture of the tongue region with respect to the base plate in a laminate formed by welding the base plate, the load beam and the flexure substrate, wherein the tongue posture confirmation step is configured to check whether the inclination angle of the tongue region with respect to the base plate is within a predetermined threshold, with the base plate fixed and the disk-facing surface of the tip region supported by a tip support member, and the tip support member supports the disk-facing surface of the tip region in at least one of the ranges of 0.45 × L from the base end of the tip region and 0.2 × L from the tip of the tip region, when the total length of the tip region is L, the method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension is provided.

[0023] For example, the tip support member is configured to support the disk-facing surface of the tip region in a range of 0.45 × L from the base end of the tip region.

[0024] Instead, the tip support member is configured to support the disk facing surface of the tip region in a range of 0.2×L from the tip of the tip region.

[0025] In the first aspect, preferably, the tip support member has a metal ridge-shaped portion extending along the width direction of the magnetic head suspension, and a cross-section of the ridge-shaped portion when cut along the longitudinal direction of the magnetic head suspension is a convex upward curved shape.

[0026] A second aspect of the present invention includes a base plate to which a main actuator is operatively connected, a load beam having a proximal end fixed to the base plate, and a flexure fixed to the load beam. The load beam includes a connection portion connected to the base plate, a load bending portion extending from the connection portion toward the distal end side, a load transmission portion extending from the load bending portion toward the distal end side, and a lift tab extending from the load transmission portion toward the distal end side. The lift tab extends from the load transmission portion toward the distal end side and has an inclined region inclined so as to be separated from the disk surface of the storage medium as it goes toward the distal end side, and a distal end region extending from the inclined region toward the distal end side and engaging with a lamp attached to the storage medium. The flexure includes a flexure substrate fixed to the load beam. The flexure substrate has a load beam bonding region bonded in a polymerized state to the disk facing surface of the load transmission portion, a pair of left and right outriggers extending from the load beam bonding region toward the distal end side and being in a free state with respect to the load beam, and a tongue region supported via the pair of outriggers, supporting a magnetic head slider on the disk facing surface, and engaging with a dimple provided in the load transmission portion on the side opposite to the disk facing surface. A method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension, in a laminate in which the base plate, the load beam, and the flexure substrate are welded together, includes a tongue posture confirmation step of measuring a relative posture of the tongue region with respect to the base plate. The tongue posture confirmation step is configured to inspect whether an inclination angle of the tongue region with respect to the base plate is within a predetermined threshold value in a state where the base plate is fixed and the disk facing surface of the lift tab is supported by a distal end support member. The distal end support member has a metal ridge-shaped portion extending along the width direction of the magnetic head suspension. The ridge-shaped portion has a cross section that is convex upward when cut along the longitudinal direction of the magnetic head suspension. The distal end support member is arranged to contact both the disk facing surfaces of the distal end region and the inclined region. A method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension is provided.

[0027] The method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension according to the present invention may preferably include a tongue attitude adjustment step performed when the inclination angle of the tongue region with respect to the base plate in the tongue attitude confirmation step exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0028] The tongue posture adjustment step is configured such that, with the base plate fixed and the disc-facing surface of the tip region supported by the tip support member, a laser beam is shone onto at least one of the pair of outriggers to adjust the inclination angle of the tongue region relative to the base plate to within the predetermined threshold. [Effects of the Invention]

[0029] According to the method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension of the present invention, during the tongue attitude confirmation step, which measures the relative attitude of the tongue region supporting the magnetic head slider with respect to the base platen, it is possible to effectively prevent contact marks from being left on the portion of the tip region of the lift tab that engages with the lamp attached to the recording medium. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0030] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a plan view of a magnetic head suspension manufactured by a manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a bottom view of the magnetic head suspension shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a plan view of the load beam in the magnetic head suspension. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a partially enlarged plan view showing the connection state between the base plate and the load beam in the magnetic head suspension. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is an exploded plan view of Figure 4. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a partially enlarged bottom view of the tip side of the magnetic head suspension. [Figure 7]Figures 7(a) and 7(b) are cross-sectional views along the VIIa-VIIa and VIIb-VIIb lines in Figure 3, respectively. [Figure 8] Figures 8(a) and 8(b) are cross-sectional views showing the tongue orientation confirmation step in a manufacturing method according to one modified example and another modified example of the above embodiment, respectively. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0031] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0032] First, the configuration of the magnetic head suspension 1 manufactured by the manufacturing method according to this embodiment will be described. Figures 1 and 2 show a plan view (top view seen from the side opposite the disk surface) and a bottom view (bottom view seen from the disk surface side) of the magnetic head suspension 1, respectively.

