A gimbal assembly includes a frame having base, tip and mount portions, and a crossbar joined to the tip portion by a neck region. Portions of the crossbar and neck region define transition edge regions each extending from a point of minimum width D of the neck region to where the edge of the crossbar becomes substantially straight. Each of the transition edge regions includes a transition length a and a transition width b. The frame comprises an area of interest that includes the neck region and a portion of the crossbar that has a length of 0.6 mm and is centered to the neck region, and has a total area size A, a centroid C and a centroid distance H between the centroid C and a far side of the neck region. The crossbar and neck region have geometries that satisfy a design metric that is less than 0.05.

A disk drive head suspension or flexure and method of manufacture. Embodiments include a portion such as a terminal pad or flying lead comprising a base layer, a dielectric layer on the base layer, a conductor layer, a seed layer between the dielectric layer and the conductor layer, and a noncorrosive metal layer on the seed layer side of the conductor layer. The seed layer has a strip that extends beyond the edge of the dielectric layer. The noncorrosive metal layer extends over the strip of the seed layer and into contact with the edge of the dielectric layer.

The invention has an object of providing grease reduced in an amount of the flying grease and an amount of the outgas, and superior in low-temperature characteristic, an antifriction bearing using the grease, an antifriction bearing device, and an information recording/reproducing device. A grease includes a base oil, and a thickener, the base oil includes mineral oil and poly-α-olefin, the poly-α-olefin is higher in mass than the mineral oil, the poly-α-olefin includes poly-α-olefin higher in kinetic viscosity than the mineral oil, the kinetic viscosity of the base oil at 40° C. is in a range of 40 through 90 mm.sup.2/s, and worked penetration is in a range of 200 through 250. Further, an antifriction bearing, an antifriction bearing device, and an information recording/reproducing device use the grease.

According to one embodiment, a disk device includes a plurality of recording media each including a recording layer and an actuator assembly including an actuator block rotatably supported around a rotation shaft, a plurality of arms extending from the actuator block, and suspension assemblies respectively attached to the arms and supporting respective magnetic heads. Of the plurality of arms, at least one arm has vibration characteristics different from those of the other arms.

A magnetic recording medium substrate is provided in which a NiP type plating film is formed on a surface of an aluminum alloy substrate that includes Si in a range of 9.5 mass % or more and 11.0 mass % or less, Mn in a rage of 0.45 mass % or more and 0.90 mass % or less, Zn in a range of 0.32 mass % or more and 0.38 mass % or less, Sr in a range of 0.01 mass % or more and 0.05 mass % or less. In the alloy structure of the aluminum alloy substrate, an average particle diameter of Si particles is 2 μm or less, the film thickness of the NiP type plating film is 7 μm or more. An outer diameter of the magnetic recording medium substrate is 53 mm or more, the thickness is 0.9 mm or less, and the Young's modulus is 79 GPa or more.

A trace gimbal is described herein. In some embodiments, the trace gimbal includes outer struts including a front outrigger at a distal end of the trace gimbal and a rear outrigger at a proximal end of the trace gimbal. The front outrigger includes a distal front outrigger and a proximal front outrigger, and the rear outrigger includes a distal rear outrigger and a proximal rear outrigger. The trace gimbal further includes a middle strut extending in a width direction of the trace gimbal and adjoining the proximal front outrigger to the rear outrigger, and an inner strut connecting the middle strut to a slider tongue. The inner strut and the middle strut adjoin the outer gimbal struts to the slider tongue.

A thermally assisted magnetic head includes a slider, the slider includes a slider substrate and a magnetic head part. The magnetic head part includes a recording head, a reading head, a near field transducer and a medium-opposing surface. The medium-opposing surface includes a recording area and a reading area. The magnetic head part includes a record/read separately protective structure which an enhanced protective film is formed on the recording area and a reading head protective film is formed on the reading area. The enhanced protective film includes a plurality of films for effectively protecting the recording head and the near field transducer. The reading head protective film includes a thickness which is thinner than the enhanced protective film.

A hard disk drive flexure assembly includes a metal substrate having a gap between a root side and a slider side, a base layer and a first conductive layer that each bridges the gap, and a plurality of electrical pads where the pads extend to the slider side of the flexure so as to positionally overlap with a slider end edge and corresponding slider electrical pads. Pre-solder bumps are formed on each pad. This configuration facilitates formation of a functional solder bridge between the flexure and the slider because the melted solder can readily spread on the extended flexure pad surface and reach the slider pad when the pre-solder bump is heated, as the pad material has higher solder wettability than that of a cover layer material. These techniques are especially relevant with narrow, high-density, small pitch electrical pads.

An improved load beam is described herein. In some embodiments, the load beam comprises a major surface including a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end including a tip weld, a dustpan, and a lift tab; side rails extending from the major surface and the dustpan; and a slit disposed on the major surface about the tip weld.

An HGA includes a slider and a suspension for supporting the slider, wherein the suspension includes a flexure having a plurality of electrical traces formed thereon and a gimbal connection area supported and connected to the slider, a first surface of the gimbal connection area is provided with a first adhesive and a second adhesive respectively formed thereon and between the first surface and an opposite surface of an air bearing surface of the slider, an opposite surface of the first surface of the gimbal connection area is contacted with a dimple, and the dimple is located at a position between first adhesive and the second adhesive. The HGA can eliminate torsion and sway gain in frequency response function testing, and maintain AC stroke sensitivity and linearity of elements, thereby finally improving the performance of the disk drive unit.