Integrated head-electronics interconnection suspension for a data recording disk drive

A suspension for a data recording disk drive of the type having a disk with a data surface, a transducer for writing data to and reading data from the disk, the transducer having an output impedance and being attached to a slider maintained adjacent to the data surface of the disk, an actuator for moving the slider across the disk, and an electronics module having an impedance different from that of the transducer, the suspension being a laminate structure comprising:

• a base layer;
• and
• an electrically conductive layer formed on the base layer as a plurality of electrically conductive traces interconnecting said transducer and said electronics module, each of said traces having a bonding area near each of its ends with a width larger than the width of the trace for electrical connection to the transducer and the electronics module,
• each bonding area having a transition region with a width being a gradual variation from the width of the trace near the bonding area to the width of the bonding area,
• whereby the characteristic impedance of the trace in the region near the electronics module end of the trace is substantially equal to the output impedance of the electronics module,
• and the characteristic impedance of the trace in the region near the transducer end of the trace is substantially equal to the output impedance of the transducer;
• and
• the width of the trace being gradually tapered between the transducer and module end regions, thereby avoiding any abrupt changes in the trace characteristic impedance along the length of the trace.

A transducer-slider-suspension-arm assembly for a data recording disk drive of the type having a rotatable disk with a data surface, an actuator for moving the transducer generally radially relative to the disk so as to read data from or write data to the data surface during rotation of the disk, and an electronics module for processing data read from and written to the data surface, the transducer-slider-suspension-arm assembly comprising:

• a slider maintained in operative relationship with the data surface when the disk is rotating;
• a transducer attached to the slider for reading data from and writing data to the data surface;
• a laminate suspension having two ends, its first end attached to said slider, the laminate suspension comprising (a) an electrically conductive and patterned back plane having an aperture;
• (b) an electrically insulating layer formed on the back plane;
• and (c) an electrically conductive layer formed on the insulating layer as a plurality of electrically conductive traces interconnecting said transducer and said electronics module, at least one of the traces extending across the aperture with the longitudinal axis of the trace forming an angle other than perpendicular with the periphery of the aperture;
• and
• a generally rigid support arm having two ends, its first end attached to the second end of the suspension and its second end attached to the actuator.

A data recording disk drive comprising:

• a disk with a data surface of concentric data tracks;
• means attached to the disk for rotating the disk about an axis generally perpendicular to the disk;
• a slider maintained in operative relationship with the data surface when the disk is rotating;
• a transducer attached to the slider for reading data from and writing data to the data surface;
• an actuator for moving the slider generally radially relative to the disk to allow the transducer to access the data tracks;
• an electronics module for processing data read from and written to the data surface;
• a laminate suspension having two ends, its first end attached to said slider, the laminate suspension comprising (a) an electrically conductive and patterned back plane having an aperture;
• (b) an electrically insulating layer formed on the back plane;
• and (c) an electrically conductive layer formed on the insulating layer as a plurality of electrically conductive traces interconnecting said transducer and said electronics module, at least one of the traces extending across the aperture with the longitudinal axis of the trace forming an angle other than perpendicular with the periphery of the aperture;
• and
• a generally rigid support arm having two ends, its first end attached to the second end of the suspension and its second end attached to the actuator.