Hard disk drive enclosure base with feed through flexure design and accompanying flexure

A storage base having an interior side and an exterior side is described. The storage drive base includes a slotted aperature, a flexible circuit and a sealing-adhesive barrier. The slotted aperature passes through the storage drive base from the interior side to the exterior side. The flexible circuit has a first end and a second end. The first end of the flexible circuit is installed in the slotted aperture and aligned so that the first end extends along an interior surface of the storage drive base in a location proximal to the slotted aperture. The sealing-adhesive barrier is applied between edges of the slotted aperture and the flexible circuit to form a hermetic seal between the exterior side and the interior side of the storage drive base.

BACKGROUND

The introduction of lasers to heads in some types of storage drives may increase oxidation within the storage drive. Using inert gases, such as Helium, to fill the storage drive may allow safer operation by reducing oxidation within the drive. Additionally, the reduced density of inert gas may also reduce the aerodynamic drag and allow the head to fly at lower heights, which may in turn save power consumption and reduce vibration and/or friction. However, introduction of maintaining inert gases within the drive may require improved sealing of the drive while still allowing electrical connection between the exterior of the drive and the internal electronics within the housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter described herein is taught by way of example embodiments. Various details may be omitted for the sake of clarity and to avoid obscuring the subject matter described.

FIG. 1is an exploded, perspective view generally illustrating storage device100. Referring toFIG. 1, a storage device100is illustrated, according to one embodiment. The storage device100comprises a hub102, a media104physically contacting and supported by at least one mounting surface (not labeled) of the hub102, and a head106operable to write to and read from the media104. In one embodiment, the hub102comprises a substantially cylindrical portion108which defines a longitudinal axis L and a mounting surface substantially normal to the longitudinal axis L, the mounting surface extending radially outward.

As illustrated inFIG. 1, a storage device100comprises a magnetic disk drive, and the structures and methods described herein will be described in terms of such a disk drive. However, these structures and methods may also be applied to and/or implemented in other storage devices, including, e.g., solid-state hybrid drives (SSHD), optical and magneto-optical disk drives. Solid-state hybrid drives may additionally include non-volatile memory (e.g., flash).

The media104may comprise any of a variety of magnetic or optical disk media having a substantially concentric opening114defined there through. Of course, in other embodiments, the storage device100may include more or fewer disks. For example, the storage device100may include one disk or it may include two or more disks. The media104each include a disk surface116, as well as an opposing disk surface not visible inFIG. 1above. In one embodiment, the disk surfaces116comprise a plurality of generally concentric tracks for storing data.

As illustrated, the hub102may be coupled to and support the media104. The hub102may also be rotatably attached to a storage drive base118of the storage device100, and may form one component of a motor120(e.g., a spindle motor). The motor120and the hub102may be configured to rotate the media104about the longitudinal axis L.

Further, a disk clamp may be coupled to the hub102to provide a downward clamping force to the media104. Specifically, the disk clamp may be positioned above the media104and attached to an upper surface of the hub102. The interaction of the disk clamp and the hub102provides downward clamping force.

The storage device100may further include a cover122, which, together with the storage drive base118, may for a sealed enclosure to house the media104and the motor120. The storage device100may also include a head stack assembly (“HSA”)124rotatably attached to the storage drive base118. The HSA124may include an actuator126comprising an actuator body128and one or more actuator arms130extending from the actuator body128. The actuator body128may further be configured to rotate about an actuator pivot axis.

One or two head gimbal assemblies (“HGA”)132may be attached to a distal end of each actuator arm130. Each HGA132includes a head106operable to write to and read from a corresponding media104. The HSA124may further include a coil134through which a changing electrical current is passed during operation. The coil134interacts with one or more magnets136that are attached to the storage drive base118to form a voice coil motor (“VCM”) for controllably rotating the HSA124.

The head106may comprise any of a variety of heads for writing to and reading from a media104. In magnetic recording applications, the head106may include an air bearing slider and a magnetic transducer that includes a writer and a read element. The magnetic transducer's writer may be of a longitudinal or perpendicular design, and the read element of the magnetic transducer may be inductive or magneto resistive. In optical and magneto-optical recording applications, the head106may include a mirror and an objective lens for focusing laser light on to an adjacent disk surface.

The storage device100may further include a printed circuit board (“PCB”) (not shown inFIG. 1) external to the storage drive base118. The PCB may include, inter alia, a storage device controller for controlling read and write operations and a servo control system for generating servo control signals to position the actuator arms130relative to the media104. In order to provide electrical signals from the PCB to the actuator arms130, an electrical circuit connector passes through the storage drive base.

