Slider Surface Potential Control via End Bond Pads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Variations in fly height of a slider in disk drives due to thermal expansion and other factors lead to intermittent contact with the disk, causing vibrations, wear, and potential head crashes, which negatively impact reading and writing quality.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a voltage delivery configuration using end bond pads to set and control the surface potential of the slider body, reducing thermal expansion effects and minimizing lubricant-slider interaction and electrostatic forces by applying voltages through modified wafer-level changes in read-write head circuitry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If voltage is applied to end bond pads to control surface potential, then fly height stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The end bond pads, originally designed solely for electrical connection purposes, are made to serve dual functions: maintaining electrical connectivity and controlling surface potential to stabilize fly height. This multi-functionality approach eliminates the need for separate surface potential control structures, thereby improving fly height stability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The slider body's own end bond pads are utilized to generate the surface potential control voltage, rather than requiring external control mechanisms. The existing electrical connection structures serve themselves by also providing surface potential regulation, reducing the need for additional complex control circuitry while achieving fly height stability.
2Manufacturing precision
If wafer-level changes are made to read-write head circuitry, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Surface potential control capabilities are built into the slider during wafer fabrication by modifying the end bond pad configurations before the slider is assembled into the disk drive. By establishing the voltage delivery configuration at the wafer level, precise surface potential control is achieved through standard semiconductor manufacturing processes, and the feature is already integrated when the slider is completed, avoiding later complex modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The end bond pad structures are modified with specific voltage delivery configurations during wafer fabrication, changing their electrical parameters to enable surface potential control. This involves adjusting the electrical characteristics of existing structures rather than adding entirely new components, allowing precise surface potential control to be achieved through parameter modifications in standard manufacturing processes.
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 approach stabilizes the fly height, reduces wear, and enhances disk drive performance by maintaining a consistent distance between the slider and the disk, thereby improving reading and writing operations and preventing head crashes.
Implementation Method 1
minimizing lubricant-slider interaction and electrostatic forces by applying voltages through modified wafer-level changes in read-write head circuitry
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a slider body of a disk drive. The slider body is electrically coupled to a plurality of end bond pads. A voltage applied to one more of the end bond pads sets a surface potential of the slider body.