Flexure of Suspension for Disk Drive

Abstract

To provide a flexure having an inspection pad provided at a flexure tail.SOLUTION: A flexure tail 22 includes a tail pad part 22d, a tail electrode 25, a conductor connection part 51 that is electrically connected with a conductor 32a', a jumper conductor 52, and an inspection pad 60. The jumper conductor 52 has: a first portion 52c that includes a first end part 52a electrically connected with the conductor connection part 51; and a second portion 52d that includes a second end part 52b placed in a direction opposite to the tail pad part 22d and is along an opening 38 formed at a metal base 30. An air gap 57 that electrically insulates the metal base 30 is formed around the entire circumference of the jumper conductor 52. A narrow part 58 is formed between the opening 38 and the air gap 57. At a middle part 52e between the first end part 52a and the second end part 52b of the jumper conductor 52, a bending part is formed which bends in a direction ensuring a width W2 of the narrow part 58 with an angle θ formed with respect to the first portion 52c by the second portion 52d.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a flexure of a suspension for a disk device, and particularly to a flexure having an inspection pad.

Background Art

[0002] A disk device is used in an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer. The disk device includes a magnetic disk that rotates around a spindle, a carriage that pivots around a pivot axis, and the like. A suspension for a disk device is provided on the arm of the carriage.

[0003] The suspension for a disk device includes a base plate, a load beam, a flexure, and the like. A slider is provided on a gimbal portion formed near the tip of the flexure. The slider is provided with elements for accessing data recorded on the disk, such as reading and writing.

[0004] The flexure includes a metal base made of a thin stainless steel plate, a base insulating layer made of an electrical insulating material such as polyimide formed on the metal base, and a plurality of conductors made of copper formed on the base insulating layer. A part of the conductor is connected to an element provided on the slider or an electronic component provided on the flexure.

[0005] An example of a conventional suspension is described in Patent Document 1. The flexure of the suspension has a flexure tail extending in the longitudinal direction. A tail pad portion is formed at the end of the flexure tail. An electrode pad (referred to as a tail electrode in this specification) for connecting to an electronic circuit such as an amplifier is disposed on the tail pad portion. As described in Patent Document 2, the electrode pad (tail electrode) may have holes. The flexure described in Patent Document 3 has an electrode pad disposed on the side portion of the wiring portion. However, when the electrode pad is disposed on the side portion of the wiring portion, the width of the wiring portion increases, so that the width of the flexure tail increases.

[0006] In order to inspect the characteristics of an electric circuit provided in the flexure, an inspection may be performed using a measuring instrument having probes. For example, the characteristics of the circuit are inspected by bringing one of a pair of probes into contact with the tail electrode and bringing the other probe into contact with the metal base of the flexure.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] When inspecting a circuit, it is necessary to ensure that the measurement probe makes reliable contact with a specific tail electrode. However, if there are holes in the tail electrode as in Patent Document 2, the contact between the probe and the tail electrode may become unreliable. Moreover, since a plurality of very small tail electrodes are arranged at narrow intervals in a narrow region of the tail pad portion, it may be difficult to bring the probe into contact with a specific tail electrode. In some cases, it is also conceivable that the probe may come into contact with other tail electrodes.

[0009] It was also considered to arrange the tail electrode that conducts to the circuit to be inspected outside the wiring portion of the flexure tail and bring the probe into contact with that tail electrode. However, when the tail electrode is arranged outside the wiring portion, there is a problem that the width of the wiring portion becomes substantially large, so that the width of the flexure tail becomes large. Further, when there are holes in the electrode pad of the flexure tail, there is an obstacle in reliably bringing the probe into contact with the electrode pad.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a flexure for a suspension for a disk device in which the inspection of the flexure can be performed using inspection pads arranged on the flexure tail, and the inspection pads are arranged at preferable positions on the flexure tail.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] The flexure of the suspension for a disk device according to one embodiment includes a metal base, a base insulating layer formed on the metal base, and a conductor disposed on the base insulating layer, and the flexure has a flexure tail. The flexure tail includes a tail pad portion, a tail electrode disposed on the tail pad portion and electrically connected to the conductor, a conductor connection portion electrically connected to the conductor, a jumper conductor, and an inspection terminal portion. The jumper conductor has a first portion including a first end electrically connected to the conductor connection portion, and a second portion including a second end disposed in a direction opposite to the tail pad portion with respect to the length direction of the flexure tail and along an opening formed in the metal base. An air gap formed around the entire circumference of the jumper conductor and electrically insulating the jumper conductor from the metal base, a narrow portion formed between the opening and the air gap in a part of the metal base, and a bent portion formed between the first end and the second end of the jumper conductor, where the second portion is angled with respect to the first portion in a direction in which the width of the narrow portion is ensured. The inspection terminal portion includes an inspection pad electrically connected to the second end of the jumper conductor.