[0033] The magnetic head suspension 1 supports a magnetic head slider, which reads and / or writes data to a storage medium such as a hard disk drive, at its tip, and is oscillated around a pivot center X by a main actuator such as a voice coil motor, thereby moving the magnetic head slider along the seek direction parallel to the disk surface of the storage medium onto the target track on the disk surface.

[0034] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the magnetic head suspension 1 comprises a base plate 10, a load beam 20, and a flexure 60 as its main components. In Figures 1 and 2, the symbol C represents the longitudinal centerline of the magnetic head suspension 1.

[0035] The magnetic head suspension 1 further includes a pair of base-side piezoelectric elements 90 and a pair of front-side piezoelectric elements 95 that act as sub-actuators to quickly and accurately position the magnetic head slider on the target track.

[0036] The base plate 10 is a rigid member that is oscillated directly or indirectly around the pivot center X by a main actuator such as a voice coil motor, and is preferably formed from a stainless steel plate with a thickness (for example, 0.08 mm to 0.3 mm). As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the base plate 10 is provided with a connecting hole 10a into which the main actuator is operated.

[0037] Figure 3 shows a plan view of the load beam 20 alone (a top view seen from the opposite side of the disk surface). The load beam 20 is a member that generates a pressing load to bias the magnetic head slider toward the disk surface of the recording medium, and transmits the pressing load to the magnetic head slider.

[0038] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the load beam 20 has a connecting portion 22 located on the base end side in the longitudinal direction of the magnetic head suspension 1, a load bending portion 35 extending from the connecting portion 22 toward the tip side in the longitudinal direction of the magnetic head suspension 1, a load transmission portion 40 extending from the load bending portion 35 toward the tip side in the longitudinal direction of the magnetic head suspension 1, and a lift tab 50 extending further toward the tip side from the load transmission portion 40.

[0039] In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the terms "tip end" and "base end" refer to the tip end and base end of the magnetic head suspension 1 in the longitudinal direction, respectively; the term "width direction" refers to the width direction of the magnetic head suspension 1; and the terms "inside" and "outside" refer to the inside and outside of the magnetic head suspension 1 in the width direction, respectively.

[0040] The connecting portion 22 is connected to the base plate 10 and works in cooperation with the base plate 10 to support the pair of base-end piezoelectric elements 90.

[0041] Figure 4 shows a partially enlarged plan view illustrating the connection between the base plate 10 and the load beam 20. Furthermore, Figure 5 shows an exploded plan view of Figure 4.

[0042] As shown in Figures 1, 2, 4, and 5, the base plate 10 has a BP base end region 11 in which the connecting hole 10a is formed, a BP tip region 13 spaced apart from the BP base end region 11 toward the tip, and a BP central connecting region 12 that connects the centers of the BP base end region 11 and the BP tip region 13 in the suspension width direction, and mounting spaces 15 are provided on the left and right sides of the BP central connecting region 12 for mounting the base end piezoelectric element 90.

[0043] The connecting portion 22 includes an LB base region 25, an LB tip region 27, and an LB central connecting region 26 that are spot-welded in an overlapping state to the BP base region 11, the BP tip region 13, and the BP central connecting region 12, respectively, and an LB base-side extending region 31, an LB tip-side extending region 32, an LB inner extending region 33, and an LB outer extending region 34 that extend from the LB base region 25, the LB tip region 27, and the LB central connecting region 26 into the base-side piezoelectric element mounting space 15, respectively.

[0044] The base-side piezoelectric element 90 is positioned and temporarily fixed on the upper surface of the LB extension regions 31-34 by a first insulating adhesive (not shown) such that, within the corresponding mounting space 15, its tip-side end face faces the BP tip region 13 via a tip-side gap, and its base-side end face faces the BP base region 11 via a base-side gap. It is then fixed to the BP tip region 13 and the BP base region 11 by a second insulating adhesive (not shown) that fills the tip-side gap and the base-side gap.

