Partial curing of a microactuator mounting adhesive in a disk drive suspension

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9296188-B1
Application number	US-201514623774-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 17, 2015
Priority date	Feb 17, 2015
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

Various embodiments concern a method of attaching a microactuator to a flexure, depositing a wet mass of structural adhesive on the flexure, mounting the microactuator on the wet mass of structural adhesive, partially curing the mass of structural adhesive through a first application of curing energy, and depositing a mass of conductive adhesive on the flexure. The mass of conductive adhesive is deposited in contact with the mass of structural adhesive. The state of partial curing of the structural adhesive prevents the conductive adhesive from wicking between the flexure and the underside of the microactuator and displacing the structural adhesive which may otherwise result in shorting to a stainless steel layer of the flexure. The method further comprises fully curing the mass of structural adhesive and the conductive adhesive through a second application of curing energy.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of attaching a microactuator to a flexure, the method comprising:
depositing a mass of structural adhesive on a first surface of the flexure, the mass of structural adhesive applied in a wet state;
mounting the microactuator over the flexure such that the structural adhesive, while in the wet state, is located between and in contact with each of the first surface of the flexure and a surface of the microactuator;
partially curing the mass of structural adhesive through a first application of curing energy to the mass of structural adhesive while in the wet state;
depositing a mass of conductive adhesive on the flexure, the mass of conductive adhesive deposited so as to contact each of a second surface of the flexure, a first terminal of the microactuator, and the mass of structural adhesive while in the partially cured state; and
fully curing the mass of structural adhesive and the conductive adhesive through a second application of curing energy.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the structural adhesive, while in the partially cured state, prevents penetration of the conductive adhesive underneath the microactuator.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the structural adhesive, when in the partially cured state, is not displaced by the conductive adhesive.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first application of curing energy comprises exposure to heated air, the air heated to at least 100 degrees centigrade.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the exposure to the heated air lasts less than sixty seconds.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mass of structural adhesive, while in the partially cured state, comprises a skin of cured structural adhesive and a core structural adhesive that is still in the wet state.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the structural adhesive is electrically insulative.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein, after depositing the mass of conductive adhesive on the flexure, the mass of structural adhesive is entirely contained between the flexure and the microactuator.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the flexure comprises a stainless steel layer, and the first surface is a surface of the stainless steel layer.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second surface is a conductive pad of the flexure.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first surface is formed from a different type of metal than the second surface.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first surface is entirely underneath the microactuator following the mounting of the microactuator while the second surface is not underneath the microactuator following the mounting of the microactuator.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the microactuator is a piezoelectric motor.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
depositing an additional mass of structural adhesive on a third surface of the flexure, the additional mass of structural adhesive applied in a wet state; and
depositing an additional mass of conductive adhesive on the flexure, the additional mass of conductive adhesive deposited so as to contact each of a fourth surface of the flexure, a second terminal of the microactuator, and a surface of the additional mass of structural adhesive,
wherein:
the conductive adhesive is deposited along a first lateral end of the microactuator and the additional mass of conductive adhesive is deposited along a second lateral end of the microactuator;
the microactuator is mounted over the flexure such that the structural adhesive is located between and in contact with each of the third surface of the flexure and the surface of the microactuator;
the step of partially curing further comprises partially curing the additional mass of structural adhesive through the first application of curing energy to the additional mass of structural adhesive while in the wet state,
the additional mass of conductive adhesive is deposited while the additional mass of structural adhesive is in the partially cured state, and
the step of fully curing further comprises fully curing the additional mass of structural adhesive and the additional mass of conductive adhesive through the second application of curing energy.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein depositing the masses of conductive adhesive include depositing the masses of conductive adhesive without displacing the masses of structural adhesive and without causing the conductive adhesive to electrically short a terminal pad of the flexure to a structural metal layer of the flexure.

16. A method of attaching a microactuator to a flexure, the method comprising:
depositing a mass of structural adhesive on the flexure, the mass of structural adhesive applied in a wet state, the mass of structural adhesive being non-conductive;
mounting the microactuator over the flexure by bringing an underside of the microactuator in contact with the mass of structural adhesive in the wet state;
partially curing the mass of structural adhesive through a first application of curing energy to the mass of structural adhesive while in the wet state;
depositing a mass of conductive adhesive on the flexure, the mass of conductive adhesive in contact with the mass of structural adhesive, the mass of conductive adhesive applied in a wet state, wherein the state of partial curing of the structural adhesive prevents the conductive adhesive from wicking between the flexure and the underside of the microactuator and displacing the structural adhesive; and
fully curing the mass of structural adhesive and the conductive adhesive through a second application of curing energy.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first application of curing energy comprising exposure to heated air for no more than sixty seconds, the air heated to at least 100 degrees centigrade.

Assignees

• Hutchinson Technology

Inventors

• Cray Scott J
• Schumann John L
• Johnson Trent A
• Rose Luke E

Classifications

• B32B37/1207 Primary

  Heat-activated adhesive (B32B37/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G11B5/48

  Disposition or mounting of heads {or head supports} relative to record carriers {(mounting of head within housing G11B5/105); arrangements of heads, e.g. for scanning the record carrier to increase the relative speed (driving of both record carriers and head G11B15/18; guiding record carriers G11B15/60; head selecting circuits G11B15/12)} · CPC title

• G11B5/483 Primary

  Piezoelectric devices between head and arm, e.g. for fine adjustment · CPC title

• G11B5/4826 Primary

  Mounting, aligning or attachment of the transducer head relative to the arm assembly, e.g. slider holding members, gimbals, adhesive (G11B5/484 takes precedence; details of head housings or structures G11B5/10, G11B5/127; adjustment relative to the record carrier G11B5/56) · CPC title