Elongated Trace Tethers for Disk Drive Flexure Resonance
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for improved integrated lead flexures with enhanced resonance and mechanical specifications in disk drive head suspensions, as existing designs lack optimal mechanical stiffness and resonance stability.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a spring metal layer, a conductive material layer, and an insulating layer with elongated trace tethers that extend along unsupported trace portions, providing additional rigidity and strength while minimizing pitch and roll stiffness, thereby enhancing resonance stability and handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the trace portion is made longer to reduce mechanical stiffness, then pitch and roll stiffness are reduced, but resonance stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The trace is divided into two distinct portions: a first trace portion that is supported by the spring metal layer and a second trace portion that is unsupported. This segmentation allows each portion to serve different functions - the supported portion provides mechanical stiffness while the unsupported portion reduces pitch and roll stiffness, thereby resolving the contradiction between strength and resonance stability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the trace are given different support characteristics. The first trace portion is backed by the spring metal layer to provide rigidity, while the second trace portion is left unsupported to reduce stiffness. This local differentiation of support quality allows simultaneous optimization of both mechanical stiffness and resonance stability.
2Ease of operation
If the unsupported trace portion length is increased to reduce pitch stiffness, then handling improves, but resonance frequency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The trace is segmented into supported and unsupported portions, allowing the unsupported portion length to be optimized for handling while the supported portion maintains resonance frequency. The segmentation enables independent optimization of these two competing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the support parameter of the trace at different locations. By transitioning from supported to unsupported conditions at a specific point, the trace achieves both improved handling and maintained resonance frequency, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated lead flexure for a disk drive head suspension formed from layers of material including a spring metal layer, a conductive material layer and an insulating material layer between the spring metal and conductive material layers. One embodiment includes a gimbal region having flying traces and one or more elongated tethers extending from the spring metal layer and along a distance of the flying traces that is less than the length of the flying traces. Another embodiment includes a load beam spring region traversing portion having unsupported traces and one or more elongated tethers extending from the spring metal layer and along a distance of the unsupported traces that is less than the length of the unsupported traces.