Granted Patent B1

US 7,826,177 · App. 11/582,794 · Granted Nov 2, 2010

Abstract

Claims (39)

1. A flexure for supporting a head in a disk drive, the flexure comprising:

a tongue including a head mounting surface for attaching the head;

a first arm on a first side of the tongue, the first arm comprising a structural material and having a first cross-sectional area in a plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface, the first cross-sectional area having a first centroid; and

a second arm on the first side of the tongue, the second arm comprising a layer of conductive material that is not the same as the structural material, the second arm not comprising any layer of the structural material, the second arm having a second cross-sectional area in the plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface, the second cross-sectional area having a second centroid, wherein the second centroid is not offset from the first centroid by more than 10 microns in a direction perpendicular to the head mounting surface.

2. A flexure for supporting a head in a disk drive, the flexure comprising:

a tongue including a head mounting surface for attaching the head;

a first arm on a first side of the tongue, the first arm comprising a structural material and having a first cross-sectional area in a plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface, the first cross-sectional area having a first centroid; and

a second arm on the first side of the tongue, the second arm comprising a layer of conductive material that is not the same as the structural material, the second arm having a second cross-sectional area in the plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface, the second cross-sectional area having a second centroid, wherein the second centroid is not offset from the first centroid by more than 10 microns in a direction perpendicular to the head mounting surface,

wherein the first arm has a thickness no less than 10 microns and the second arm has a thickness no less than 5 microns.

3. The flexure of claim 2 , wherein the flexure has a pitch stiffness less than 0.4 micronewton-meter per degree.

4. The flexure of claim 2 , wherein the flexure has a roll stiffness less than 0.4 micronewton-meter per degree.

5. The flexure of claim 1 , wherein the second arm is substantially parallel to the first arm.

6. A flexure for supporting a head in a disk drive, the flexure comprising:

a tongue including a head mounting surface for attaching the head;

a first arm on a first side of the tongue, the first arm comprising a structural material and having a first cross-sectional area in a plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface, the first cross-sectional area having a first centroid;

a second arm on the first side of the tongue, the second arm comprising a layer of conductive material that is not the same as the structural material, the second arm having a second cross-sectional area in the plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface, the second cross-sectional area having a second centroid, wherein the second centroid is not offset from the first centroid by more than 10 microns in a direction perpendicular to the head mounting surface;

a third arm on a second side of the tongue, the third arm comprising the structural material and having a third cross-sectional area in the plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface, the third cross-sectional area having a third centroid; and

a fourth arm on the second side of the tongue, the fourth arm comprising the conductive material, the fourth arm having a fourth cross-sectional area in the plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface, the fourth cross-sectional area having a fourth centroid, wherein the third centroid is not offset from the fourth centroid by more than 10 microns in a direction perpendicular to the head mounting surface.

7. The flexure of claim 6 , wherein the fourth arm is substantially parallel to the third arm.

8. The flexure of claim 6 , wherein the first centroid, the second centroid, the third centroid, and the fourth centroid are not offset from one another by more than 10 microns in a direction perpendicular to the head mounting surface.

9. The flexure of claim 1 , wherein the structural material comprises steel.

10. The flexure of claim 9 , wherein the steel is stainless steel.

11. The flexure of claim 1 , wherein the second arm further comprises a dielectric material layer comprising polyimide.

12. The flexure of claim 1 , wherein the layer of conductive material comprises copper.

13. The flexure of claim 1 , wherein the first arm is farther from the tongue than is the second arm.

14. The flexure of claim 1 , wherein the first arm is closer to the tongue than is the second arm.

15. The flexure of claim 1 , wherein the first arm comprises a substantially planar first portion and the second arm comprises a substantially planar second portion that is substantially co-planar with the first portion.

16. The flexure of claim 15 , wherein the first portion is configured to flex in a flexing direction, the second portion is configured to flex in the flexing direction, and the second portion is substantially co-planar with the first portion in a plane substantially perpendicular to the flexing direction.

17. A flexure for supporting a head in a disk drive, the flexure comprising:

a tongue including a head mounting surface for attaching the head;

a first arm on a first side of the tongue, the first arm comprising a structural material and having a first cross-sectional area in a plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface, the first cross-sectional area having a first centroid; and

a second arm on the first side of the tongue, the second arm comprising a layer of conductive material that is not the same as the structural material, the second arm having a second cross-sectional area in the plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface, the second cross-sectional area having a second centroid, wherein the second centroid is not offset from the first centroid by more than 10 microns in a direction perpendicular to the head mounting surface;

wherein the first arm comprises one or more extensions extending generally toward the second arm and mechanically coupled to the second arm.

18. A flexure for supporting a head in a disk drive, the flexure comprising:

a tongue including a head mounting surface for attaching the head;

a first arm on a first side of the tongue, the first arm comprising a structural material and having a first cross-sectional area in a plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface, the first cross-sectional area having a first centroid; and

a second arm on the first side of the tongue, the second arm comprising a layer of conductive material that is not the same as the structural material, the second arm having a second cross-sectional area in the plane perpendicular to the head mounting surface, the second cross-sectional area having a second centroid, wherein the second centroid is not offset from the first centroid by more than 10 microns in a direction perpendicular to the head mounting surface;

wherein the second arm comprises one or more extensions extending generally toward the first arm and mechanically coupled to the first arm.

19. The flexure of claim 18 , wherein the first arm comprises one or more extensions extending generally toward the second arm, the one or more extensions of the first arm mechanically coupled to the one or more extensions of the second arm.

Assignments (8)