Granted Patent B2

US 7,450,346 · App. 11/037,752 · Granted Nov 11, 2008

Abstract

Claims (62)

1. A method for reducing heat absorption around solder pads on an electrical lead suspension (ELS) comprising:

providing a base-metal layer having at least one opening;

providing a dielectric layer above the base-metal layer, said dielectric layer covering a portion of said base-metal layer and the at least one opening in said base-metal layer;

providing a signal conductive layer above the dielectric layer, said signal conductive layer comprising:

at least one solder pad portion, and

placing said solder pad portion comprised only from said signal conductive layer above said portion of said dielectric layer such that said solder pad portion is adjacent to, but does not align with the at least one opening in said base-metal layer, wherein during reflow of a solder on said solder pad the heat absorption with respect to said base-metal layer is reduced.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said solder pad portion comprises leaded, unleaded or any other form of solder material.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said base-metal layer of said ELS is comprised of stainless steel.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said solder pad portion is reduced to approximately 200 microns by approximately 475 microns.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of openings are provided in said base-metal layer around the location of said at least one solder pad portion.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of openings are provided in said base-metal layer around the location of a plurality of said solder pad portions.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one opening in said base-metal layer is formed by a shaping device from the group of shaping devices consisting of: cutting, milling, grinding, molding, injecting, stamping, or etching.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a second opening in said base-metal layer;

providing a dielectric layer above the base-metal layer, said dielectric layer covering a portion of said base-metal layer and said second opening of said base-metal layer; and

aligning said solder pad portion aligned above said portion of said dielectric layer covering said second opening of said base-metal layer, wherein the aligning of the solder pad portion over the second opening of said base-metal layer reduces the signal-conductor to base-metal layer capacitance and increases impedance between said solder pad portion and said base-metal layer.

9. An electrical lead suspension (ELS) having openings in the base-metal substrate between solder pads comprising:

a base-metal layer having at least one opening;

a dielectric layer above the base-metal layer, said dielectric layer covering a portion of said base-metal layer and the at least one opening in said base-metal layer;

a signal conductive layer above the dielectric layer, said signal conductive layer comprising:

at least one solder pad portion, and

placing said solder pad portion comprised only from said signal conductive layer above said portion of said dielectric layer such that said solder pad portion is adjacent to, but does not align with the at least one opening in said base-metal layer, wherein during reflow of a solder on said solder pad the heat absorption with respect to said base-metal layer is reduced.

10. The ELS of claim 9 wherein said solder pad portion comprises leaded, unleaded or any other form of solder material.

11. The ELS of claim 9 wherein said base-metal layer of said ELS is comprised of stainless steel.

12. The ELS of claim 9 wherein said solder pad portion is reduced to approximately 200 microns by approximately 475 microns.

13. The ELS of claim 9 wherein a plurality of openings are provided in said base-metal layer around the location of said at least one solder pad portion.

14. The ELS of claim 9 wherein a plurality of openings are provided in said base-metal layer around the location of a plurality of said solder pad portions.

15. The ELS of claim 9 wherein the at least one opening in said base-metal layer is formed by a shaping device from the group of shaping devices consisting of: cutting, milling, grinding, molding, injecting, stamping, or etching.

16. The ELS of claim 9 further comprising:

a second opening in said base-metal layer;

a dielectric layer above the base-metal layer, said dielectric layer covering a portion of said base-metal layer and said second opening of said base-metal layer; and

said solder pad portion aligned above said portion of said dielectric layer covering said second opening of said base-metal layer, wherein the alignment of the solder pad portion over the second opening of said base-metal layer reduces the signal-conductor to base-metal layer capacitance and increases impedance between said solder pad portion and said base-metal layer.

17. A hard disk drive comprising:

a housing;

a disk pack mounted to the housing and having a plurality of disks that are rotatable relative to the housing, the disk pack defining an axis of rotation and a radial direction relative to the axis, and the disk pack having a downstream side wherein air flows away from the disks, and an upstream side wherein air flows toward the disk;

an actuator mounted to the housing and being movable relative to the disk pack, the actuator having a plurality of heads for reading data from and writing data to the disks; and

an integrated lead suspension, said electrical lead suspension (ELS) having openings in a base-metal substrate between solder pads comprising:

a base-metal layer having at least one opening;

a dielectric layer above the base-metal layer, said dielectric layer covering a portion of said base-metal layer and the at least one opening in said base-metal layer;

a signal conductive layer above the dielectric layer, said signal conductive layer comprising:

at least one solder pad portion, and

placing said solder pad portion comprised only from said signal conductive layer above said portion of said dielectric layer such that said solder pad portion is adjacent to, but does not align with the at least one opening in said base-metal layer, wherein during reflow of a solder on said solder pad the heat absorption with respect to said base-metal layer is reduced.

18. The hard disk drive of claim 17 wherein said solder pad portion comprises leaded, unleaded or any other form of solder material.

19. The hard disk drive of claim 17 wherein said base-metal layer of said ELS is comprised of stainless steel.

20. The hard disk drive of claim 17 wherein said solder pad portion is reduced to approximately 200 microns by approximately 475 microns.

21. The hard disk drive of claim 17 wherein a plurality of openings are provided in said base-metal layer around the location of said at least one solder pad portion.

22. The hard disk drive of claim 17 wherein a plurality of openings are provided in said base-metal layer around the location of a plurality of said solder pad portions.

23. The hard disk drive of claim 17 wherein the at least one opening in said base-metal layer is formed by a shaping device from the group of shaping devices consisting of: cutting, milling, grinding, molding, injecting, stamping, or etching.

24. The hard disk drive of claim 17 further comprising:

a second opening in said base-metal layer;

a dielectric layer above the base-metal layer, said dielectric layer covering a portion of said base-metal layer and said second opening of said base-metal layer; and

said solder pad portion aligned above said portion of said dielectric layer covering said second opening of said base-metal layer, wherein the alignment of the solder pad portion over the second opening of said base-metal layer reduces the signal-conductor to base-metal layer capacitance and increases impedance between said solder pad portion and said base-metal layer.

25. An electrical lead suspension (ELS) having openings in a base-metal substrate between solder pads comprising:

a means for providing a base-metal layer having at least one opening;

a means for providing a dielectric layer above the base-metal layer, said dielectric layer covering a portion of said base-metal layer and at least one of the openings in said base-metal layer;

a means for providing a signal conductive layer above the dielectric layer, said signal conductive layer comprising:

at least one solder pad portion, and

placing said solder pad portion comprised only from said signal conductive layer above said portion of said dielectric layer such that said solder pad portion is adjacent to, but does not align with the at least one opening in said base-metal layer, wherein during reflow of a solder on said solder pad the heat absorption with respect to said base-metal layer is reduced.

26. The ELS of claim 25 further comprising:

a means for providing a second opening in said base-metal layer;

a means for providing a dielectric layer above the base-metal layer, said dielectric layer covering a portion of said base-metal layer and said second opening of said base-metal layer; and

a means for aligning said solder pad portion above said portion of said dielectric layer covering said second opening of said base-metal layer, wherein the aligning of the solder pad portion over the second opening of said base-metal layer reduces the signal-conductor to base-metal layer capacitance and increases impedance between said solder pad portion and said base-metal layer.

Assignments (6)