FIG. 2is a perspective view of an interior200of a storage drive base118according to an example embodiment of the present application. As illustrated, the storage drive base118includes a floor205(e.g., a bottom surface) and a plurality of side walls210(e.g., side surfaces), which define the hollow interior200. The hollow interior200may house the internal components of the storage drive100illustrated inFIG. 1. InFIG. 2, the internal components have been omitted to illustrate aspects of the storage drive base118.

In the illustrated embodiment, the storage drive base118also includes slotted aperture215formed through the floor205to the exterior (400illustrated inFIG. 4) of the storage drive base118. As illustrated, the slotted aperture215may have an elongated, elliptical shape. However, example implementations are not limited to this configuration, and the slotted aperture215may have other shapes that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Further, in other example implementations, the slotted aperture215may be formed through one or more of the plurality of side walls210, or may be formed in any other configuration that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 3is a perspective view of the interior200of a storage drive base118with a flexible circuit300installed according to an example embodiment of the present application. As illustrated, the flexible circuit300is inserted through the slotted aperture215to extend into the interior200of the storage drive base118. The slotted aperture215is sized to allow the flexible circuit300to pass through during manufacturing and assembly of the storage drive100. In some example embodiments, the slotted aperture215may have thickness tsthat is at least 1.1 times (i.e. 110% of) a thickness tfof the flexible circuit300. Further, in some embodiments, the slotted aperture215may have a thickness tsthat is not more than 10 times (i.e. 1000% of) the thickness tfof the flexible circuit300.

The flexible circuit300includes a substrate305formed from a non-conductive material, such a plastic, resin, or any other non-conductive material that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. The flexible circuit300also includes one or more conductive electrodes310running through the flexible circuit300from an interior end320to an exterior end (420illustrated inFIG. 4) allowing electrical communication between the interior end320and the exterior end (420illustrated inFIG. 4).

An interior contact pad315may be provided at the interior end320of each electrode310of the flexible circuit300. In some embodiments, the interior contact pad315may be electrically connected to an internal component, such as an HSA (not illustrated), a PCB (not illustrated), a spindle motor, or any other internal component of the storage drive that may require electrical power or electrical signals. The material construction of the electrodes310and interior contact pads315of the flexible circuit300are not particularly limited and may include gold, silver, copper, or any other conductive material that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

In some embodiments, the slotted aperture215may be filed with a sealing-adhesive325to form a barrier around the flexible circuit300to create a hermetic seal between the interior200of the storage drive base180and the exterior (400illustrated inFIG. 4). The sealing-adhesive325is not particularly limited and may include a thermally-cured adhesive, a UV-cured adhesive, an air-cured adhesive, or any other sealing compound that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. In some implementation, the sealing-adhesive325may also be a clean-room approved adhesive suitable for application in a clean-room environment.

FIG. 4is a perspective view of an exterior400of the storage drive base118illustrating the flexible circuit300entering the slotted aperture215according to an example embodiment of the present application. As discussed above, the flexible circuit300is inserted through the slotted aperture215with an exterior end420of the flexible circuit300located on the exterior400side of of the storage drive base118. InFIG. 4, the exterior end420of the flexible circuit300is illustrated with a long length relative to the dimensions of the slotted aperture. However, configurations of the present application are not limited to this configuration and may have shortened lengths relative to the dimensions of the slotted aperture (as illustrated inFIGS. 5A-5D and 6A-B), as may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

The exterior end420also includes a plurality of exterior contact pads415, which are coupled to the interior contact pads315to allow electrical communication therebetween. In some embodiments, the exterior contact pad415may be electrically connected to a component, such as a PCB, power supply or any other external component of the storage drive that may require electrical power or electrical signals. In some example embodiments, the exterior contact pads415may be oriented on one side of a flat portion of the flexible circuit300to allow the exterior contact pads415to be electrically connected to by a compression connector, as may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. The shape and structure of the compression connector is not particularly limited. Further, the material construction of exterior contact pads415of the flexible circuit300are not particularly limited and may include gold, silver, copper, or any other conductive material that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 5Ais a top view of the flexible circuit300inserted through the slotted aperture215formed through the storage drive base118according to a second example embodiment of the present application. This illustrated embodiment is similar to the embodiment discussed above, similar reference numerals may be used for familiar components, and redundant descriptions may be omitted. After flexible circuit300has been inserted through the slotted aperture215, the interior end320may be bent downward to contact the floor205of the storage drive base118. In some implementations, the interior end320of the flexible circuit300may have a plurality of alignment holes505that fit over a series of protrusions510formed on the floor205to align the interior end320of the flexible circuit300with the storage drive base118. In some example embodiments, the interior end320of the flexible circuit300may be attached to the floor205using an attachment process. For example, a double-sided adhesive member or sealing gasket may be used to attach the interior end320of the flexible circuit300to the floor205. Such a configuration may eliminate a need to form a bracket or other conventional retaining feature on an interior200of the storage drive base118, which can save space within the storage drive100. However, example embodiments of the present application are not limited to this configuration and may have other alignment feature configurations that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