[0012] The flexure tail may have an extension portion extending in a direction opposite to the tail pad portion with respect to the length direction of the flexure tail in a part of the length direction of the flexure tail, and the inspection terminal portion may be disposed on the extension portion. The extension portion may be provided between a line segment extending the one side surface of the tail pad portion in the length direction of the tail pad portion and a line segment extending the other side surface of the tail pad portion in the length direction.

[0013] The jumper conductor may be disposed between a line segment extending the one side surface of the tail pad portion in the length direction of the tail pad portion and a line segment extending the other side surface of the tail pad portion in the length direction.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, since inspection can be performed using inspection pads that are electrically connected to the tail electrodes, even if there are holes in the tail electrodes, inspection with a probe can be performed without problems. In addition, even if there are inspection pads, it is possible to suppress an increase in the width of the wiring portion, and it is possible to suppress an increase in the width of the flexible tail. In some cases, it is also possible to perform inspection using the tail electrodes.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, the flexure of the suspension for a disk device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. The disk device (hard disk device) 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a case 2, a disk (magnetic disk) 4 that rotates around a spindle 3, a carriage 6 that pivots around a pivot shaft 5, and a positioning motor 7 that pivots the carriage 6. The case 2 is sealed by a lid (not shown).

[0017] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a part of the disk device 1. An arm 8 is provided on the carriage 6. A suspension 10 is attached to the tip of the arm 8. A slider 11 that constitutes a magnetic head is provided near the tip of the suspension 10.

[0018] When the disk 4 rotates, an air bearing is formed between the disk 4 and the slider 11. When the carriage 6 is pivoted by the positioning motor 7, the slider 11 moves to a desired track on the disk 4. The slider 11 is provided with an element for recording data on the disk 4 and an element for reading data recorded on the disk 4.

[0019] Figure 3 shows an example of a head gimbal assembly including a suspension 10 and a slider 11. The suspension 10 includes a base plate 15, a load beam 16, a flexure 20, etc. The boss portion 15a of the base plate 15 is fixed to the arm 8 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the carriage.

[0020] The load beam 16 is made of a stainless steel plate. The thickness of the load beam 16 is, for example, 30 to 80 μm. The arrow X in FIG. 3 indicates the length direction of the suspension 10, that is, the length direction of the flexure 20. The arrow X1 is the front side of the flexure 20, and the arrow X2 is the rear side of the flexure 20. The arrow Y in FIG. 3 indicates the width direction of the flexure tail 22.

[0021] The flexure 20 includes a tip portion 21 that overlaps the load beam 16 and a flexure tail 22 that extends rearward from the tip portion 21 to the base plate 15. A tongue 23 that functions as a swingable gimbal portion is formed on the tip portion 21 of the flexure 20. The slider 11 is mounted on the tongue 23.

[0022] The flexure tail 22 includes a tail body 22a, a first bent portion 22b, a second bent portion 22c, and a tail pad portion 22d. The tail body 22a extends in the length direction X of the flexure 20 from near the side portion of the base plate 15. The first bent portion 22b extends in the width direction Y (shown in FIG. 3) of the flexure tail 22 from the rear end of the tail body 22a. The second bent portion 22c extends in the length direction X of the flexure tail 22 from the end of the first bent portion 22b. An elbow portion 24 whose direction changes in an L shape is formed between the tail body 22a and the tail pad portion 22d by the first bent portion 22b and the second bent portion 22c.

