Head gimbal assembly including a conductive trace disposed upon a continuous dielectric layer segment without overlying a gimbal arm
View Patent ↗There is provided a head gimbal assembly (HGA) for a disk drive. The HGA includes a slider and a flexure. The flexure includes a flexure body portion, a tongue portion with the slider affixed to the tongue portion, first and second gimbal arms extending between the flexure body portion and the tongue portion, and a dielectric layer including a first dielectric layer segment extending continuously along the first gimbal arm between the flexure body portion and the tongue portion. The flexure further includes a first patterned conductive trace electrically connected to the slider. The first patterned conductive trace is supported by the first dielectric layer segment. The first dielectric layer segment crosses and re-crosses the first patterned conductive trace along the first gimbal arm without overlying the first gimbal arm.
1. A head gimbal assembly (HGA) for a disk drive, the HGA comprising:
a slider; and
a flexure including:
a flexure body portion;
a tongue portion with the slider affixed to the tongue portion;
first and second gimbal arms extending between the flexure body portion and the tongue portion;
a dielectric layer including a first dielectric layer segment extending continuously along the first gimbal arm between the flexure body portion and the tongue portion; and
a first patterned conductive trace electrically connected to the slider, the first patterned conductive trace being supported by the first dielectric layer segment;
wherein the first dielectric layer segment crosses and re-crosses the first patterned conductive trace along the first gimbal arm without overlying the first gimbal arm.
2. The HGA of claim 1 wherein the flexure includes a gimbal opening disposed between the first gimbal arm and the tongue portion and between the second gimbal arm and the tongue portion, the first patterned conductive trace extending over the gimbal opening where the first dielectric layer segment crosses and re-crosses the first patterned conductive trace.
3. The HGA of claim 1 wherein the flexure includes a gimbal opening disposed between the first gimbal arm and the tongue portion, the first gimbal arm being disposed between the first patterned conductive trace and the gimbal opening where the first dielectric layer segment crosses and re-crosses the first patterned conductive trace.
4. The HGA of claim 1 wherein the first patterned conductive trace is generally straight between where the first dielectric layer segment crosses and re-crosses the first patterned conductive trace.
5. The HGA of claim 1 wherein the first patterned conductive trace is curved between where the first dielectric layer segment crosses and re-crosses the first patterned conductive trace.
6. The HGA of claim 1 wherein the dielectric layer includes a second dielectric layer segment extending continuously along the second gimbal arm between the flexure body portion and the tongue portion, the flexure further including a second patterned conductive trace electrically connected to the slider, the second patterned conductive trace being supported by the second dielectric layer segment, the second dielectric layer segment crossing and re-crossing the second patterned conductive trace along the second gimbal arm without overlying the second gimbal arm.
7. The HGA of claim 1 wherein the dielectric layer comprises polyimide.
8. The HGA of claim 1 wherein the flexure includes a metal backing layer, the metal backing layer being included within the gimbal arms.
9. The HGA of claim 8 wherein the metal backing layer comprises stainless steel.