Method and apparatus for providing an additional ground pad and electrical connection for grounding a magnetic recording head

US7064928B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• SAE MAGNETICS (H.K.) LTD. · CN

Inventors

• Yen Fu · San Jose, US
• Ellis Cha · San Ramon, US
• Po-Kang Wang · San Jose, US
• Hong Tian · Tai Po, CN
• Manuel Hernandez · San Jose, US
• Yaw-Shing Tang · Saratoga, US
• Ben Hu · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 16, 2003
• Grant date: Jun 20, 2006
• Expiry date: Apr 16, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P70/50
• WIPO field: Audio-visual technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Method and apparatus are presented for electrically coupling a slider to ground. In one embodiment, a bonding pad is provided on a side of the slider body separate from the bonding pad(s) used for read/write signals. This separate bonding pad is electrically coupled within the slider body to components that are to be coupled to ground. A separate conductor provided on the suspension (e.g., a trace, a flex circuit, etc.) may be electrically coupled to the separate bonding pad via gold ball bonding. The conductor is also coupled to ground in the hard-disk drive device (e.g., via the preamplifier). The use of the separated bonding pad and trace may negate the need to use a conductive adhesive to electrically ground the slider via its attachment to the tongue of a slider.