[0023] The tail pad portion 22d is continuous from the second bent portion 22c to the rear of the flexible tail 22 (indicated by the arrow X2 in FIG. 3). A plurality of tail electrodes (electrode pads) 25 connected to an electronic circuit such as an amplifier are arranged on the tail pad portion 22d. In the bending process, the first bent portion 22b is bent at substantially a right angle in the thickness direction of the metal base 30 at the bent portion L1 (indicated by the dashed line in FIGS. 3 to 5).

[0024] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a part of the flexure 20. The flexure 20 includes a metal base 30 and a wiring portion 31 arranged along the metal base 30. The metal base 30 is fixed to the load beam 16 by a fixing portion such as laser welding at the tip side portion 21 (shown in FIG. 3) of the flexure 20.

[0025] FIG. 4 shows a part (the elbow portion 24) in the length direction of the flexible tail 22. The wiring portion 31 includes a first conductor group 32 having a plurality of conductors 32a and a second conductor group 33 having a plurality of conductors 33a. The first conductor group 32 and the second conductor group 33 are arranged along the length direction of the flexible tail 22 respectively.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4, a part in the length direction of the wiring portion 31 bends along the first bent portion 22b and the second bent portion 22c at the L-shaped elbow portion 24. For this reason, a conductor bent portion C1 where the directions of the conductor groups 32 and 33 change to an L-shape is formed between the first bent portion 22b and the second bent portion 22c.

[0027] A part in the length direction of the first conductor group 32 is arranged along one side surface 35 of the tail pad portion 22d. A part in the length direction of the second conductor group 33 is arranged along the other side surface 36 of the tail pad portion 22d. The first conductor group 32 and the second conductor group 33 are arranged in a separated state with a gap G1 (shown in FIG. 4) therebetween. Among the plurality of conductors 32a of the first conductor group 32, the conductor 32a' that conducts to the circuit to be inspected is connected to the tail electrode 25a closest to the conductor bent portion C1. A hole 26 may be formed in the tail electrode 25a.

[0028] FIG. 5 shows a part of the metal base 30. The metal base 30 is made of a stainless steel plate. The thickness of the metal base 30 is smaller than the thickness of the load beam 16, for example, 15 to 20 μm. The metal base 30 is bent substantially at a right angle in the thickness direction at the bent portion L1 of the first bent portion 22b. For this reason, an opening 38 is formed in the first bent portion 22b to reduce the bending rigidity of the bent portion L1.

[0029] The wiring portion 31 includes a base insulating layer 40 (shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7) formed on the metal base 30, a plurality of conductors 32a, 33a formed on the base insulating layer 40, and a cover insulating layer 41 (shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) covering the conductors 32a, 33a. In FIG. 4, the cover insulating layer 41 is omitted so that the conductors 32a, 33a can be seen clearly.

[0030] The conductors 32a, 33a are made of a metal with high conductivity such as plated copper. The thickness of the conductors 32a, 33a is, for example, 5 μm. A part of the conductor 32a of the first conductor group 32 is for reading and is in conduction with a reading terminal formed on the tongue 23. A part of the conductor 33a of the second conductor group 33 is for writing and is in conduction with a writing terminal formed on the tongue 23.

[0031] The base insulating layer 40 and the cover insulating layer 41 (shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) are made of an electrically insulating resin such as polyimide. The thickness of the base insulating layer 40 is, for example, 10 μm. The thickness of the cover insulating layer 41 is smaller than that of the base insulating layer 40, for example, 4 μm.

[0032] An extension portion 45 is formed on a part of the flexible tail 22 in the longitudinal direction, that is, on the elbow portion 24 including the first bent portion 22b and the second bent portion 22c. The extension portion 45 extends from the second bent portion 22c in a direction opposite to the tail pad portion 22d (outside the conductor bent portion C1). That is, the extension portion 45 extends from the second bent portion 22c to the front side of the flexible tail 22 (the direction indicated by the arrow X1 in FIG. 3). The extension portion 45 is a part of the flexible tail 22 and includes a part 30a of the metal base 30 and a part 40a of the base insulating layer 40.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, let a line segment obtained by extending one side surface 35 of the tail pad portion 22d in the longitudinal direction X3 of the tail pad portion 22d be L2, and a line segment obtained by extending the other side surface 36 of the tail pad portion 22d in the longitudinal direction X3 be L3. The extension portion 45 is formed outside the conductor bent portion C1 in a region S1 with a width W1 between the line segments L2 and L3. Therefore, although the flexible tail 22 of the present embodiment has the extension portion 45, an increase in the width of the second bent portion 22c compared to the conventional product is avoided.