As illustrated, when the flexible circuit300is bent downward to contact the floor205, the interior contact pads315of the electrodes310are oriented to face away from the floor (i.e. upward). In this configuration, an electrical connection can be established with the interior contact pads315using a compression connector configured to apply a vertical pressure to the flexible circuit300. However, embodiments of the present application are not limited to this configuration and may use other methods of electrical connection that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 5Bis a bottom view of a flexible circuit300inserted through a slotted aperture215formed through the storage drive base118(viewed from outside the storage drive base118) according to according to the second example embodiment of the present application. After flexible circuit300has been inserted through the slotted aperture215, the exterior end420may be bent upward to contact the exterior400of the floor205of the storage drive base118. In some implementations, the exterior end420of the flexible circuit300may have a plurality of alignment holes515that fit over a series of protrusions520formed on the exterior400of the storage drive base118to align the exterior end420of the flexible circuit300with the storage drive base118. Example embodiments of the present application are not limited to this configuration and may have other alignment feature configurations that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

As illustrated, when the flexible circuit300is bent upward to contact the exterior400of the floor205, the exterior contact pads415of the electrodes310are oriented to face away from the floor205(i.e. downward). In this configuration, an electrical connection can be established with the exterior contact pads415using a compression connector configured to apply a vertical pressure to the flexible circuit300. However, embodiments of the present application are not limited to this configuration and may use other methods of electrical connection that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 5Cis a cross-sectional view of the flexible circuit300illustrating the exterior400(outside of the storage drive base118) and the interior200(inside of the storage drive base118) according to the second example embodiment of the present application. As illustrated, the interior end320and the exterior end420of the flexible circuit300have both been bent toward the floor205of the storage drive base118. In this configuration, both the interior end320and the exterior end420extend substantially parallel to the floor205. In some example embodiments, the interior end320and the exterior end420of the flexible circuit300may also contact the floor205. As illustrated, the sealing-adhesive325completely fills in the slotted aperture215on both sides of the flexible circuit300.

FIG. 5Dis perspective view of the flexible circuit300fed through a slotted aperture215of the storage drive base118according to the second example embodiment of the present application. Again, as illustrated, the interior end320of the flexible circuit300may include a plurality of alignment holes505and a series of protrusions510formed on the floor205extend up through the alignment holes505to align the interior end320of the flexible circuit300with the storage drive base118. In some embodiments, the flexible circuit300may be positioned to contact the floor205such that the interior contact pads315of the electrodes310are oriented to face upward from the floor205. Orienting the interior contact pads315upward from the floor205may allow a compression connector to connect to the interior contact pads315. However, embodiments of the present application are not limited to this configuration and may have other configurations that may be apparent to a person ordinary skill in the art. For example, the flexible circuit300may be positioned to contact one or more of the plurality of side walls210or some other structure formed in the interior200of the storage drive base118.

FIG. 6Ais a cross-sectional view of the flexible circuit300illustrating the exterior400(outside of the storage drive base118) and an interior200(inside of the storage drive base118) according to a third embodiment. Further,FIG. 6Bis a perspective view of the flexible circuit300fed through a slotted aperture215of the storage drive base118according to the third embodiment. This illustrated embodiment is similar to the embodiments discussed above, similar reference numerals may be used for familiar components, and redundant descriptions may be omitted. In this embodiment, the flexible circuit300also includes a circuit housing member605surrounding a central portion610of the flexible circuit300. The circuit housing member605extends outward from the central portion610to partially fill the slotted aperture215. Once inserted into the slotted aperture215, the circuit housing member605is surrounded by the sealing-adhesive325to form a hermetic seal between the flexible circuit300and the storage drive base118. Again, once sealed in the slotted aperture, the interior end320of the flexible circuit300may be bent downward to contact the floor205of the storage drive base118and align a plurality of alignment holes505with the series of protrusions510formed in the floor205of the storage drive base118. However, example embodiments of the present application are not limited to this configuration and may have other alignment feature configurations that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the exterior400may have clips, brackets, or any other alignment feature that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Further, after the sealing-adhesive325is applied between circuit housing member605and the slotted aperture, the exterior end420of the flexible circuit may be bent upward to contact the exterior400of the floor205of the storage drive base118. However, embodiments of the present application are not limited to this configuration and may have other configurations that may be apparent to a person ordinary skill in the art. For example, the flexible circuit300may be positioned to contact the exterior400of one or more of the plurality of side walls210or some other structure formed on the exterior400of the storage drive base118.