[0045] In Figure 1, reference numeral 91 denotes a conductive adhesive that electrically connects the grounding electrode provided on the upper surface of the base-end piezoelectric element 90 to the upper surface of the base plate 10. The voltage supply electrode provided on the lower surface of the base-side piezoelectric element 90 is electrically connected to the voltage supply wiring for the base-side piezoelectric element of the wiring structure 70 (see Figure 2) provided on the flexure 60 via a conductive adhesive (not shown).

[0046] The load-bending portion 35 generates a load (pressing load) that presses the magnetic head slider, which is mounted on the tongue region 65 provided on the tip side of the flexure substrate 62 of the flexure 60, toward the disk surface of the storage medium.

[0047] In other words, the flexure substrate 62 is designed to bend and deform so that the magnetic head slider mounted on the tongue region 65 levitates above the disk surface in response to the air pressure generated by the rotation of the disk surface. The load bending portion 35 generates a load (pressing load) that presses the tongue region 65 toward the disk surface against the air pressure, and when this pressing load and the air pressure balance each other, the magnetic head slider is held at a predetermined levitation height above the rotating disk surface.

[0048] The load transmission portion 40 is configured to transmit the load generated at the load bending portion 35 to the tip side. The load transmission portion 40 has a flat central region 42 to which the flexure substrate 62 is fixed, and a pair of flanges 43 that are bent from both sides in the width direction of the central region 42 in the longitudinal direction in order to increase the rigidity of the load transmission portion 40.

[0049] The load beam 20 is formed from a rigid member, preferably a stainless steel plate with a relatively thick thickness (for example, 0.02 mm to 0.1 mm).

[0050] Figure 6 shows a partially enlarged bottom view of the tip side of the magnetic head suspension 1. Note that in Figure 6, the pair of tip-side piezoelectric elements 95 are omitted from the illustration in order to facilitate understanding of the flexure substrate 62. Furthermore, Figures 7(a) and 7(b) show cross-sectional views along the VIIa-VIIa and VIIb-VIIb lines in Figure 3, respectively. As shown in Figures 1, 3, 6, and 7(a), the load transmission portion 40 of the load beam 20 has protrusions called dimples 45 formed at its tip.

[0051] The dimples 45 protrude, for example, by about 0.05 mm to 0.1 mm, in a direction approaching the disk surface. These dimples 45 contact the upper surface of the tongue region 65 of the flexure substrate 62 (the surface opposite to the disk-facing surface that supports the magnetic head slider), and the pressing load generated at the load bending portion 35 is transmitted to the tongue region 65 via these dimples 45.

[0052] The lift tab 50 engages with a ramp (not shown) attached to the storage medium when the magnetic head suspension transitions from a loaded state to an unloaded state, and is a part that moves the magnetic head slider upward away from the disk surface.

[0053] In more detail, when the magnetic head suspension 1 is in a loaded state, the air pressure due to the rotation of the disk and the pressing load from the load bending portion 35 are balanced, so that the magnetic head slider is held at a predetermined floating height on the disk surface, and data can be read or written to the desired track on the disk surface.

[0054] During the transition from the loaded state to the unloaded state, the magnetic head suspension 1 is oscillated by the main actuator around the pivot center X so that the magnetic head slider is positioned radially outward from the disk surface.

[0055] The ramp has an inclined surface that is positioned on the movement trajectory of the lift tab 50 when the magnetic head suspension 1 transitions from a loaded state to an unloaded state. The inclined surface is tilted so that it is positioned above the disk surface as it moves radially outward from the disk surface.

[0056] As shown in Figures 3 and 7, the lift tab 50 has an inclined region 52 that extends from the load transmission portion 40 toward the tip and is inclined to move upward away from the disk surface as it moves toward the tip (moving away from the disk surface in a direction perpendicular to the disk surface), and a tip region 55 that extends from the inclined region 52 toward the tip and engages with the ramp. In this embodiment, the tip region 55 extends substantially parallel to the load transmission portion 40.

[0057] When the magnetic head suspension 1 is oscillated by the main actuator around the pivot center X so that the magnetic head slider moves radially outward from the disk surface, the tip region 55 engages with the inclined surface of the ramp, causing the tip side of the magnetic head suspension 1 to be lifted upward, thereby moving the magnetic head slider upward away from the disk surface.

[0058] As shown in Figures 7(a) and (b), in this embodiment, the tip region 55 of the lift tab 50 is concave, opening upward (in the direction away from the disk surface).

[0059] By making the tip region 55 concave, the rigidity of the tip region 55 in the direction perpendicular to the disk surface can be increased.

