Flexible Electrical Feed-Through Connector Assembly Helium Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hermetically sealed hard disk drives (HDDs) face challenges in achieving low helium leakage rates while maintaining electrical connectivity and accommodating increasing data capacities and high-frequency signal transmission, particularly with the need for more connectors and improved sealing performance.
Innovation Solution
A flexible type electrical feed-through connector assembly is introduced, comprising a flexible circuit assembly and a metal part enveloped by the circuit, with exposed metal portions for enhanced bonding and a low permeability adhesive, reducing helium leakage and improving sealing performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a low-cost printed circuit board (PCB) feed-through is used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but helium leak rate increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure combining a PCB substrate with a flexible circuit board (FCB) overlay. The PCB provides structural support and cost-effective manufacturing, while the FCB layer provides the hermetic seal with low helium permeability. This composite approach allows achieving both low cost and low leak rate by combining materials with complementary properties.
2Productivity
If more connectors are added to accommodate increasing data capacities, then data transmission capability is improved, but helium leakage rate increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible circuit board (FCB) as a thin film structure that can be conformally applied over the PCB connectors. This FCB layer acts as a continuous hermetic barrier that seals around multiple connectors simultaneously, maintaining helium seal integrity even as the number of connectors increases to support higher data capacities.
3Strength
If a rigid feed-through structure is used, then structural strength is improved, but alignment tolerance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a rigid PCB substrate with a flexible FCB overlay. The rigid PCB provides structural strength and mechanical support, while the flexible FCB layer can deform to accommodate misalignments during assembly. This dynamic flexibility in the sealing layer compensates for manufacturing tolerances while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The flexible type electrical feed-through connector assembly achieves a 7% reduction in helium leakage rate and provides stronger sealing and electrical transmission performance, supporting higher data capacities and multi-actuator HDDs with improved manufacturability and alignment tolerance.
Implementation Method 1
low permeability adhesive, reducing helium leakage
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible type electrical feed-through involves a flexible printed circuit (FPC) part constructed as a laminate structure of a base insulating layer, a conductor layer, and a cover insulating layer, where the FPC part is wrapped around a metal part, forming a connector assembly. Such a feed-through may be used at an interface between a hermetically-sealed internal environment, such as in a lighter-than-air gas filled data storage device, and the external environment. Multiple connector parts may be coupled to an inner side of the feed-through, to each mate with a respective flexible cable assembly electrically connected to a respective actuator of a multi-actuator hard disk drive. A floating board-to-board connector part may be coupled to the outer side of the feed-through, which in turn is electrically connected to a printed circuit board assembly of a hard disk drive, and which is able to tolerate connector mating misalignment.