Terminal connections of electronic devices

Abstract

To provide a terminal connection portion capable of securely connecting a first terminal and a second terminal by a conductive member for connection such as an ACF.SOLUTION: A first terminal 31 provided on a tail pad portion 20 has a base portion 32, a curved portion 33, and an overlapping portion 34. The base portion 32 has a first surface 32a fixed to a base insulating layer 23, and a second surface 32b on the opposite side of the first surface 32a. The curved portion 33 has a shape reversal in a thickness direction of the base portion 32 from an end 32c of the base portion 32 toward the second surface 32b. The overlapping portion 34 extends from the bent portion 33 in a direction along the second surface 32b. An ACF (anisotropic conductive film) 41 is arranged between the overlapping portion 34 and the second terminal 42. The overlapping portion 34 and the second terminal 42 are connected to each other via the ACF 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal connection portion suitable for connecting a first terminal and a second terminal of an electronic device such as a hard disk drive. [Background technology]

[0002] Hard disk drives (hereafter simply referred to as disk drives) are used in information processing devices such as personal computers. Disk drives include a magnetic disk that rotates around a spindle and a carriage that rotates around a pivot shaft. The carriage has multiple arms and rotates around the pivot shaft using a positioning motor.

[0003] A disk drive suspension (hereinafter referred to as the suspension) is attached to the arm. The suspension includes a load beam and a flexure arranged along the load beam. A slider is mounted near the tip of the flexure. The slider is provided with an element for accessing the disk, such as reading or writing data.

[0004] The flexure includes a metal substrate (metal base) made of a thin stainless steel plate, an insulating base layer formed on the metal substrate, multiple conductors formed on the insulating base layer, and a cover layer covering these conductors. One end of each conductor is connected to the slider elements and various functional components. The other end of each conductor is connected to an electronic device such as a preamplifier via a terminal connection. The insulating base layer and cover layer of the flexure are made of an electrically insulating resin such as polyimide. The insulating base layer, multiple conductors, and cover layer form a wiring section.

[0005] For example, as described in Patent Document 1 (JP 2015-219940 A) or Patent Document 2 (US Pat. No. 8,467,153), a flexure has a flexure main body that is aligned with the load beam and a flexure tail that extends rearward from the load beam. A tail pad is formed at the end of the flexure tail.

[0006] A plurality of terminals (also referred to as tail terminals) are arranged on the tail pad portion. These tail terminals are formed integrally with the conductors at the ends of the respective conductors. The tail terminals are electrically connected to terminals (sometimes referred to as board terminals) of electronic devices such as preamplifiers or flexible wiring boards via connecting conductive materials such as ACF (anisotropic conductive film) or solder layers. ACF is an abbreviation for Anisotropic Conductive Film.

[0007] When connecting the tail terminal and the board terminal with ACF, the ACF is placed between the tail terminal and the board terminal and then pressurized and heated. This electrically connects the tail terminal and the board terminal and fixes them together. When connecting using a solder layer, heating and some pressure are also required.

[0008] To accommodate higher data densities, there is a trend toward an increasing number of disks housed in a single disk drive. This is accompanied by an increase in the number of suspensions used in a single disk drive. Furthermore, as the suspension becomes more multifunctional, the number of conductors in the flexure's wiring section is also increasing. This, in turn, increases the number of tail terminals arranged in the flexure's tail pad section. However, due to limited space inside a disk drive, the size of the tail terminals must be reduced as the number of tail terminals increases. Furthermore, a large number of tail terminals must be arranged densely in the tail pad section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 8,467,153 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-219940 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The tail terminal is formed integrally with the conductor at the end of the conductor. The height of the tail terminal in the thickness direction is the same as the height of the conductor in the thickness direction. The tail terminal is not covered by a cover member, so its surface is exposed. In contrast, the conductor is covered by a cover layer. For this reason, when a connecting conductive member such as ACF is sandwiched between the tail terminal and the board terminal and pressure is applied, the pressure may vary or may be insufficient. Insufficient pressure may cause poor connection between the tail terminal and the board terminal.

