Low density, high rigidity disk drive suspension for high resonance frequency applications

A disk drive suspension component for carrying a slider at a disk, said component comprising a laminate of at least three metal layers of like mechanical and chemical formability, said laminate including a first outer layer, a second outer layer, and an intermediate layer, said intermediate layer having a void-containing interior providing a lower density than at least one of said outer layers and a surface area and comprising a series of local regions distributed across substantially the width and length of said intermediate layer with each said local region equaling less than 10% of said surface area, each of said local regions having an overall pattern of discontinuities and lands between said discontinuities substantially the same as the overall pattern of discontinuities in laterally and longitudinally adjacent local regions for local attachment of said layers at some and not all of said lands to adjacent layers to form a laminate having common formability properties.

An assembly for a disk drive suspension component for carrying a slider at a disk, said component assembly comprising a first substantially planar outer layer, a second substantially planar outer layer, and a substantially planar intermediate layer, at least one of said layers having interior voids lowering its density to a value selected from 30%, 50% and 70% of that of said at least one outer layer, a nonplanar surface opposite and arranged for substantially universal contact with an other layer and comprising a distributive pattern of numerous potential local attachment sites, at least one of said other layers being attached to said at least one layer at plural ones of said local attachment sites that are less in number than said potential attachment sites, whereby selective attachment of an other layer to said at least one layer is facilitated.

A disk drive suspension component for carrying a slider at a disk, said component comprising a laminate of at least three layers including a first substantially planar outer layer, a second substantially planar outer layer, and a substantially planar intermediate layer of lower density than said outer layers and having a nonplanar surface defining a distributive pattern of oppositely facing numerous attachment sites across said intermediate layer opposite said first and second outer layers, said first and second outer layers being fixed to some and less than all of said numerous attachment sites.

A disk drive suspension component for carrying a slider at a disk, said component comprising an elongated structure having a portion adapted to be cantilevered from the remainder of said structure, said portion comprising a laminate of opposed outer layers having like CTE's and that are too thin to be self-supporting in cantilevered condition and an inner layer having a like CTE to and a lower density than said outer layers, said inner layer spacing said outer layers in cantilevered portion laminate defining relation, said inner layer comprising a web of regularly spaced interior void defining discontinuities and lands defining successive upper and lower attachment sites in bonding relation with said opposing layers, whereby said cantilevered portion laminate is self-supporting in cantilevered condition.

A method of manufacturing a disk drive suspension component, including registering upper and lower metal layers with a metal intermediate layer of relatively lower density than at least one of said upper and lower metal layers and having overall a surface of regularly arranged discontinuities and lands defining numerous attachment sites, and bonding said outer layers to said intermediate layer at some but not all of said attachment sites.

A method of supporting a slider at a disk with a cantilevered component having at least three metal layers, including reducing the density of at least one of said three layers with interior voids, raising numerous protruding attachment sites on at least one of said three layers, bonding said layers together at some but not all of said attachment sites, chemically and/or mechanically altering said metal layers in common, and supporting a slider therewith.