Disclosed herein is a magnetic storage device that comprises a suspension arm co-movably fixed to a carriage arm. The suspension arm comprises a slider attachment side and at least one first electrical contact pad on the slider attachment side. The suspension arm also comprises a slider co-movably fixed to the suspension arm. The slider comprises a suspension attachment side, a non-head side facing the suspension arm and intersecting the suspension attachment side at a first slider edge of the slider, a head side facing away from the suspension arm, and at least one electrical contact component on the suspension attachment side up to the first slider edge. At least one solder weldment is directly coupled to the at least one first electrical contact pad and the at least one electrical contact component. Additionally, a read-write head is coupled to the head side of the slider.

Disclosed herein is a magnetic storage device that comprises a suspension arm co-movably fixed to a carriage arm. The suspension arm comprises a slider attachment side and at least one first electrical contact pad on the slider attachment side. The suspension arm also comprises a slider co-movably fixed to the suspension arm. The slider comprises a suspension attachment side, a non-head side facing the suspension arm and intersecting the suspension attachment side at a first slider edge of the slider, a head side facing away from the suspension arm, and at least one electrical contact component on the suspension attachment side up to the first slider edge. At least one solder weldment is directly coupled to the at least one first electrical contact pad and the at least one electrical contact component. Additionally, a read-write head is coupled to the head side of the slider.

A method for head stack assembly (HSA) rework is disclosed. A first head gimbal assembly (HGA) includes a first suspension attached to an arm of the HSA, and a first flexure tail that terminates in a first bonding region that is bonded to a flexible printed circuit (FPC) of the HSA. The first HGA is removed by cutting the first bonding region from a remainder of the first flexure tail and detaching the first suspension from the arm. The first bonding region of the first flexure tail is left bonded to the FPC. A replacement HGA includes a replacement suspension and a replacement flexure tail that terminates in a second bonding region. The replacement HGA is installed on the HSA by attaching the replacement suspension to the arm, overlaying the second bonding region on the first bonding region, and bonding the second bonding region to the first bonding region.

A head suspension assembly for a disk drive includes a load beam and a laminated flexure that comprises a stainless steel layer, a copper trace layer, and a dielectric layer between the stainless steel layer and the copper trace layer. The laminated flexure includes a flexure tail that extends away from the load beam to a flexure tail terminal region. The copper trace layer includes a plurality of flexure bond pads in the flexure tail terminal region. The stainless steel layer includes a plurality of backing islands in the flexure tail terminal region. Each of the plurality of backing islands is aligned with a corresponding one of the plurality of flexure bond pads. A noble metal layer is disposed on the plurality of backing islands.