Work piece contact pad with centering feature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9478237-B2
Application number	US-201314030412-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2013
Priority date	Sep 18, 2013
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A data storage device may be tested during or after manufacture by a testing device that may have at least a work piece with at least one contact pad concurrently contacting bottom and sidewall surfaces of a probe tip with a centering feature of the at least one contact pad.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a work piece comprising a contact pad having a predefined feature with bottom and sidewall surfaces; and
a bondingless probe tip concurrently contacting the bottom and sidewall surfaces, the bottom surface tapered at a greater than zero angle to provide varying depth for the feature relative to a top surface of the contact pad.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bondingless probe tip contacts the bottom and sidewall surfaces without adhesives and fasteners.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bondingless probe tip physically and electrically contacts the bottom and sidewall surfaces of the contact pad.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the feature continuously extends from a single side of the contact pad to a center of the contact pad.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the feature is shaped with multiple linear sidewalls.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the feature is shaped with at least one curvilinear sidewall.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the probe tip comprises at least one surface continuously tapered at a non-normal angle.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the contact pad has an areal extent of 35 μm.

9. A testing device comprising:
a work piece comprising a contact pad; and
a bondingless electronic lapping guide (ELG) probe tip concurrently contacting a first bottom surface and sidewall surface of a feature of the contact pad, the first bottom surface being continuously linear and tapered at a first angle, the contact pad comprising a second bottom surface extending from the first bottom surface at a second angle, the first and second angles being different and configured to provide varying depth for the feature relative to a top surface of the contact pad.

10. The testing device of claim 9 , wherein the contact pad has a first thickness and the feature comprises a recess that extends into the contact pad a second thickness that is less than the first thickness.

11. The testing device of claim 9 , wherein the first angle is parallel to a bottom probe surface of the bondingless ELG probe tip.

12. The testing device of claim 9 , wherein the feature has multiple different varying depths extending into the contact pad.

13. The testing device of claim 9 , wherein the first bottom surface is oriented at a non-zero angle with respect to the top surface and second bottom surface is parallel to the top surface.

14. The testing device of claim 13 , wherein the first and second bottom surfaces converge at a transition sidewall surface.

15. The testing device of claim 9 , wherein the feature is shaped to match a sidewall of the ELG probe tip.

16. A method comprising:
configuring a work piece with at least one contact pad having a feature;
engaging a first bottom surface of a first contact pad with a probe tip, the first bottom surface tapered at a greater than zero angle to provide varying depth for the feature relative to a top surface of the first contact pad; and
contacting a second bottom surface and a sidewall surface of the feature concurrently with the probe tip, the second bottom surface oriented at a different angle with respect to the top surface than the first bottom surface.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the work piece has multiple contact pads each with a feature contacting a different probe tip.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein each contact pad has a differently configured feature.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the probe tip continuously extends from a probe card.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising monitoring a lapping operation on the work piece by logging the resistance of the probe tip.

Assignees

• Seagate Technology Llc

Inventors

• Li Leping
• O'Konski Jeffrey Robert
• Keo Saravuth
• Parikh Pramit P

Classifications

• G11B5/3169 Primary

  Working or finishing the interfacing surface of heads, e.g. lapping of heads · CPC title