Isolated Trailing Portion Suspension for Disk Drive Thermal Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional disk drive suspension structures are sensitive to thermal deformation, leading to variations in flying height and increased shock stresses, which affect the reading and writing performance of sliders, especially in varying temperature conditions.
Innovation Solution
A suspension design with an isolated trailing portion on the flexure, featuring trailing and leading pads, and strategically placed slots such as F-shaped leading pad notches, C-shaped slots, and one-end-opened slots, reduces thermal crown change and shock stresses by isolating the trailing portion from the rest of the flexure, thereby maintaining consistent flying height and improving shock performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the suspension tongue is made as a continuous structure, then the structural strength is improved, but the thermal deformation sensitivity increases leading to flying height variation
Solution Approach 1:
The suspension tongue is divided into multiple segments by introducing slots (first slot, second slot, third slot) that isolate the trailing portion from the leading portion. This segmentation allows each segment to deform independently in response to thermal changes, preventing cumulative thermal deformation across the entire tongue length while maintaining structural integrity through the bonding pads that connect the slider to the suspension segments.
2Reliability
If the trailing portion is isolated from the rest of the flexure, then the thermal crown change is reduced, but the shock stresses at the bonding pads increase
Solution Approach 1:
The suspension structure is designed with different local properties: the trailing portion is isolated with slots to minimize thermal deformation, while the bonding pads are strategically positioned and sized to handle shock loads. The F-shaped leading pad notches and C-shaped slots create zones of controlled flexibility that localize stress management functions to specific areas, allowing the trailing portion to be thermally stable while the bonding regions handle mechanical shocks.
3Measurement precision
If the flying height is reduced to improve data storage capacity, then the reading/writing resolution is improved, but the sensitivity to thermal deformation increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the suspension tongue into isolated portions through strategically placed slots, the patent enables the trailing portion (which directly supports the slider) to maintain a stable, predetermined profile independent of thermal expansion in the leading portion. This segmentation allows the flying height to be precisely controlled at the slider level while the rest of the suspension can accommodate thermal changes without affecting the critical reading/writing clearance.
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 solution significantly reduces thermal crown change and shock stresses at the pads, enhancing the flying and shock performance of the slider by minimizing the impact of temperature variations on the suspension tongue, resulting in improved data storage capacity and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
when subjected to strong temperature changes, the suspension tongue will expand or contract, thus making the profile of the slider mounted thereon also deformed
Implementation Method 2
a lift force is generated by the aerodynamic interaction between the slider 103 incorporating the read/write transducer and the spinning magnetic disk 101
Data Source
AI summary
A suspension for a head gimbal assembly comprises a flexure having a suspension tongue with a trailing portion. The trailing portion has a plurality of trailing pads formed thereon adapted for bonding to a trailing edge of a slider. The trailing portion is isolated from other portions of the flexure by a first slot surrounding the trailing portion. The isolated trailing portion is not affected due to the temperature change, the thermal crown change of the slider is reduced and, in turn, the variation of flying height of the slider is reduce so as to improve read/write performance of the slider. The invention also discloses a head gimbal assembly and a disk drive unit with the same.