[0034] The conductor bent portion C1 is arranged along the first bent portion 22b and the second bent portion 22c of the flexible tail 22. Therefore, between the first bent portion 22b and the second bent portion 22c, the direction of the conductor groups 32 and 33 changes by, for example, nearly 90°.

[0035] An inspection conduction portion 50 is provided on a part of the flexible tail 22 (the part including the elbow portion 24 and the extension portion 45). The inspection conduction portion 50 is used for inspecting a circuit that particularly needs to accurately grasp characteristics such as capacitance and dielectric tangent (tangent delta) among various electric circuits provided in the suspension 10.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, the conduction part 50 for inspection includes a conductor connection part 51 formed in the middle of the length direction of the conductor 32a´, a jumper conductor 52, a pad connection part 53, and an inspection terminal part 54. The conduction part 50 for inspection is provided in the region S1 inside the line segments L2 and L3 that extend the both side surfaces 35 and 36 of the tail pad part 22d in the length direction.

[0037] The conductor connection part 51 is arranged in the gap G1 between the first conductor group 32 and the second conductor group 33 in the tail pad part 22d. Therefore, even if the flexible tail 22 of this embodiment has the conduction part 50 for inspection, it is possible to avoid the widths of the second bent part 22c and the tail pad part 22d from becoming larger compared with the conventional products. Note that the conductor connection part 51 may be provided in the elbow part 24.

[0038] The jumper conductor 52 is shown in FIG. 5. The jumper conductor 52 of this embodiment is formed in an island shape in the same plane as the metal base 30 by removing a part of the metal base 30 by etching. That is, in the etching process, by removing the periphery of a part of the metal base 30 (the part that becomes the jumper conductor 52), the long and narrow island-shaped jumper conductor 52 is formed. An air gap 57 for electrically insulating from the metal base 30 is formed around the entire circumference of the jumper conductor 52.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, the jumper conductor 52 has one end (the first end 52a) and the other end (the second end 52b) in the length direction. Between the first end 52a and the second end 52b, a first part 52c and a second part 52d are formed. The first part 52c and the second part 52d are bent at an angle θ (shown in FIG. 5) with respect to each other at the middle part 52e in the length direction of the jumper conductor 52.

[0040] The first end 52a of the jumper conductor 52 is disposed at a position corresponding to the conductor connection portion 51 of the tail pad portion 22d. The second end 52b is disposed in the extension portion 45. Therefore, the jumper conductor 52 and the air gap 57 extend in the length direction of the tail pad portion 22d from the tail pad portion 22d toward the extension portion 45. Moreover, this jumper conductor 52 is provided in the region S1 inside the line segments L2 and L3 that extend the both side surfaces 35 and 36 of the tail pad portion 22d in the length direction.

[0041] The first bent portion 22b that forms a part of the flexible tail 22 is bent substantially at a right angle in the plate thickness direction at the bent portion L1 passing through the opening 38 in the bending process. The jumper conductor 52 and the air gap 57 are formed in the vicinity of the bent portion L1. Therefore, there is a narrow portion 58 with a width W2 between the opening 38 and the air gap 57. If the width W2 of the narrow portion 58 is too small, there is a risk that deformation exceeding the allowable limit will occur in the vicinity of the narrow portion 58 when bending the bent portion L1.

[0042] Therefore, the jumper conductor 52 of the present embodiment has a bent shape in order to avoid the second portion 52d along the opening 38 from approaching the opening 38 too much. That is, the second portion 52d is bent at an angle θ (shown in FIG. 5) with respect to the first portion 52c. By doing so, the bending rigidity of the narrow portion 58 is prevented from becoming too small.