[0060] As shown in Figure 6, in this embodiment, the concave shape of the tip region 55 crosses the boundary with the inclined region 52 and reaches the tip of the inclined region 52. By having such a configuration, the rigidity of the boundary portion between the tip region 55 and the inclined region 52 can be increased, and as a result, the rigidity of the lift tab 50 can be improved.

[0061] The flexure 50 has a flexure substrate 62 that is fixed to the load beam 20 by welding, with the magnetic head slider supported on the disk-facing surface of the tongue region 65 provided on the tip side.

[0062] As shown in Figures 2 and 6, the flexure substrate 62 has a load beam joining region 63 which is joined by welding in an overlapping state to the disk-facing surface of the load transmission portion 40 on the load beam 20, a pair of left and right outriggers 64 which extend from the load beam joining region 63 toward the tip and are free from the load beam 20, and a tongue region 65 which is supported via the pair of outriggers 64 and supports the magnetic head slider on the disk-facing surface and engages with the dimple 45 on the opposite side from the disk-facing surface.

[0063] The flexure substrate 62 is formed from a flexible member, preferably a thin-walled (for example, about 0.01 mm to 0.025 mm thick) stainless steel plate, so that the tongue region 65, supported via the pair of outriggers 64, can flexibly swing in the roll direction and pitch direction with the dimple 45 as a pivot point.

[0064] As shown in Figure 6, in this embodiment, the pair of outriggers 64 have a pair of outer extending pieces 64a that extend from the road beam joining region 63 toward the tip and merge on the longitudinal centerline of the suspension toward the tip side of the dimple 45, a pair of inner extending pieces 64b that extend inward in the suspension width direction from the middle of the longitudinal direction of the pair of outer extending pieces 64a and merge on the longitudinal centerline of the suspension, and a central extending piece 64c that extends toward the tip side from the merging portion of the pair of inner extending pieces 64b and is connected to the tongue region 65 at the tip.

[0065] As shown in Figure 6, the pair of outer extension pieces 64a are fixed to the road beam 20 by welding near the confluence. Reference numeral 85 in Figures 2 and 6 indicates a welding point.

[0066] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in this embodiment, the flexure substrate 62 further includes a base plate bonding region 67 which is fixed to the base plate 10 in an overlapping state, and a base end extension region 68 which extends from the base plate bonding region 67 toward the suspension base end.

[0067] As shown in Figures 2 and 6, in this embodiment, the flexure 60 further has a wiring structure 70 fixed to the disk-facing surface (lower surface) of the flexure substrate 62.

[0068] As shown in Figure 6, the wiring structure 70 includes an insulating layer 72 laminated on the lower surface (disk-facing surface) of the flexible substrate 62, a wiring conductor 74 laminated on the lower surface (disk-facing surface) of the insulating layer 72, and an insulating cover layer (not shown) surrounding the wiring conductor 74.

[0069] The wiring conductor 74 includes a writing wire for transmitting a writing signal from the outside to the magnetic head slider, a reading wire for transmitting a reading signal from the magnetic head slider to the outside, a voltage supply wire for the base-side piezoelectric elements for supplying an operating voltage to the pair of base-side piezoelectric elements 90, and a voltage supply wire for the tip-side piezoelectric elements for supplying an operating voltage to the pair of tip-side piezoelectric elements 95.

[0070] As shown in Figure 1, the magnetic head suspension 1 further includes a damper 99 fixed to the road beam 20. The damper 99 is fixed to the upper surface (the surface opposite to the disc surface) of the central region 42 in the load transmission portion 40 with adhesive.

[0071] The damper 99 is fixed to the road beam 20 in order to prevent or reduce any unintended vibrations that may occur in the magnetic head suspension 1.

[0072] The damper 99 may have, for example, a first layer (not shown) made of a viscoelastic material fixed to the road beam 20, and a second layer (not shown) fixed to the upper surface of the first layer (the surface opposite to the disk surface).

[0073] For the first layer, for example, acrylic polymer or silicone is preferably used. For the second layer, metal materials such as stainless steel or aluminum, or resin materials such as polyethylene terephthalate are preferably used.

[0074] The following describes how to manufacture the magnetic head suspension 1.

[0075] The manufacturing method includes a laminate formation step of welding the base plate 10, the load beam 20, and the flexure substrate 62 to form a laminate in which the base plate 10, the load beam 20, and the flexure 60 are stacked.

