Flexible circuit with partial ground path
AssigneeOracle International Corporation
InventorsKarl Ziegler, Kevin D. McKinstry
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A head assembly for a magnetic tape storage device includes a head and a flexible circuit connected to the head. The flexible circuit includes a gripping portion, an end including electrical contacts for the head, conductors extending from the electrical contacts, and ink patterned onto the electrical contacts and gripping portion to form electrical paths therebetween. The ink conducts electrostatic charge from the electrical contacts and conductors to a grounded user in response to skin of the user contacting the ink.
Claims18
A flexible circuit comprising:
- a substrate having an end portion, the end portion having electrical contacts;
- at least one insulating layer deposited over the substrate;
- a handling portion along the substrate, the handling portion having a surface;
- and
- a material deposited over the substrate, deposited over the surface of the handling portion, and extending between at least some of the electrical contacts and the handling portion,
- wherein the material has a conductivity less than a conductivity of the electrical contacts,
- wherein the material has a conductivity greater than a conductivity of the at least one insulating layer of the flexible circuit,
- wherein a resistance between the electrical contacts and the handling portion is within a predefined target range.
A magnetic storage drive comprising:
- a flexible circuit comprising:
- a substrate having an end portion, the end portion having electrical contacts;
- at least one insulating layer deposited over the substrate;
- a handling portion along the substrate, the handling portion having a surface;
- and
- a material deposited over the substrate, deposited over the surface of the handling portion, and extending between at least some of the electrical contacts and the handling portion,
- wherein the material has a conductivity less than a conductivity of the electrical contacts,
- wherein the material has a conductivity greater than a conductivity of the at least one insulating layer of the flexible circuit,
- wherein a resistance between the electrical contacts and the handling portion is within a predefined target range;
- and
- a magnetic storage head electrically coupled to the flexible circuit.
A method to form a flexible circuit comprising:
- depositing at least one insulating layer deposited over a substrate;
- forming electrical contacts on an end portion of the substrate;
- forming a handling portion along the substrate, the handling portion having a surface;
- and
- depositing a material over the substrate and at least some of the handling portion, and extending the material between at least some of the electrical contacts and the handling portion,
- wherein the material has a conductivity less than a conductivity of the electrical contacts,
- wherein the material has a conductivity greater than a conductivity of the at least one insulating layer of the flexible circuit,
- wherein a resistance between the electrical contacts and the handling portion is within a predefined target range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.