[0043] The first end 52a of the jumper conductor 52 is connected to the conductor 32a' via the conductor connection portion 51 (shown in FIGS. 4 and 6). The conductor 32a' is in conduction with the tail electrode 25a of the circuit to be inspected. The jumper conductor 52 extends from the first end 52a toward the inspection terminal portion 54 (shown in FIGS. 4 and 7). An inspection pad 60 is provided on the inspection terminal portion 54. The second end 52b of the jumper conductor 52 is in conduction with the inspection pad 60 via the pad connection portion 53. The inspection terminal portion 54 having the inspection pad 60 is disposed in the extension portion 45.

[0044] FIG. 6 shows a cross section of the conductor connection portion 51 connected to the jumper conductor 52. The conductor connection portion 51 has a conductor 51a made of plated copper and is integrally formed with the conductor 32a' of the wiring portion 31. A through hole 65 is formed in the base insulating layer 40. The conductor 51a filled in the through hole 65 is electrically connected to the first end portion 52a of the jumper conductor 52. The conductor 32a' (shown in FIG. 4) of the circuit to be inspected is electrically connected to the first end portion 52a of the jumper conductor 52 through the conductor connection portion 51.

[0045] FIG. 7 shows a cross section of the inspection terminal portion 54. The inspection terminal portion 54 has an inspection pad 60 made of plated copper. A through hole 66 is formed in the base insulating layer 40. A part of the inspection pad 60 is filled in the through hole 66. The inspection pad 60 is electrically connected to the second end portion 52b of the jumper conductor 52 through the pad connection portion 53. The probe used during inspection contacts the surface 60a of the inspection pad 60.

[0046] When the inspection pad 60 is formed by copper plating, a recess 67 is formed on the surface 60a of the inspection pad 60. This recess 67 is formed at a position corresponding to the through hole 66 of the base insulating layer 40. Therefore, the area of the surface 60a of the inspection pad 60 that can contact the probe is reduced by the area of the recess 67. Moreover, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the periphery of the surface 60a of the inspection pad 60 is covered by a part 41a of the cover insulating layer 41. Therefore, the outer diameter D1 of the inspection pad 60 is set to a size that allows the probe to make sufficient contact.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 4, the inspection pad 60 is disposed in the region outside the conductor bending portion C1 of the elbow portion 24 (so-called dead space portion). Moreover, the inspection pad 60 is accommodated in the region S1 between the line segments L2 and L3 extending the both side surfaces 35 and 36 of the tail pad portion 22d. Therefore, although the flexible circuit 20 of the present embodiment has the inspection pad 60, it has been possible to avoid an increase in the width of the second bending portion 22c and the tail pad portion 22d.

[0048] FIG. 8 shows a cross-section of the inspection terminal portion 54 having the inspection pad 60 according to the second embodiment. This example is different from the first embodiment in that the periphery of the inspection pad 60 is not covered by the cover insulating layer 41. The inspection terminal portion 54 shown in FIG. 8 can use the entire surface 60a of the inspection pad 60 as a contact surface with the probe.

[0049] FIG. 9 shows a part of the flexure chain blank sheet 70 according to the third embodiment. The flexure chain blank sheet 70 is an intermediate product made in the process of manufacturing a number of flexures simultaneously. The flexure chain blank sheet 70 includes a frame 71 and a plurality of flexure elements 20X (only a part is shown) arranged at a predetermined pitch on the frame 71. The basic configuration of the flexure element 20X is substantially the same as that of the flexure 20 (shown in FIG. 3) described in the first embodiment. The frame 71 is made of a stainless steel plate common to the metal base 30.

[0050] When inspecting the flexure element 20X attached to the frame 71, one probe 72 is brought into contact with the inspection pad 60, and the other probe 73 is brought into contact with the metal base 30 as an electrical ground. By doing so, for example, the characteristics of the circuit conducting to the tail electrode 25a can be inspected.

[0051] In the cutting process performed after the inspection, the flexure 20 shown in FIG. 3 can be obtained by separating the flexure element 20X from the frame 71. Note that the flexure elements 20X may be inspected one by one using a pair of probes 72 and 73, or a plurality of flexure elements 20X may be inspected simultaneously using a plurality of pairs of probes.