[0076] The manufacturing method includes a tongue orientation confirmation step that is performed after the laminate formation step. The tongue orientation confirmation step is a step of confirming whether the relative orientation of the tongue region 65 with respect to the base plate 10 in the laminate is within a predetermined range.

[0077] As described above, the tongue region 65 is supported via a pair of outriggers 64 that are free from the load transmission portion 40 of the load beam 20, with its upper surface opposite to the disk-facing surface in contact with the dimple 45, and is capable of swinging in the pitch and roll directions with the dimple 45 as a pivot point when the magnetic head suspension 1 is loaded.

[0078] Controlling the initial posture of this tongue region 65, that is, the initial posture of the magnetic head suspension 1 relative to the portion (the base plate) to which the magnetic head suspension 1 is operably connected to the main actuator, is extremely important for the performance of the magnetic head suspension 1.

[0079] Specifically, the tongue posture confirmation step is configured to check whether the inclination angle of the tongue region 65 with respect to the base plate 10 is within a predetermined threshold, with the base plate 10 fixed and the disc-facing surface of the tip region 55 supported by the tip support member 100 (see Figure 7(a)).

[0080] The tip support member 100 is generally made of a rigid metal material (for example, stainless steel (SUS440C)), and when the tip region 55 of the lift tab 50 is supported by the tip support member 100, there is a risk that contact marks will be left on the disc-facing surface of the tip region 55 against the tip support member 100.

[0081] In the conventional manufacturing method, during the tongue posture confirmation step, the tip support member 100 is positioned to support the central portion of the tip region 55 in the longitudinal direction, and there was a risk that contact marks caused by the tip support member 100 would be left on the central portion of the tip region 55 in the longitudinal direction.

[0082] The tip region 55 engages with the ramp when the magnetic head suspension 1 transitions from a loaded state to an unloaded state. In most cases, the ramp is attached to the storage medium, such as a hard disk drive, so as to engage with the longitudinal central portion of the tip region 55.

[0083] Therefore, if contact marks are left on the longitudinal central portion of the tip region 55, the smooth transition of the magnetic head suspension 1 from the loaded state to the unloaded state will be hindered.

[0084] With this in mind, in this embodiment, during the tongue posture confirmation step, the tip support member 100 is positioned to support the disc-facing surface of the tip region 55 in at least one of the following ranges: a range of 0.45 × L from the base end of the tip region 55 (Figure 7(a)) and a range of 0.2 × L from the tip of the tip region 55 (Figure 8(a)), where L is the total length of the suspension longitudinal direction of the tip region 55.

[0085] With this configuration, the angle of the tongue 65 can be effectively measured in the tongue attitude confirmation step while effectively preventing contact marks from being left on the longitudinal central portion of the tip region 55, which is highly likely to engage with the lamp.

[0086] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 7(a) and (b), the tip support member 100 has a ridged portion 105 made of metal (for example, stainless steel (SUS440C)) that extends along the width direction of the magnetic head suspension 1. The ridged portion 105 has a curved shape that is convex upward when cut along the longitudinal direction of the magnetic head suspension 1.

[0087] The manufacturing method includes a tongue posture adjustment step, which is performed when the inclination angle of the tongue region 65 with respect to the base plate 10 in the tongue posture confirmation step exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0088] The tongue posture adjustment step is configured such that, with the base plate 10 fixed and the disc-facing surface of the tip region 55 supported by the tip support member 100, a laser beam is shone onto at least one of the pair of outriggers 64 to adjust the inclination angle of the tongue region 65 relative to the base plate 10 to within the predetermined threshold.

[0089] If the tip support member 100 is a metal ridged portion 105 extending along the width direction of the magnetic head suspension 1, and the cross-section of the ridged portion 105 when cut along the longitudinal direction of the magnetic head suspension 1 is a curved shape that is convex upward, then in the tongue attitude confirmation step, the tip support member 100 can also be positioned to support the disk-facing surfaces of both the tip region 55 and the inclined region 52 (see Figure 8(b)). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0090] 1. Magnetic head suspension 10 base plate 20 Road Beam 22 Connection part 35 Load-bearing bending points 40 Load transmission part 50 Lift Tabs 52 Slope area 55 Tip area 60 Flexia 62 Flexure board 63 Load beam junction area 64 Outriggers 65 Tongue region 100 Tip support member 105 Ridged part

