Head Gimbal Assembly Side Surface Bonding Pads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional head gimbal assemblies experience a high occurrence of defective connections during the electrical connection of the head slider and suspension, leading to reduced yield rates due to the miniaturization of bonding pads and increased complexity in forming multiple bonding pads on the head slider.
Innovation Solution
The head gimbal assembly design features bonding pads on the head slider's side surface and conductive leads with bonding pads on the suspension, arranged to minimize the distance between them, using a conductive bonding material like solder, with a 90-degree angle for enhanced stability and preventing short-circuiting, allowing for reduced connection failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the number of bonding pads on the head slider is increased to accommodate additional signal lines for TFC technique, then the functionality and control precision are improved, but the manufacturing complexity and occurrence of defective connections increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding pads are formed on the side surface of the head slider rather than on the top or bottom surfaces. This dimensional change allows multiple bonding pads to be arranged in a compact area, accommodating additional signal lines for TFC technique without increasing the overall footprint or complexity of the bonding structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The bonding pads are positioned at specific locations on the side surface of the head slider, with end peripheries brought into contact with the end periphery of the side surface. This localized positioning optimizes the bonding area and reduces manufacturing complexity by concentrating the bonding operation to specific regions.
2Area of moving object
If the bonding pads are miniaturized to reduce the head slider size, then the compactness is improved, but the connection reliability and yield rate deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
By moving the bonding pads to the side surface of the head slider, the design allows for miniaturization of the head slider while maintaining adequate bonding pad size. The side surface positioning provides sufficient area for reliable bonding without increasing the overall head slider dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The end periphery of the side surface acts as an intermediary structure that brings the bonding pads into contact with the lead bonding pads. This intermediary contact area ensures reliable electrical connection while allowing the bonding pads themselves to be miniaturized for compact head slider design.
3Reliability
If the distance between bonding pads on head slider and suspension is reduced to improve connection stability, then the connection reliability is improved, but the risk of short-circuiting increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding pads are positioned at the end periphery of the side surface, creating a localized bonding region. This precise positioning allows for reduced distance between head slider and suspension bonding pads while maintaining adequate separation between different electrical signals, thus reducing short-circuit risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The end periphery of the side surface serves as an intermediary structure that facilitates close spacing between bonding pads for improved connection stability. This intermediary contact area is specifically designed to minimize the distance between head slider and suspension while maintaining electrical isolation to prevent short-circuiting.
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 significantly reduces the occurrence of connection failures between the head slider and suspension, improving the manufacturing yield by maintaining stability and preventing short-circuiting, even with increased numbers of bonding pads.
Implementation Method 1
using a conductive bonding material like solder
Data Source
AI summary
A head gimbal assembly for a hard disk drive includes a head slider having a head element part which performs reading and/or writing of data to/from a magnetic disc and a suspension on which the head slider is mounted. Bonding pads formed on the head slider are formed on a side surface of the head slider except for an air bearing surface (ABS) which faces the magnetic disc and a back surface on a side opposite to the ABS. End peripheries of the bonding pads are arranged to be in contact with an end periphery of the side surface of the head slider which abuts on the back surface of the head slider.