Interconnect module for use in a suspension assembly

A lead routing module for interconnecting two devices in a suspension assembly. The suspension assembly including at least a suspension, a slider/head assembly, and a lead routing module. The suspension assembly may also include a microactuator. The lead routing module routes electrical signals between at least two devices in the suspension assembly such that the termination leads and/or pads of each device may be conveniently located. The suspension assembly may be used in a disk drive system, or alternatively, in a disk test system used for testing disks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to magnetic storage systems, and more particularly, to suspension assemblies that include a lead routing module.

2. Description of Prior Art

Direct access storage devices (DASD), or disk drives, store information on concentric tracks of one or more rotatable magnetic recording disks. A magnetic head or transducer element is moved from track to track to record and read the desired information. Typically, the magnetic head is positioned on an air bearing slider to form a slider/head assembly which flies above the surface of the disk as the disk rotates. A suspension supports the slider/head assembly and couples the slider/head assembly to a linear or rotary actuator. The combination of the suspension and slider/head assembly may be referred to as a suspension assembly or head gimbal assembly. In general, a rotary actuator moves the slider/head assembly above the disk surface in a generally arcuate path along the radius of the disk surface, whereas a linear actuator moves the slider/head assembly above the disk surface in a generally linear path along the radius of the disk surface.

Many conventional disk drive systems today use a rotary actuator to position a slider/head assembly. For example,FIG. 1illustrates the translational motion of a slider/head assembly113with respect to a disk112when positioned by a rotatory actuator119. The actuator119is coupled to slider/head113via a suspension115. During data access operations, disk112rotates in the direction indicated by arrow150and actuator119selectively positions slider/head assembly113over disk112in response to control signals from a servo electronics (not shown).

The actuator119rotates about an axis127in the directions indicated by arrows144. A voice coil139is provided at one end of actuator119between two pairs of permanent magnets, one of which is shown by reference numeral137. The outer magnet is attached to the inner side of disk drive system100. The control signal from the servo control electronics causes a current to flow in voice coil139and to generate a magnetic flux. The flux creates force in either direction parallel to the surface of the permanent magnets137, causing actuator119to move in a desired direction. Actuator movement is limited by one or more crash stops146that block the range of movement of a protrusion148. Thus, rotary actuator119moves slider/head assembly113above the disk surface in a generally arcuate path along the radius of disk112.

The translational motion of rotary actuator119requires in-line mounting of slider/head assembly113to suspension115. For in-line mounting, the head termination pads of the read/write elements located at the trailing end113A of slider/head assembly113are mounted in-line or parallel with suspension115.

During manufacturing when a disk is tested, one or more testers or test platforms may use a linear actuator, as compared to a rotary actuator, to position a slider/head assembly over the disk. The physical constraints of the test equipment often requires the use of a linear actuator. Unlike rotary actuators, linear actuators require the read/write termination pads located at the trailing end of the slider/head assembly to be mounted orthogonally rather than in-line to the suspension.

FIG. 2illustrates the relative motion of a suspension assembly with respect to a disk surface when the suspension assembly is positioned by a linear actuator. A slider/head assembly219is suspended from a suspension218. The combination of slider/head assembly219and suspension218is referred to as a suspension assembly or head gimbal assembly. During data access operations, the suspension assembly is designed to move in a linear translational motion above the surface of a disk221as disk221is spinning in the direction indicated by arrow250. The linear translational motion is shown by arrow230.

As hard disk drives become smaller in size and as their recording track density increases, smaller suspensions are often necessary. Many conventional suspensions are often referred to as “wired suspensions” because individual wires are strung along the suspension and attached to a slider/head assembly. Often the smaller sized suspensions makes it more difficult to string individual wires along the suspension to the head. As a result, there is an industry trend towards integrated lead suspensions in which electrical leads are etched directly into the suspension rather than stringing separate wires.

