According to one embodiment, a suspension assembly includes a support plate, a trace member on the support plate and a drive element mounted on the trace member. The trace member includes a metal plate, and a multilayered member on the metal plate. The multilayered member includes a first insulating layer, a conductive layer stacked on the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer stacked on the conductive layer. The multilayered member includes a mount portion on which the drive element is mounted, and a branching portion arranged along the mount portion with a gap therebetween. At least one portion of the branching portion is formed into a thin portion having a thickness less than other portions of the multilayered member.

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.

A head suspension assembly includes a support plate, a wiring member on the support plate, a head mounted on the wiring member and electrically connected to the wiring member, and a piezoelectric element mounted on the wiring member. The piezoelectric element has first and second electrodes electrically connected to the wiring member. The wiring member includes a metal layer, a base insulating layer, a conductive layer, and a cover insulating layer stacked in order. The cover insulating layer includes a pad opening through which the first electrode is connected to the conductive layer with a conducive adhesive therebetween. The base insulating layer includes a first region below the first pad opening and a second region below a side surface of the piezoelectric element. A thickness of the base insulating layer in the second region is less than a thickness of the base insulating layer in the first region.

A disk-drive suspension includes a load beam, a flexure laid on top of the load beam, a first terminal provided on the flexure, and a first bump arranged on a top surface of the first terminal. The first terminal includes a narrow part having a first width in a first direction and including a center of the first terminal, and a wide part having a second width in the first direction greater than the first width. The wide part and the narrow part are arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The first bump has, at the center, a first height from a bottom surface of the first terminal. The first height is greater than the first width.

A data storage system may utilize a gimbal test system to find open circuits and short circuits in a head gimbal assembly. The gimbal test system can have a gimbal flexure suspended between a load beam and a data storage medium with a flex circuit physically attached to the gimbal flexure to electrically connect a transducing head to a controller. The flex circuit can be tested with a test via that continuously extends through the flex circuit to a probe portion and a test pad located on an air bearing side of the gimbal flexure. The probe portion can be backed by the gimbal flexure along a plane perpendicular to a recording surface of the data storage medium.

A head suspension assembly includes a support plate, a wiring member on the support plate, a head mounted on the wiring member and electrically connected to the wiring member, and a piezoelectric element mounted on the wiring member. The piezoelectric element has first and second electrodes electrically connected to the wiring member. The wiring member includes a metal layer, a base insulating layer, a conductive layer, and a cover insulating layer stacked in order. The cover insulating layer includes a pad opening through which the first electrode is connected to the conductive layer with a conducive adhesive therebetween. The base insulating layer includes a first region below the first pad opening and a second region below a side surface of the piezoelectric element. A thickness of the base insulating layer in the second region is less than a thickness of the base insulating layer in the first region.

A flexure is described, which includes conductive traces extending from a proximal end of the flexure to a distal end of the flexure. The flexure also includes a plurality of outer gimbal struts configured to define an opening at the proximal end of the flexure. The flexure also includes an oblong feature extending into the opening, the oblong feature defines an aperture. The conductive traces include a first semi-circular conductive trace portion overlapping a first section of the oblong feature at a proximal end of the aperture extending to a distal end of the aperture. The conductive traces include a second semi-circular conductive trace portion overlapping a second section of the oblong feature at a proximal end of the aperture extending to the distal end of the aperture. The first and second semi-circular conductive trace portions define the aperture.

A data storage device with at least one data storage disc and a head stack assembly. The head stack assembly includes an actuator mechanism and at least one recording head supported by a suspension assembly. The suspension assembly includes a load beam and an actuator arm and at least one actuator is disposed on at least one surface of the load beam or the actuator arm. The at least one actuator is configured to deflect the at least one recording head in a vertical direction relative to the recordable surface of the storage disc.

A hard disk drive suspension assembly includes a pad base layer, a pad-end fixing layer, and a plurality of electrical pads each comprising a conductive layer on the pad base layer, where the base layer extends to the fixing layer, to which a distal end of the base layer is fixed. This configuration inhibits the delamination or deformation of the end edge of each pad. An additional cover layer may be implemented to cover the distal end of the conductive layer(s), further inhibiting deformation of the pads. These techniques are especially relevant with narrow, high-density, small pitch electrical pads.

A method of manufacturing a head gimbal assembly includes a head connecting step which a thermally assisted magnetic head is connected to a suspension. The head connecting step includes a solder ball arrangement step which a solder ball is arranged so that a laser diode of the thermally assisted magnetic head is connected to a flexure of the suspension, in an assembly structure which a slider of the thermally assisted magnetic head is adhered to the suspension. The solder ball arrangement step is performed using a connecting ball, as the solder ball, having a size smaller than a wiring gap between an electrode surface of the laser diode and the flexure, and being in melted-particle condition.