[0011] In the terminal connection described in Patent Document 1, an ACF is placed between the tail terminal and the board terminal, and pressure and heat are applied using a jig. However, because the thickness of the tail terminal and the thickness of the conductor are the same, and the conductor is covered with a cover layer, there is a risk that the pressure applied to the ACF using the jig will vary or be insufficient.

[0012] In the terminal connection portion described in Patent Document 2, a terminal support portion that is relatively thicker than other portions is formed in a portion of the base insulating layer (where the tail terminal is disposed). However, forming portions of the base insulating layer with different thicknesses (thick and thin portions) requires a special manufacturing process.

[0013] An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a terminal connection part of an electronic device that can reliably connect, for example, a tail terminal (first terminal) of a flexure of a suspension for a disk device to a substrate terminal (first terminal) using a connecting conductive member such as ACF. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] One embodiment comprises: Flexures for disk drive suspensions Wiring section was established A terminal connection part of an electronic device having a first terminal and a second terminal arranged opposite to the first terminal, wherein the wiring part comprises a base insulating layer, a conductor formed on the base insulating layer, a cover layer covering the conductor, the first terminal formed at an end of the conductor and integral with the conductor, an opening that opens in the thickness direction of the wiring portion; The first terminal and the second terminal are each made mainly of copper, and their surfaces are plated with gold or the like as needed.

[0015] The first terminal has a base, a bent portion, and an overlapping portion. The base includes a first surface that is fixed to the base insulating layer along the base insulating layer, and a second surface opposite the first surface. The bent portion has a shape that is inverted in the thickness direction of the base from the end of the base toward the second surface. The overlapping portion extends from the bent portion in a direction along the second surface. A connecting conductive member such as an ACF (anisotropic conductive film) or a solder layer is disposed between the overlapping portion and the second terminal. This connecting conductive member fixes and electrically connects the overlapping portion and the second terminal to each other. A plurality of the first terminals are disposed on the inner edge of the opening.

[0016] The first terminal may be, for example, The aforementioned The second terminal is a tail terminal provided on a tail pad portion of the flexure. The second terminal is, for example, a board terminal provided on a circuit board. The aforementioned The terminal may have an opening, and a plurality of the first terminals may be arranged on an inner edge of the opening. The terminal may have a first terminal and a third terminal, the third terminal having a height in the thickness direction smaller than that of the first terminal, arranged on the tail pad portion.

[0017] A resin spacer portion made of a part of the cover layer may be provided between the second surface of the first terminal and the overlapping portion. The first terminal may have an extension portion extending from the overlapping portion toward the cover layer and overlapping the cover layer. Furthermore, a conductor electrically insulated from the first terminal may be disposed inside the cover layer between the extension portion and the insulating base layer. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention, for example, a tail terminal (first terminal) arranged on a tail pad portion of a flexure of a suspension for a disk device and a terminal (second terminal) of a circuit board can be reliably connected by a connecting conductive member such as ACF. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a suspension having a tail pad portion according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing a part of a tail pad portion of the suspension shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tail pad portion taken along line F3-F3 in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a plan view schematically showing a state before a first terminal of the tail pad portion shown in FIG. 2 is bent. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the tail pad portion taken along line F5-F5 in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a state in which the first terminal shown in FIG. 3 is connected to the second terminal by an ACF. [Figure 7] 2 is a plan view showing a tail pad portion and a circuit board of the suspension shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a disk device. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a part of a tail pad portion according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a part of a tail pad portion according to a third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a part of a flexure tail having a tail pad portion according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a plan view of a tail pad portion according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the tail pad portion taken along line F13-F13 in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a plan view of a part of a tail pad portion according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the tail pad portion taken along line F15-F15 in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] [First embodiment] The terminal connection portion of the tail pad portion according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a suspension 10 used in a hard disk drive. The suspension 10 includes a base plate 11, a load beam 12, a flexure 13, and a slider 15 attached to a tongue 14 of the flexure 13.

