HGA suspension pad barrier for elimination of solder bridging defect
View Patent ↗A method and apparatus for preventing solder bridging. The method includes providing a substrate layer upon which a solder pad is disposed. The method further includes providing a signal conductive layer within the substrate layer. The method also includes forming a solder pad upon the signal conductive layer. The solder pad has a base surface. The method additionally includes forming a barrier portion above the base surface of the solder pad. The barrier portion is for controlling solder flow during a reflow process.
1. An electronic component having a solder pad configured for eliminating instances of solder bridging during a reflow process, said electronic component comprising:
a substrate upon which said solder pad is disposed;
a signal conductive layer coupled with said substrate, said signal conductive layer comprising:
a solder pad portion having a base surface;
said base surface planar to a surface of said substrate; and
at least two barrier portions extruding upwardly from said base surface of said solder pad portion, said barrier portion for preventing solder bridging during a reflow process performed on a solder ball disposed in said barrier portion wherein said at least two barrier portions are disposed on opposite sides of said solder ball and are not connected to each other.
2. The electronic component of claim 1 wherein said substrate further comprises a depression formed therein, said depression forming a peripheral edge of said base surface of said solder pad portion.
3. The electronic component of claim 2 wherein said solder pad portion is formed within said depression.
4. The electronic component of claim 3 wherein a barrier portion of said at least two barrier portions is disposed above said solder pad portion.
5. The electronic component of claim 1 wherein said at least two barrier portions comprise a first barrier portion and another barrier portion, said first barrier portion disposed proximal to a periphery of said base surface and wherein said another barrier portion is disposed proximal to an opposing periphery, said opposing periphery parallel with said periphery.
6. The electronic component of claim 5 wherein said first barrier portion and said another barrier portion are perpendicular to said planar surface of said base surface.
7. The electronic component as recited in claim 5 wherein said first barrier portion and said another barrier portion are analogous.
8. A hard disk drive comprising:
a housing;
a disk pack mounted to the housing and having at least one disk that is 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 at least one disk, and an upstream side wherein air flows toward the disk pack;
an actuator mounted to the housing and being movable relative to the disk pack, the actuator having one or more heads for reading data from and writing data to the at least one disk of the disk pack; and
an electrical lead suspension (ELS), said ELS having a microactuator, said microactuator having a solder pad configured to prevent solder bridging, said microactuator comprising:
a substrate layer upon which said solder pad is disposed; and
a signal conductive layer above said substrate layer, said signal conductive layer comprising:
a solder pad portion having a base surface; and
at least two barrier portions above said base surface, said at least two barrier portions each disposed within a peripheral edge of said base surface, said at least two barrier portions for eliminating solder bridging during a reflow process performed on a solder ball, wherein said at least two barrier portions are disposed on opposite sides of said solder ball and are not connected to each other.
9. The hard disk drive of claim 8 wherein said substrate layer further comprises a trough formed therein via a subtractive process, said subtractive process performed within an internal portion of a peripheral edge of said substrate layer so as to form a periphery of said base surface of said solder pad portion.
10. The hard disk drive of claim 9 wherein said base surface of said solder pad portion is disposed within said trough.
11. The hard disk drive of claim 10 wherein said at least two barrier portions are each is disposed above said base surface of said solder pad portion.
12. The hard disk drive as recited in claim 8 wherein one of said at least two barrier portions is formed proximal to a periphery of said base surface.
13. The hard disk drive as recited in claim 12 wherein one of said at least two barrier portions is formed proximal to an opposing periphery of said base surface, said opposing periphery parallel with said periphery.
14. The hard disk drive of claim 13 wherein said at least two barrier portions are analogous.