HAMR Head Gimbal Assembly Shock Protection via Raised Load Beam Flange
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Solution Overview
Problem
The limited mechanical clearances in head gimbal assembly (HGA) components of hard disk drives pose a challenge in meeting stringent operational shock requirements, particularly in preventing unwanted contact between the HAMR heating source and adjacent lasers during shock events, which can cause damage.
Innovation Solution
The HGA is configured with a raised flange portion on the load beam, ensuring that the distance between the flexure and the top of the load beam flange is greater than the height of the submount and the heating source, thereby preventing contact between adjacent heating sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the mechanical clearances in HGA components are minimized to reduce drive size, then the compactness and integration density are improved, but the operational shock resistance deteriorates due to increased risk of contact between heating sources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a vertical dimension solution by raising the flange portion of the load beam to create clearance between heating sources. Instead of increasing horizontal spacing, the design elevates one component vertically, allowing compact horizontal packaging while maintaining adequate separation distance for shock resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The load beam is segmented into distinct sections with a raised flange portion that creates a physical barrier and clearance zone. This segmentation allows the heating source to be isolated from other components, preventing contact during shock events while maintaining overall compactness.
2Reliability
If the distance between flexure and load beam flange top is increased to prevent contact between heating sources, then the operational shock resistance is improved, but the mechanical clearance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The solution transitions the clearance problem from a horizontal dimension to a vertical dimension. By raising the flange portion vertically, adequate separation distance is achieved without consuming additional horizontal mechanical clearance space, thus maintaining compact overall dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The raised flange creates a localized clearance zone specifically where needed to prevent heating source contact, while other areas of the HGA can maintain tighter tolerances. This localized approach optimizes shock resistance without unnecessarily increasing overall mechanical clearance requirements.
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
This configuration effectively inhibits or eliminates collisions between the HAMR heating sources, enhancing the operational shock resistance and protecting the laser modules from damage during shock events, thus maintaining optimal performance of the HAMR system.
Implementation Method 1
HAMR solves this problem by temporarily and locally changing the coercivity of the magnetic storage medium by raising the temperature above the Curie temperature, at which the medium effectively loses coercivity and a realistically achievable magnetic write field can write data to the medium.
Implementation Method 2
Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) is a known technology that magnetically records data on high-stability media using, for example, laser thermal assistance to first heat the media material.
Implementation Method 3
One approach to HAMR designs is to utilize a semiconductor laser system to heat the media to lower its coercivity, whereby the optical energy is transported from the laser to the slider ABS via a waveguide and is concentrated to a nanometer-sized spot utilizing a near field transducer (NFT).
Data Source
AI summary
A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head gimbal assembly (HGA) protects the associated HAMR heating source from unwanted contact, such as from contact with an adjacent HAMR laser in response to a shock event. The HGA is configured such that the distance between the flexure and the top of a load beam flange is greater than the height of a submount associated with the heating source, and the height of the submount may also be greater than the height of the heating source, thus protecting against contact between adjacent heating sources.