[0021] The flexure 13 includes a flexure body 16 fixed to the load beam 12, and a flexure tail 17 extending from the flexure body 16 to the rear of the base plate 11 (in the direction indicated by R1 in FIG. 1). A tail pad portion 20 is formed at the end of the flexure tail 17.

[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, i.e., the longitudinal direction of the suspension 10. The thickness of the load beam 12 is, for example, 20 to 40 µm, but may be other thicknesses.

[0023] Fig. 2 is a plan view schematically showing a portion of the tail pad portion 20. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tail pad portion 20 taken along line F3-F3 in Fig. 2. The tail pad portion 20 includes a metal substrate (metal base) 21 made of a thin stainless steel plate, and a wiring portion 22 disposed along the metal substrate 21. The thickness of the metal substrate 21 is, for example, 20 μm (12 to 25 μm), which is smaller than the thickness of the load beam 12.

[0024] 2 and 3, the wiring section 22 includes a base insulating layer 23 made of an electrically insulating resin such as polyimide, a conductor group 24 including a plurality of conductors 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d (only some of which are shown) formed on the base insulating layer 23, and a cover layer 25 that covers the conductor group 24. The cover layer 25 is made of an electrically insulating resin such as polyimide.

[0025] An opening 30 is formed in the tail pad portion 20. As shown in Fig. 3, the opening 30 includes an opening 30a formed in the metal substrate 21 and an opening 30b formed in the insulating base layer 23. These openings 30a and 30b are open in the thickness direction of the tail pad portion 20.

[0026] Inner edges 30c and 30d of opening 30 face each other. A plurality of first terminals (tail terminals) 31 are arranged on edges 30c and 30d. These first terminals 31 are formed integrally with the conductors at the tip of the respective conductors using the same copper (e.g., plated copper) as the conductors. Each of conductors 24a to 24d is covered with cover layer 25. In contrast, none of first terminals 31 are covered with cover layer 25, and therefore their surfaces are exposed.

[0027] 3, the first terminal 31 includes a base portion 32 fixed to the base insulating layer 23 along the base insulating layer 23, a bent portion 33, and an overlapping portion 34. The base portion 32 has a first surface 32a along the base insulating layer 23 and a second surface 32b opposite to the first surface 32a. The direction indicated by the double-headed arrow A1 in FIG. 3 is the thickness direction of the first terminal 31.

[0028] The bent portion 33 has a shape in which its orientation is reversed 180° in the thickness direction from the end 32c of the base portion 32 toward the second surface 32b. That is, the bent portion 33 has a horizontal U-shape in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the side surface 36 of the insulating base layer 23 protrudes by a length L1 from the inner side surface 35 of the opening 30 of the metal substrate 21. Moreover, the end surface 33a of the bent portion 33 protrudes by a length L2 from the side surface 36 of the insulating base layer 23. Therefore, a distance L3 (L1 + L2) is ensured between the side surface 35 of the metal substrate 21 and the end surface 33a of the first terminal 31 to improve electrical insulation.

[0029] The overlapping portion 34 extends from the bent portion 33 in a direction along the second surface 32b. The overlapping portion 34 overlaps the second surface 32b of the base portion 32. Therefore, the height H1 (shown in FIG. 3) of the first terminal 31 in the thickness direction is substantially twice the height H2 of the conductor 24a.

[0030] Fig. 4 is a plan view of tail pad section 20 including terminal member 31a before forming bent portion 33 and overlapping portion 34. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of tail pad section 20 taken along line F5-F5 in Fig. 4. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, flat terminal member 31a is formed on edges 30c and 30d of opening 30 of tail pad section 20 by a manufacturing process such as plating or etching.