[0052] FIG. 10 shows a part of a conventional flexure 80. When inspecting the conventional flexure 80, one probe 72 is brought into contact with the tail electrode 81, and the other probe 73 is grounded to the metal base 82. For this reason, when a hole 83 is open in the tail electrode 81, it may not be possible to reliably bring the probe 72 into contact with the tail electrode 81. Moreover, since the tail electrode 81 is small and its shape is limited, there is a limit to ensuring contact with the probe 72.

[0053] In contrast, the flexure 20 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 8 can be inspected using the inspection pad 60 disposed on the extension portion 45 of the flexure tail 22. For this reason, even if a hole is open in the tail electrode 25a, the probe can be reliably brought into contact with the inspection pad 60 provided at a position different from the tail electrode 25a. In some cases, it is also possible to perform the inspection using the tail electrode 25a. Moreover, the inspection pad 60 of the flexure 20 of the present embodiment is disposed on the extension portion 45 outside the conductor bending portion C1 of the flexure tail 22.

[0054] For this reason, the flexure 20 of the present embodiment can suppress an increase in the width of the second bending portion 22c of the elbow portion 24 and the tail pad portion 22d, even though it has the inspection pad 60, and thus can avoid an increase in the width of the flexure 20. For example, in the case of the flexure chain sheet 70 shown in FIG. 9, since the width of the flexure element 20X does not increase, it is possible to avoid a decrease in the number of flexure elements 20X that can be formed on a single flexure chain sheet.

[0055] FIG. 11 shows a part of the flexure 20A according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 12 shows a cross-section of the inspection terminal portion 54A of the flexure 20A shown in FIG. 11. The inspection terminal portion 54A of the present embodiment has an inspection pad 60A provided at a position different from the pad connection portion 53. The pad connection portion 53 and the inspection pad 60A are electrically connected to each other via a connection conductor 90. The area of the surface 60a of the inspection pad 60A, that is, the surface with which the measurement probe contacts, is larger than that of the pad connection portion 53.

[0056] As in the inspection terminal portion 54A shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, by forming the inspection pad 60A at a position different from the pad connection portion 53, the inspection pad 60A having a large surface area can be arranged at the extending portion 45 of the flexure tail 22. Regarding other configurations, since the flexure 20A of the present embodiment is common to the flexure 20 of the first embodiment, common reference numerals are given to common parts of the two, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0057] FIG. 13 shows a part of the flexure 20B according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 14 shows a cross-section of the inspection terminal portion 54 of the flexure 20B shown in FIG. 13. The inspection pad 60B provided in the inspection terminal portion 54 of the present embodiment has a recess 95 having a larger diameter than the recess 67 of the inspection pad 60 of the first embodiment. The probe is brought into contact with the surface 95a of this recess 95. Regarding other configurations, since the flexure 20B of the present embodiment is common to the flexure 20 of the first embodiment, common reference numerals are given to common parts of the two, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0058] FIG. 15 shows a part of the flexible circuit 20C having a two-layer wiring according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 16 shows a cross section of the conductor connection portion 51 of the flexible circuit 20C shown in FIG. 15. FIG. 17 shows a cross section of the inspection terminal portion 54 of this flexible circuit 20C. The flexible circuit 20C of the present embodiment includes conductors 32a, 32a', 33a formed on the base insulating layer 40, a cover insulating layer 41 covering the conductors 32a, 32a', 33a, a jumper conductor 100 (shown in FIG. 15) formed on the cover insulating layer 41, and an inspection pad 101. The jumper conductor 100 and the inspection pad 101 are made of plated copper. The first end 100a of the jumper conductor 100 is electrically connected to the conductor 32a' through the conductor connection portion 51. The second end 100b of the jumper conductor 100 is connected to the inspection pad 101.

[0059] The flexible circuit 20C of the present embodiment (FIGS. 15 to 17) has an advantage that the inspection pad 101 having a large surface area can be formed at an arbitrary position of the extending portion 45 of the flexible tail 22. Regarding the other configurations, the flexible circuit 20C of the present embodiment is common to the flexible circuit 20 of the first embodiment, so the same reference numerals are given to the common parts of the two, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0060] FIG. 18 shows a part of the flexible circuit 20D having a two-layer wiring according to the seventh embodiment. FIG. 19 shows a cross section of the conductor connection portion 51 of the flexible circuit 20D. FIG. 20 shows a cross section of the inspection terminal portion 54 of the flexible circuit 20D. The flexible circuit 20D of the present embodiment includes a jumper conductor 100 formed on the base insulating layer 40 and an inspection pad 101 formed on the base insulating layer 40.

