Etching a substrate: processes – Forming or treating electrical conductor article
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-15
2003-07-22
Gulakowski, Randy (Department: 1746)
Etching a substrate: processes
Forming or treating electrical conductor article
C216S022000, C216S056000, C216S099000, C216S100000, C216S105000, C360S137000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06596184
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates in general to integrated lead suspensions for hard disk drives and in particular to fabricating and applying non-homogenous laminate materials to integrated lead suspensions with conductor support blocks.
2. Background Art
In hard disk drive manufacturing, one type of head gimbal assembly has an integrated lead suspension (ILS). An ILS is typically formed by laminating several layers of material together and then selectively etching the layers to achieve a desired architecture. Alternatively, the layers may be formed by plating them on top of one another. These layers usually comprise at least one of each of the following: a stainless steel substrates or support layer, an insulation layer such as a polyimide, and a conductor layer such as copper. An ILS with a bent lead type design must be etched on both sides to clear the polyimide on the bent lead. This step requires additional process time and adds cost to the suspension.
In an ILS, the conductors carry the electrical signals from the read/write heads to a flexible cable. The polarity of the signals at the heads determines the polarity of the termination pads at the flexible cable since the conductors cannot cross over one another. This is a serious problem if multiple heads with different polarities must be connected to the same flexible cable which has only one set of polarities.
The different layers of materials which form the laminate suspension have different coefficients of thermal expansion. The static attitudes of the heads, which are vital for their fly height control, can change due to environmental temperature and humidity changes. These changes will impact the fly height control of the sliders. Improved methods for manufacturing integrated lead suspensions are needed to address these issues.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An integrated lead suspension is formed from a laminate of three materials in a variety of configurations having from three to five layers. The materials are stainless steel, polyimide and copper. Each layer is essentially homogeneous, but may be formed with one or more holes or voids prior to the formation of the laminate. The voids can be used to eliminate the need for double-sided etching or to make small features which would otherwise be unavailable with conventional manufacturing processed.
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Shum Victor Wing-Chun
Simmons Randall George
Bracewell & Patterson L.L.P.
Gulakowski Randy
International Business Machines - Corporation
Raissinia Abdy
LandOfFree
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