[0031] By bending the intermediate portion M1 in the longitudinal direction of the terminal member 31a (shown by a dotted line in Figure 4) in the thickness direction of the terminal member 31a (shown by arrow A2 in Figure 5), a first terminal 31 having a bent portion 33 and an overlapping portion 34 shown in Figures 2 and 3 is formed.

[0032] 6 is a cross-sectional view of a terminal connection part 40 including a first terminal 31. The terminal connection part 40 includes the first terminal 31, an ACF (anisotropic conductive film) 41 as a connecting conductive member, and a second terminal 42 as a connecting partner. The first terminal 31 and the second terminal 42 are connected to each other by the ACF 41. The first terminal 31 and the second terminal 42 are each made mainly of copper, and the surfaces thereof are coated with a coating such as gold plating as needed.

[0033] 7 shows the tail pad portion 20 and a part of the circuit board 50 of this embodiment. A second terminal 42 is arranged on the circuit board 50 at a position corresponding to the first terminal 31. Electronic devices such as a preamplifier for signal processing are mounted on the circuit board 50. A conductor 51 provided on the circuit board 50 is electrically connected to the second terminal 42.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 6, ACF 41 is disposed between first terminal 31 and second terminal 42. ACF 41 has a thermosetting base resin 41a and a large number of conductive particles 41b mixed into base resin 41a. The particle diameter of conductive particles 41b is very small, for example, several micrometers to several tens of micrometers, but for ease of explanation, conductive particles 41b are depicted enlarged in Fig. 6.

[0035] When the ACF 41 between the first terminal 31 and the second terminal 42 is pressurized and heated by the jig 60, the conductive particles 41b sandwiched between the first terminal 31 and the second terminal 42 undergo dielectric breakdown, establishing electrical continuity. The temperature then drops, causing the base resin 41a to harden. In this way, the first terminal 31 and the second terminal 42 are electrically connected to each other via the ACF 41 and are mechanically fixed together.

[0036] The first terminal 31 of this embodiment has an overlapping portion 34 that overlaps the base portion 32. The height H1 (shown in FIG. 3) of the first terminal 31 in the thickness direction is greater than the height H3 of the cover layer 25 that covers the conductors 24a, 24b. Therefore, when pressurizing the ACF 41 disposed between the first terminal 31 and the second terminal 42, the ACF 41 can be reliably pressurized and heated without being obstructed by the conductors 24a, 24b or the cover layer 25. Therefore, the first terminal 31 and the second terminal 42 can be reliably connected by the ACF 41.

[0037] 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic example of a disk device 70. The disk device 70 has a case 71 (only a portion is shown), a disk 72 that rotates around a spindle, a carriage 74 that rotates around a pivot shaft 73, and a positioning motor 75 that drives the carriage 74. The case 71 is sealed with a lid. A suspension 10 is attached to each of the tips of a plurality of arm portions 76 of the carriage 74.

[0038] When the disk 72 rotates at high speed, an air bearing is formed between the slider 15 and the disk 72. When the carriage 74 is rotated by the positioning motor 75, the suspension 10 moves in the radial direction of the disk 72. This moves the slider 15 to the desired position on the disk 72.

[0039] [Second embodiment] 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a tail pad portion 20A including a terminal connection portion 40A according to the second embodiment. A resin spacer portion 80 made of a portion of the cover layer 25 is disposed between the base portion 32 of the first terminal 31 of this tail pad portion 20A and the overlapping portion 34. Like the cover layer 25, the resin spacer portion 80 is made of an electrically insulating resin such as polyimide.

[0040] 9, the terminal connection portion 40A of the present embodiment has a resin spacer portion 80 provided between the base portion 32 and the overlapping portion 34 of the first terminal 31. Therefore, the height H4 of the first terminal 31 from the base insulating layer 23 can be made larger than the height H1 (shown in FIG. 3) of the first terminal 31 of the first embodiment. As for other configurations and functions, the tail pad portion 20A of the second embodiment is common to the tail pad portion 20 of the first embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 7), and therefore common components are denoted by common reference numerals and will not be described.

