SUSPENSION, AND HEAD GIMBAL ASSEMBLY AND DISK DRIVE USING THE SAME

Abstract

A suspension is provided for improving reliability in reading/writing of data by improving stiffness in a longitudinal direction of a flexure while realizing low pitch/roll stiffness of a tongue part. The suspension includes: a flexure, including two branched outrigger parts extending to the tip side of the flexure, and a tongue part for mounting a magnetic head slider, located between the outrigger parts and linked to the tip sides of the outrigger parts; a trace formed on the flexure; and a fixed part in which at least a part of a bent part formed in the trace is fixed to the tongue part.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of a head gimbal assembly according to a conventional example;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the tip part of the head gimbal assembly according to the conventional example disclosed in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the configuration of a suspension of the head gimbal assembly in the conventional example disclosed in FIG. 1, in which the magnetic head slider and the microactuator are removed therefrom;

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of a head gimbal assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a head gimbal assembly seen from underneath;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing the configuration of a suspension of the head gimbal assembly disclosed in FIG. 5, in which a magnetic head slider and a microactuator are removed therefrom;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the suspension disclosed in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a table showing simulation results for the characteristics of the suspensions according to the present invention and the conventional example;

FIG. 9A is a diagram showing the configuration of a suspension used in simulation in a second embodiment;

FIG. 9B is an enlarged view of the part denoted by α of the suspension disclosed in FIG. 9A;

FIG. 10A is a diagram showing another configuration of a suspension used in simulation in the second embodiment;

FIG. 10B is an enlarged view of the part denoted by α of the suspension disclosed in FIG. 10A;

FIG. 11 is a table showing simulation results for the characteristics of the suspensions carried out in the second embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a graph showing the simulation results for the characteristics of the suspensions carried out in the second embodiment;

FIG. 13A is a diagram showing the configuration of a suspension used in simulation in the second embodiment;

FIG. 13B is a diagram showing the configuration of a suspension used in simulation in the second embodiment;

FIG. 14A is a diagram showing the configuration of a suspension used in simulation in the second embodiment;

FIG. 14B is a diagram showing the configuration of a suspension used in simulation in the second embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a table showing the simulation results for the characteristics of the suspensions carried out in the second embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a graph showing the simulation results for the characteristics of the suspensions carried out in the second embodiment;

FIG. 17A is a diagram showing the configuration of a suspension used in simulation in the second embodiment;

FIG. 17B is a diagram showing the configuration of a suspension used in simulation in the second embodiment;

FIG. 17C is a diagram showing the configuration of a suspension used in simulation in the second embodiment;

FIG. 18 is a table showing the simulation results for the characteristics of the suspensions carried out in the second embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a graph showing the simulation results for the characteristics of the suspension carried out in the second embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a graph showing the simulation result for the characteristics of the suspension carried out in the second embodiment;

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the configuration of a suspension according to a third embodiment;

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing another configuration of a suspension according to the third embodiment; and

FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a hard disk drive according to a fourth embodiment.

Claims

1. A suspension, comprising: a flexure, including: two branched outrigger parts extending to a tip side of the flexure; and a tongue part for mounting a magnetic head slider, located between the outrigger parts and linked to tip sides of the outrigger parts;a trace formed on the flexure; anda fixed part in which at least a part of a bent part formed in the trace is fixed to the tongue part.

2. The suspension according to claim 1, wherein a position of the fixed part is set such that pitch stiffness and roll stiffness of the tongue part become lower than prescribed values.

3. The suspension according to claim 1, wherein a position of a fixed part is set such that stiffness along a longitudinal direction of the suspension becomes larger than a prescribed value.

4. The suspension according to claim 1, wherein an area of the fixed part is set such that pitch stiffness and roll stiffness of the tongue part become lower than prescribed values.

5. The suspension according to claim 1, wherein an area of the fixed part is set such that stiffness along a longitudinal direction of the suspension becomes larger than a prescribed value.

6. The suspension according to claim 1, wherein the fixed part is not located on a linking part between the outrigger part and the tongue part.

7. The suspension according to claim 1, wherein assuming that a distance from the linking part between the outrigger part and the tongue part to the fixed part is d1, and a length of the tongue part from the linking part is d2, the position of the fixed part is set so as to satisfy 0<d1/d2<0.25.

8. The suspension according to claim 1, wherein the trace 4 is fixed to the outrigger part located near the fixed part.

9. The suspension according to claim 1, wherein the fixed part is located at each side part of the tongue part facing each outrigger part.

10. The suspension according to claim 1, wherein the trace fixed to the tongue part is a trace connected with a microactuator which precisely drives the magnetic head slider mounted on the tongue part.

11. The suspension according to claim 1, wherein the bent part of the trace forming the fixed part is a part bent toward a connecting pad for microactuator located on the tongue part.

12. A head gimbal assembly, comprising: the suspension according to claim 1;a magnetic head slider mounted on the tongue part of the flexure constituting the suspension, anda load beam supporting the flexure.

13. A head gimbal assembly, comprising: the suspension according to claim 10;a magnetic head slider mounted on the tongue part of the flexure constituting the suspension;a microactuator mounted on the tongue part, which precisely drives the magnetic head slider; anda load beam supporting the flexure.

14. A disk drive comprising the head gimbal assembly according to claim 12.

15. A method of manufacturing a suspension in which a trace is formed on a flexure having two branched outrigger parts extending to a tip side of the flexure and a tongue part located between the outrigger parts and linked to tip sides of the outrigger parts, the method comprising the step of fixing at least a part of a bent part formed in the trace to the tongue part when forming the trace on the flexure.