Patent ID: 9117469
Filing Date: 2015-08-25
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A suspension for a slider for use in a disk drive comprising: a plurality of slider connection pads positioned in a head area of the suspension; a plurality of termination pads positioned in a tail area of the suspension; a plurality of electrically conductive traces that are separated by dielectric material and extend from the tail area to the head area that respectively provide electrical connection between a selected slider connection pad and a selected termination pad, with a selected one of the conductive traces extending along a first path between a selected slider connection pad and a selected termination pad and having a first length measured along the first path; and a metal substrate layer extending between the head area and the tail area, the metal substrate layer serving as a ground layer and being separated from the plurality of electrically conductive traces and the plurality of termination pads by dielectric material and including a split-substrate segment that is divided by a slit into first and second legs, the slit extending through the tail area and beyond the tail area along a selected portion of the first length toward the head area and ending before the head area, the slit providing local electrical isolation to separate ground currents in first and second legs into first and second local ground current paths, the first leg being positioned under at least one selected electrically conductive trace that conducts signals from a read head in the slider, and the second leg being positioned under at least one selected electrically conductive traces that conducts signals to a write head in the slider; and wherein the first and second legs of the split-substrate segment provide first and second local ground current paths respectively and thereby reduce electrical interference signal transfer between the first and second legs of the split-substrate segment.