Method of operating switchable shunts for integrated lead suspensions

A method of operating a switchable shunt for an integrated lead suspension or component having a conductive lead layer and a spring metal layer separated from the conductive layer by an insulating layer, where the shunt has a contact base region on the spring metal layer, the method including:

• applying a force to one or more contact arms, each contact arm electrically coupled to an integrated lead and formed in the conductive lead layer and at least one of the insulating layer and spring metal layer, with one or more contact pad regions, with each contact pad region electrically coupled to a contact arm and formed in at least the conductive lead layer and one or more gaps with each gap surrounding portions of one or more contact arms and associated contact pad regions, wherein each contact and extends through the gap and is resiliently biased toward a shunted state at which the contact pad region is in electrical contact with the contact base region on the spring metal layer, to move
• i) from the shunted state in which the respective one or more contact arms causes electrical contact between the contact base region on the spring metal layer and the associated contact pad region
• ii) to an electrically open state in which the contact pad region is electrically isolated from the associated contact base region.

A method of operating a switchable shunt for an integrated lead suspension or component having a conductive lead layer and a spring metal layer separated from the conductive lead layer by an insulating layer, and the shunt has a first contact region on the spring metal layer, the method including:

• applying a force to a contact arm connected to a second contact region electrically connected to at least one of a plurality of integrated leads in the conductive lead layer to move the contact arm
• i) from a shunted state in which the first contact region on the spring metal layer and the second contact region in the conductive lead layer are resiliently biased toward and in electrical contact with each other,
• ii) to an electrically open state in which the first contact region is electrically disconnected from the second contact region.

A method of operating a switchable shunt for an integrated lead suspension or component formed from a laminated sheet of material including a conductive lead layer and a spring metal layer separated by an insulating layer, wherein the shunt has a contact base region on the spring metal layer, the method including:

• applying a force to the shunt to electrically separate the contact base region on the spring metal layer from a contact pad region formed in at least the conductive lead layer
• wherein the contact base region and the contact pad region are resiliently biased towards each other in a shunted state during which the contact pad region is in electrical contact with the contact base region.

A method of operating a switchable shunt for an integrated lead suspension having a conductive lead layer, an insulating layer, and a metal spring layer separated from the conductive lead layer by the insulating layer, the method comprising the steps of:

• resiliently biasing a portion of the conductive lead layer and the metal spring layer which is separate from the conductive lead layer together in a shunted state in which at least one integrated lead in the lead layer is in electrical contact with the metal spring layer;
• and
• selectively applying a separating force to the shunt to move the portion of the conductive layer and the metal spring layer apart, resulting in disconnecting the at least one integrated lead from electrical contact with the metal spring layer.