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AssigneeHutchinson Technology Incorporated
InventorsJeffry S. Bennin, Todd Boucher, Jeffrey W. Green, Gary E. Gustafson, Ryan Jurgenson, Brent D. Lien
Estimating the term…
A trace interconnect assembly designed for transmitting electrical signals to and from a head assembly in a hard disk drive is disclosed. The interconnect assembly includes one or more single-layer thin, elongated, and generally flat substrate-free trace interconnects. The trace interconnects are new conductors etched out of a planar length of preferably a high tensile and high yield strength metal such as beryllium copper. They are shaped to match the surface topology of the suspension assembly. Trace interconnects have a rigid region and flexible regions that match a rigid region and flexible regions in the suspension assembly. Different additional elements include support braces, standoffs, trace tangs, bond pads, and stacked interconnects. Coupling a head assembly to the interconnect assembly creates a head interconnect harness. Methods of manufacture for the trace interconnect assembly, a multi-conductor stacked version, a head suspension assembly, and the head interconnect harness are disclosed.
A trace interconnect that is sized and adapted to be attached to a magnetic head suspension that has a length in a Y direction and a width in an X direction, in which the trace interconnect is substrate-free, self-supporting, and adapted to provide at least one conductive path between distal and proximal ends of the magnetic head suspension, and in which the head suspension has a non-planar contour such that at least part of its surface lies other than in a single plane along the X and Y directions, the trace interconnect comprising at least one conductor, the conductor having:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.