Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-21
2001-01-16
Hall, Carl E. (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C029S603040, C360S100100, C360S100100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173485
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a magnetic head apparatus, which includes a slider with at least one thin-film magnetic head element, a resilient suspension for supporting the slider.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
In such magnetic head apparatus, at least one thin-film magnetic head element for writing magnetic information into and/or reading magnetic information from a magnetic recording medium such as a magnetic disk is in general formed on a slider flying in operation above the magnetic recording medium. The slider is supported by the suspension made of a resilient thin metal plate.
A head IC chip used for amplifying writing current to the magnetic head element, for amplifying reading current from the head element and for controlling the writing and reading operations of the head element may be also mounted on the suspension. Japanese patent unexamined publications nos. 53(1978)-69623, 55(1980)-150130 and 3(1991)-108120 disclose magnetic head apparatuses with the head IC chips mounted on the suspensions.
In fabricating these conventional magnetic head apparatuses, the sliders and the head IC chips are mounted on the respective suspensions after bend portions called as “gram-loads” and side rail bend portions for reinforcement are formed in the suspensions. For example, Japanese patent unexamined publications nos. 54(1979)-94312 and 3(1991)-134875 disclose manufacturing processes for attaching sliders onto respective completed suspensions which are coupled to each other and thereafter for separating the coupled suspensions into the individual pieces.
As aforementioned, since the completed suspension according to the conventional art has a complicated three dimensional shape, fixing of the suspension itself to an assembling tool or a jig used for mounting the slider and the head IC chip becomes very difficult. Thus, precise alignment of the suspension with the slider and the head IC chip cannot be expected causing that assembling of the slider and the head IC chip with the suspension cannot be automated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a magnetic head apparatus, whereby extremely accurate assembling of a slider and/or a head IC chip with a suspension can be expected.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a magnetic head apparatus, whereby assembling of the slider and the head IC chip with the suspension can be easily automated.
According to the present invention, a method for manufacturing a magnetic head apparatus includes a step of forming a plurality of flexure pieces coupled with each other and kept in substantially flat, each of the flexure pieces being provided with conductive connection pattern, a step of mounting sliders with magnetic head elements on the respective flexure pieces, or mounting head IC chips on the respective flexure pieces and after that mounting sliders with magnetic head elements on the respective flexure pieces, and a step of separating the flexure pieces with the sliders or with both the sliders and the head IC chips into individual pieces.
Since the head IC chips and the sliders are mounted on the flexure pieces coupled with each other and kept in substantially flat, the alignment and mounting of the head IC chips and the sliders to the respective flexure pieces can be accurately and easily executed, and thus extremely accurate assembling of the head-suspension assemblies can be expected. This accurate assembling will greatly improve characteristics of the magnetic head apparatus. Furthermore, assembling of the sliders and the head IC chips with the suspensions can be easily automated. Thus, the manufacturing costs of the fabricated magnetic head apparatus can be reduced without sacrificing quality.
In case of fabricating a magnetic head apparatus with a three-piece structure suspension formed from discrete components of a flexure piece and a load beam, the load beam is fixed to the flexure piece after the slider is mounted on the flexure piece. Thus, the center of the slider can be extremely easily aligned with a dimple, which will be normally formed on the load beam.
It is preferred that the head IC chips are mounted on the respective flexure pieces by flip chip bonding process.
It is also preferred that each of the flexure pieces has a tongue portion for fixing the slider, and that the tang portions of the respective flexure pieces are bent so as to adjust position angles of the sliders to be attached. This tongue portion bending step may be executed before the head IC chips and the sliders are mounted, after the head IC chips and the sliders are mounted but before the coupled flexure pieces are separated into individual pieces, or after the coupled flexure pieces are separated into individual pieces.
In case of fabricating a magnetic head apparatus with a two-pieces structure suspension formed from integral flexure piece and load beam, bending process of the flexure piece integral with the load beam is executed after the head IC chips and the sliders are mounted but before the coupled flexure pieces are separated into individual pieces, or after the coupled flexure pieces are separated into individual pieces.
It is also preferred that the plurality of flexure pieces coupled with each other are formed from a flat sheet material or from a rolled hoop material.
It is preferred that the sliders are provided with magnetoresistive (MR) type read out magnetic head elements on the respective flexure pieces.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3563443 (1971-02-01), Pedrotti et al.
patent: 4799119 (1989-01-01), Rossi et al.
patent: 5687479 (1997-11-01), Bennin et al.
patent: 5859749 (1999-01-01), Zarouri et al.
patent: 5870258 (1999-02-01), Khan et al.
patent: 53-69623 (1978-06-01), None
patent: 54-94312 (1979-07-01), None
patent: 55-150130 (1980-11-01), None
patent: 3-108120 (1991-05-01), None
patent: 3-134875 (1991-05-01), None
Morita Haruyuki
Sakai Masanori
Shiraishi Masashi
Takano Ken-ichi
Umehara Tsuyoshi
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Hall Carl E.
TDK Corporation
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