[0041] [Third embodiment] 10 shows a tail pad section 20B including a terminal connection section 40B according to the third embodiment. The first terminal 31 of this tail pad section 20B has a base section 32 fixed to the base insulating layer 23, a bent section 33, an overlapping section 34, and an extension section 90. The extension section 90 extends from the overlapping section 34 toward the cover layer 25 and overlaps with the cover layer 25. As other configurations and functions of the tail pad section 20B of the third embodiment are common to the tail pad section 20 of the first embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 7), common reference numerals are used to designate common components, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0042] [Fourth embodiment] 11 shows a portion of a flexure tail 17 including a tail pad section 20C according to a fourth embodiment. In the tail pad section 20C of this embodiment, a plurality of first terminals 31 are arranged along one side 91 of the tail pad section 20C. The first terminals 31 may also be arranged on the other side 92 of the tail pad section 20C. As other configurations and functions of the tail pad section 20C of the fourth embodiment are common to the tail pad section 20 of the first embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 7), common reference numerals are used to designate components common to both, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0043] [Fifth embodiment] Fig. 12 is a plan view showing a tail pad portion 20D according to the fifth embodiment. Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the tail pad portion 20D taken along line F13-F13 in Fig. 12. In this tail pad portion 20D, a conductor 24b electrically insulated from the first terminal 31 is disposed inside the cover layer 25. This conductor 24b is disposed inside the cover layer 25 between the extension 90 of the first terminal 31 and the base insulating layer 23.

[0044] 12, even if there is a point 95 where the first terminal 31 and the conductor 24b intersect in a plan view of the tail pad section 20D, it is possible to avoid an electrical short circuit between the first terminal 31 and the conductor 24b. According to the tail pad section 20D of this embodiment, the width W1 of the tail pad section 20D can be made smaller than when the conductor 24b is arranged to detour around the outside of the first terminal 31. This has the advantage that, in the case of a disk device with a large number of disks, it is easier to secure space for arranging a large number of tail pad sections 20D side by side.

[0045] FIG. 14 shows a tail pad section 20E according to a sixth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the tail pad section 20E taken along line F15-F15 in FIG. 14. The tail pad section 20E includes a first terminal 31 having an overlapping portion 34 and a flat third terminal 100 without the overlapping portion 34. The height H5 (shown in FIG. 15) of the third terminal 100 is smaller (lower) than the height H1 of the first terminal 31. By arranging the first terminal 31 and the third terminal 100, which have different heights, in the tail pad section 20E, it is possible to accommodate a plurality of second terminals of two different heights. The first terminal 31 and the third terminal 100 are each primarily made of copper, and their surfaces may be gold-plated, if necessary.

[0046] In carrying out the present invention, it goes without saying that the specific aspects of the suspension, circuit board, etc., which are examples of electronic devices, as well as the specific aspects of the shape and position of the first terminal and the second terminal, can be variously changed. Furthermore, the technical concept of the present invention may be applied to the terminal connection portion of electronic devices other than disk devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10...disk device suspension, 12...load beam, 13...flexure, 17...flexure tail, 20, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D, 20E...tail pad portion, 21...metal substrate, 22...wiring portion, 23...base insulating layer, 24...conductor group, 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d...conductors, 25...cover layer, 30...opening, 31...first terminal, 31a...terminal member, 32...base portion, 32a...first surface, 32b...second surface, 33...bending portion, 34...overlapping portion, 40, 40A, 40B...terminal connection portion, 41...ACF (anisotropic conductive film), 42...second terminal, 50...circuit board, 60...jig, 70...disk device, 80...resin spacer portion, 90...extension portion, 100...third terminal.