FIG. 7is a flow chart illustrating a method700of manufacturing a storage drive according to an embodiment of the present application. This method700will be discussed in the context of the storage drive100having the storage drive base118illustrated inFIGS. 1-6Band discussed above. However, the acts disclosed herein may be executed in accordance with the described method700to manufacture any storage drive as may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

As described herein, at least some of the acts comprising the method700may be orchestrated by a processor according to an automatic storage drive manufacturing algorithm, based at least in part on computer-readable instructions stored in computer-readable memory and executable by the processor. A manual implementation of one or more acts of the method700may also be employed, in other embodiments. Also, some acts may be combined into fewer acts or divided into additional acts, and the order of the acts may be changed in some embodiments.

At act705, a slotted aperture (e.g., slotted aperture215) is formed through a storage drive base (e.g., storage drive base118). The slotted aperture215may be formed through a variety of methods, including drilling, milling, cutting, etc. The slotted aperture215may be formed to have a variety of shapes including a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, or any other shape that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. In some example embodiments, the forming of the slotted aperture215may be performed via automated-computer-controlled manufacturing equipment. In other example embodiments, the forming of the slotted aperture215may be performed under partial or total human control, as may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

At act710, a flexible circuit (e.g., the flexible circuit300) is inserted through the slotted aperture215of the storage drive base118. In some embodiments, the insertion of the flexible circuit300may be performed using computer controlled manufacturing equipment as may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. In other example embodiments, the flexible circuit300may be performed under partial or full human control. Further, in some example embodiments, the insertion of the flexible circuit300may be assisted by a machine vision system.

At act715, after the end of the flexible circuit300is inserted through the slotted aperture215, the end of the flexible circuit300may be bent down to lay flat against an interior surface (e.g., the floor205) of the storage drive base118. In some example implementations, the bending down may also be performed using computer controlled manufacturing equipment as may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. In other example embodiments, bending of the flexible circuit300may be performed under partial or full human control.

At act720, during the bending of the flexible circuit300, the flexible circuit300may be aligned with an alignment feature provided on the floor205of the storage drive base118. For example, in some example embodiments, a one or more of a plurality of openings (e.g., alignment holes505) of the flexible circuit300may be aligned with one or more corresponding protrusions (e.g., protrusions510) provided on the storage drive base118. In other example embodiments, alternative alignment features may be used. Further, in some example embodiments, the alignment of the flexible circuit300with the alignment feature on the floor205of the storage drive base118may be assisted by a machine vision system.

At act725, a sealing-adhesive (e.g., sealing-adhesive325) is applied between flexible circuit300and the slotted aperture215to form a hermetic seal. The sealing-adhesive325may be applied using an automated, computer controlled dispenser or may be applied using a user controlled dispenser. Further, in some example embodiments, a curing process (e.g., thermal-curing, UV-curing, air-curing, etc.) may also be applied to the sealing-adhesive325to form the hermetic seal.

After the sealing-adhesive325has been applied and cured, the flexible circuit300may be electrically connected to a head stack assembly (e.g., HSA124) within the storage drive assembly118at act730. The electrical connection may be performed via soldering, wire bonding, laser welding, sonic welding, or any other electrical connecting process that may be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. The electrical connection may also be performed by inserting the flexible circuit300into a connector, such as a press connector, compression connector, or any other connector that may be apparent of ordinary skill in the art.

The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments of the devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, schematics, and examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, schematics, and examples contain one or more functions and/or operations, each function and/or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the present subject matter may be implemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). However, the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in standard integrated circuits, as one or more programs executed by one or more processors, as one or more programs executed by one or more controllers (e.g., microcontrollers), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof.