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US 9,311,938 B1Granted
Dual stage actuated suspension having adhesive overflow control channels
AssigneeMagnecomp Corporation
InventorsKuen Chee Ee, Peter Hahn, Long Zhang, Markus Erwin Mangold
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dual stage actuated suspension has microactuators that are adhered to the suspension by adhesive such as epoxy. The epoxy is contained within an adhesive containment vessel defined by walls of an insulating material such as polyimide. Adhesive overflow channels are formed within the polyimide to receive and channel any excess epoxy that overflows over the polyimide wall. The channels may have increasing width to help draw the excess epoxy toward a centrally located reservoir.
Claims20
A dual stage actuated suspension comprising:
- a base portion comprising a metal support layer, an insulation layer comprising an insulating material on the metal support layer, and a signal conductor layer on the insulation layer;
- a gimbaled portion on which a transducer head is mounted;
- a microactuator adhered to the support layer, the microactuator configured to effect fine movements of the transducer head disposed on the gimbaled portion;
- an adhesive containment structure, the adhesive containment structure comprising a first portion of the insulating material and a second portion of the insulating material, the second portion of the insulating material at least partially disposed underneath the microactuator, the first and second portions of insulating material being separated by a gap;
- adhesive disposed within the gap, the adhesive adhering the microactuator to the support layer;
- an adhesive overflow channel formed in the second portion of insulating material, the adhesive overflow channel being configured to hold adhesive that overflows from the adhesive containment structure over a top surface of the second portion of insulating material during a process of adhering the microactuator to the support layer via the adhesive.
3 more elements
A dual stage actuated suspension comprising:
- a base portion comprising a metal support layer, an insulation layer comprising an insulating material on the metal support layer, and a signal conductor layer on the insulation layer;
- a gimbaled portion on which a transducer head is mounted;
- a microactuator adhered to the support layer by adhesive including a first mass of adhesive adhering a first end of the microactuator to the support layer, the microactuator configured to effect fine movements of the transducer head disposed on the gimbaled portion;
- a first insulating wall comprising said insulating material at least partially containing said first mass of adhesive, said first insulating wall rising up from said metal support layer toward the microactuator but not all the way to the microactuator;
- a second insulating wall comprising said insulating material rising up from said metal support layer, the first and second insulating walls being separated from each other by a gap such that the gap defines a channel between the first and second insulating walls, the first and second insulating walls and the channel being configured such that an overflowing portion of said first mass of adhesive that flows over the first insulating wall during assembly of the suspension is contained by the channel.
2 more elements
A dual stage actuated suspension comprising:
- a base portion comprising a metal support layer and an insulation layer comprising an insulating material on the metal support layer;
- a microactuator;
- and
- adhesive adhering the microactuator to the suspension, the adhesive being at least partly contained by a wall of said insulating material underneath the microactuator;
- wherein the insulating material has a laterally extending channel formed therein and underneath the microactuator such that some of the adhesive that overflows the wall at an overflow location is contained and channeled in a direction that is laterally outward from the overflow location.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.