Claims

1. A terminal connection part of an electronic device having a first terminal provided on a wiring part of a flexure of a suspension for a disk device and a second terminal arranged opposite the first terminal, The wiring portion is a base insulating layer; a conductor formed on the base insulating layer; a cover layer covering the conductor; the first terminal formed at an end of the conductor and integral with the conductor; an opening that opens in a thickness direction of the wiring portion, The first terminal is a base including a first surface along the base insulative layer and secured to the base insulative layer, and a second surface opposite the first surface; a bent portion that turns from the end of the base portion toward the second surface in a thickness direction of the base portion; an overlapping portion extending from the bent portion in a direction along the second surface; a connecting conductive member disposed between the overlapping portion and the second terminal, for fixing and electrically connecting the overlapping portion and the second terminal to each other; Equipped with A terminal connection portion for an electronic device, characterized in that a plurality of the first terminals are arranged on an inner edge of the opening.

2. The terminal connection part according to claim 1, The terminal connection portion, wherein the connecting conductive member is an anisotropic conductive film.

3. The terminal connection part according to claim 1, the first terminal is a tail terminal provided on a tail pad portion of the flexure, The terminal connection portion, in which the second terminal is a board terminal provided on a circuit board.

4. The terminal connection part according to claim 3, The tail pad portion has the opening, A terminal connection portion in which a plurality of the first terminals are arranged on the inner edge of the opening.

5. The terminal connection part according to claim 3, The terminal connection portion has the first terminal and a third terminal, the third terminal having a height smaller than that of the first terminal in the thickness direction, disposed on the tail pad portion.

6. The terminal connection part according to claim 1, a terminal connection portion having a resin spacer portion made of a part of the cover layer between the second surface of the first terminal and the overlapping portion;

7. The terminal connection part according to claim 1, The first terminal has an extension portion that extends from the overlapping portion toward the cover layer and overlaps the cover layer.

8. The terminal connection part according to claim 1, the first terminal has an extension portion that extends from the overlapping portion toward the cover layer and overlaps the cover layer; a terminal connection portion in which a conductor electrically insulated from the first terminal is disposed between the extension portion inside the cover layer and the base insulating layer;

9. A terminal connection part of an electronic device having a first terminal provided on a wiring part of a flexure of a suspension for a disk device and a second terminal arranged opposite the first terminal, The wiring portion is a base insulating layer; a conductor formed on the base insulating layer; a cover layer covering the conductor; the first terminal formed at an end of the conductor and integral with the conductor; The first terminal is a base including a first surface along the base insulative layer and secured to the base insulative layer, and a second surface opposite the first surface; a bent portion that turns from the end of the base portion toward the second surface in a thickness direction of the base portion; an overlapping portion extending from the bent portion in a direction along the second surface; a connecting conductive member disposed between the overlapping portion and the second terminal, for fixing and electrically connecting the overlapping portion and the second terminal to each other; Equipped with The terminal connection portion is characterized in that the first terminal and a third terminal having a height in a thickness direction smaller than that of the first terminal are disposed on the wiring portion.

10. A terminal connection part of an electronic device having a first terminal provided on a wiring part of a flexure of a suspension for a disk device and a second terminal arranged opposite the first terminal, The wiring portion is a base insulating layer; a conductor formed on the base insulating layer; a cover layer covering the conductor; the first terminal formed at an end of the conductor and integral with the conductor; The first terminal is a base including a first surface along the base insulative layer and secured to the base insulative layer, and a second surface opposite the first surface; a bent portion that turns from the end of the base portion toward the second surface in a thickness direction of the base portion; an overlapping portion extending from the bent portion in a direction along the second surface; a connecting conductive member disposed between the overlapping portion and the second terminal, for fixing and electrically connecting the overlapping portion and the second terminal to each other; Equipped with A terminal connection portion for an electronic device, wherein the height of the overlapping portion from the insulating base layer is greater than the height of the cover layer from the insulating base layer.

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