[0061] The conductors 32a and 33a (shown in Fig. 18) of the present embodiment are formed on the cover insulating layer 41. The first end 100a of the jumper conductor 100 is electrically connected to the conductor 32a' at the conductor connection portion 51. The second end 100b (shown in Fig. 18) of the jumper conductor 100 is electrically connected to the inspection pad 101 at the inspection terminal portion 54. As shown in Fig. 20, an opening 102 is formed in the cover insulating layer 41 to expose the surface 101a of the inspection pad 101.

[0062] The flexure 20D of the present embodiment (Figs. 18 to 20) also has the advantage that the inspection pad 101 with a large surface area can be arranged at an arbitrary position in the extending portion 45 of the flexure tail 22. Regarding the other configurations, the flexure 20D of the present embodiment is common to the flexure 20 of the first embodiment, so the same reference numerals are given to the common parts of the two and the description is omitted.

[0063] Fig. 21 shows a part of the flexure 20E according to the eighth embodiment. This flexure 20E has an inspection conduction portion 50 including a jumper conductor 52 similar to the flexure 20 (Fig. 4) of the first embodiment. The first end 52a of the jumper conductor 52 is connected to the conductor 32a' of the wiring portion 31 via another jumper conductor 120. Further, this flexure 20E has still other jumper conductors 121, 122, etc. according to the aspect of the wiring portion 31.

[0064] Needless to say, when implementing the present invention, the elements constituting the flexure, such as the metal base, the base insulating layer, and the conductor, can be variously changed. Also, the conductor connection portion, the jumper conductor, the inspection pad, etc. constituting the inspection conduction portion can be variously changed and implemented.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0065] 1…Disk device, 10…Suspension, 20, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D, 20E……Flexure, 22…Flexure tail, 22a…Tail body, 22b…First bent portion, 22c…Second bent portion, 22d…Tail pad portion, 24…Elbow portion, 25, 25a…Tail electrode, 30…Metal base, 31…Wiring portion, 32…First conductor group, 32a, 32a´…Conductor, 33…Second conductor group, 33a…Conductor, 35…One side surface, 36…The other side surface, 38…Opening, G1…Gap, L1…Bending portion, C1…Conductor bending portion, 40…Base insulating layer, 41…Cover insulating layer, 45…Extension portion, 50…Inspection conduction portion, 51…Conductor connection portion, 52…Jumper conductor, 52a…First end portion, 52b…Second end portion, 52c…First portion, 52d…Second portion, θ…Angle, 53…Pad connection portion, 54, 54A…Inspection terminal portion, 58…Narrow portion, 60, 60A, 60B…Inspection pad, 70…Flexure chain sheet, 72, 73…Measurement probe, 100…Jumper conductor.

Claims

[Claim 1] A flexure for a disk drive suspension comprising a metal base, an insulating base layer formed on the metal base, and a conductor disposed on the insulating base layer, the flexure has a flexure tail; The flexure tail is A tail pad portion; a tail electrode disposed on the tail pad portion and electrically connected to the conductor; A conductor connection portion that is electrically connected to the conductor; a jumper conductor having a first portion including a first end portion electrically connected to the conductor connection portion, and a second portion including a second end portion disposed in a direction opposite to the tail pad portion in a longitudinal direction of the flexure tail and extending along an opening formed in the metal base; an air gap formed around the entire periphery of the jumper conductor to electrically insulate the jumper conductor from the metal base; a narrow portion formed in a portion of the metal base between the opening and the air gap; a test terminal portion including a test pad electrically connected to the second end of the jumper conductor; a bent portion formed between the first end and the second end of the jumper conductor, the second portion being angled with respect to the first portion so as to bend in a direction in which the width of the narrow portion is ensured; A flexure comprising:

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