Claims

1. The main actuator comprises a base plate to which it is actuated, a load beam whose base end is fixed to the base plate, and a flexure fixed to the load beam, wherein the load beam includes a connecting portion connected to the base plate, a load bending portion extending from the connecting portion toward the tip, a load transmission portion extending from the load bending portion toward the tip, and a lift tab extending from the load transmission portion toward the tip, wherein the lift tab extends from the load transmission portion toward the tip and is inclined so as it moves toward the tip, away from the disk surface of the storage medium, and extends from the inclined region toward the tip and is attached to the storage medium A method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension, comprising: a tip region that engages with a lamp, wherein the flexure includes a flexure substrate fixed to the load beam, the flexure substrate having a load beam bonding region that is bonded in an overlapping state to the disk-facing surface of the load transmission portion, a pair of left and right outriggers that extend from the load beam bonding region toward the tip and are free from the load beam, and a tongue region that is supported via the pair of outriggers, supports a magnetic head slider on the disk-facing surface and engages with a dimple provided in the load transmission portion on the opposite side of the disk-facing surface, In a laminate formed by welding the base plate, the load beam, and the flexure substrate, the process includes a tongue orientation confirmation step for measuring the relative orientation of the tongue region with respect to the base plate, The tongue posture confirmation step is configured to check whether the inclination angle of the tongue region with respect to the base plate is within a predetermined threshold, with the base plate fixed and the disc-facing surface of the tip region supported by the tip support member. A method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension, characterized in that, when the total length of the tip region is L, the tip support member supports the disk-facing surface of the tip region in at least one of the ranges of 0.45 × L from the base end of the tip region and 0.2 × L from the tip of the tip region.

2. The method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension according to claim 1, characterized in that the tip support member supports the disk-facing surface of the tip region in a range of 0.45 × L from the base end of the tip region.

3. The method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension according to claim 1, characterized in that the tip support member supports the disk-facing surface of the tip region in a range of 0.2 × L from the tip of the tip region.

4. The tip support member has a metal ridge-like portion that extends along the width direction of the magnetic head suspension, The method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the ridged portion has a curved shape that is convex upward when cut along the longitudinal direction of the magnetic head suspension.

5. The main actuator comprises a base plate to which it is actuated, a load beam whose base end is fixed to the base plate, and a flexure fixed to the load beam, wherein the load beam includes a connecting portion connected to the base plate, a load bending portion extending from the connecting portion toward the tip, a load transmission portion extending from the load bending portion toward the tip, and a lift tab extending from the load transmission portion toward the tip, wherein the lift tab extends from the load transmission portion toward the tip and is inclined so as it moves toward the tip, away from the disk surface of the storage medium, and extends from the inclined region toward the tip and is attached to the storage medium A method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension, comprising: a tip region that engages with a lamp, wherein the flexure includes a flexure substrate fixed to the load beam, the flexure substrate having a load beam bonding region that is bonded in an overlapping state to the disk-facing surface of the load transmission portion, a pair of left and right outriggers that extend from the load beam bonding region toward the tip and are free from the load beam, and a tongue region that is supported via the pair of outriggers, supports a magnetic head slider on the disk-facing surface and engages with a dimple provided in the load transmission portion on the opposite side of the disk-facing surface, In a laminate formed by welding the base plate, the load beam, and the flexure substrate, the process includes a tongue orientation confirmation step for measuring the relative orientation of the tongue region with respect to the base plate, The tongue posture confirmation step is configured to check whether the inclination angle of the tongue region with respect to the base plate is within a predetermined threshold, with the base plate fixed and the disc-facing surface of the lift tab supported by the tip support member. The tip support member has a metal ridge-like portion that extends along the width direction of the magnetic head suspension, The aforementioned ridge-like portion has a curved shape that is convex upward when cut along the longitudinal direction of the magnetic head suspension. A method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension, characterized in that the tip support member is arranged to contact the disk-facing surfaces of both the tip region and the inclined region.

6. The tongue posture adjustment step is performed when the inclination angle of the tongue region with respect to the base plate in the tongue posture confirmation step exceeds a predetermined threshold, The method for manufacturing a magnetic head suspension according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5, characterized in that the tongue posture adjustment step is configured to fix the base plate and support the disc-facing surface of the tip region with the tip support member, and then irradiate at least one of the pair of outriggers with laser light to set the inclination angle of the tongue region with respect to the base plate to within the predetermined threshold.

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