Integrated lead suspensions generally provide better control of the flying height of a slider/head assembly. However, by integrating the leads into the suspension, the orientation of the wires cannot be changed without redesigning the suspension. It is not an easy task to redesign an integrated lead suspension because it not only needs to be designed with a careful layout of the electrical leads to provide a transmission line for the electrical signals but also needs to provide good mechanical “balance” to properly support the slider/head assembly flying under the influence of air-bearing forces and mechanical forces that occur during high speed access operations. Thus, when the disk testers or platforms require the leads to be configured for orthogonal mounting, a dedicated test suspension may be required for testing, particularly when using an integrated lead suspension. Often it is not economical to design and build the small quantity of these dedicated test suspensions required for testing.

Additionally, as the track densities of hard disk drives increase, it may be advantageous to provide a two-stage servo system that includes both coarse and fine positioning. Generally, the coarse positioning is performed by the conventional actuator such as linear or rotary actuator, and the fine positioning is accomplished by a separate device referred to as a microactuator. The microactuator may be a device coupled between the suspension and slider/head assembly. However, the size and design constraints of a microactuator may not make it feasible to place its termination pads in a location convenient and/or efficient for attachment to the suspension wires.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is desirable to provide a lead routing module to electrically interconnect a suspension and a device such that the termination pads of the device may be conveniently located.

It is also desirable to adapt a suspension designed for use in a disk drive product for use in a disk test system and vice versa.

It is further desirable to reconfigure an integrated lead suspension designed for in-line mounting to orthogonal mounting.

Another desire is to provide a lead routing module to electrically interconnect a suspension and a microactuator such that the termination leads of the suspension can be designed to have minimal impact on the mechanical balance of the suspension and the termination pads on the microactuator can be conveniently located without impacting the performance of the microactuator.

Additionally, it is desirable to provide multiple layers of interconnect modules to support complex wiring schemes.

A lead routing module for routing one or more signals between two devices in a suspension assembly is described. The lead routing module includes a nonconducting body made from an insulating material. Positioned on the nonconducting body are first and second sets of electrical contact regions. One or more conducting leads are coupled between the first and second sets of electrical contact regions for routing the signals between the first and second sets of electrical contact regions.

A suspension assembly is also described. The suspension assembly includes a slider/head assembly, a suspension, and an interconnect module. The slider/head assembly includes at least one transducer configured to read data signals from a disk and write data signals to the disk. The interconnect module is coupled between the suspension and the slider/head assembly and routes the data signals between the suspension and the slider/head assembly. For one embodiment of the present invention, this suspension assembly may be used in a disk drive product, and for alternative embodiments of the present invention, this suspension assembly may be used in a disk test system.

Another suspension assembly is also described. The suspension assembly includes a suspension, a microactuator, and an interconnect module. The interconnect module is coupled between the suspension and microactuator for routing data signals between the suspension and the microactuator. For one embodiment of the present invention, this suspension assembly may be used in a disk drive product, and for alternative embodiments of the present invention, this suspension assembly may be used in a disk test system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a lead routing module for routing the electrical signals between two devices in a suspension assembly.

For one embodiment of the present invention, the lead routing module may be used to interconnect a suspension and a slider/head assembly to form a suspension assembly. The suspension assembly may be used in a disk tester during the manufacturing of drives, or alternatively, used in a disk drive product. By interconnecting the slider/head assembly and suspension in this manner, the orientation of the termination pads of the slider/head assembly is not restricted by the configuration of the suspension leads. Furthermore, the suspension leads may be configured to have minimal impact on the mechanical balance of the suspension while still providing an effective attachment between the suspension and the slider/head assembly.

For alternative embodiments, the lead routing module of the present invention may be used to interconnect a suspension and another device, such as a microactuator that provides fine positioning of the slider/head assembly to form a suspension assembly. The suspension assembly may be used in a disk tester during the manufacturing of drives, or alternatively, used in a disk drive product. The use of a microactuator often requires that the termination leads from the suspension are attached to the termination pads of the microactuator. The interconnect module allows the microactuator to conveniently place its termination pads while allowing the suspension to position its termination leads where it will have minimal impact on the mechanical balance of the suspension. Generally, the lead routing module allows more effective attachments between two devices in a suspension assembly.

FIGS. 3 and 4show schematic diagrams of a data storage system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Data storage system300comprises a plurality of magnetic recording disks312with each disk312having a plurality of concentric data tracks. Disks312are mounted on a hub314of a spindle motor316. Spindle motor316is mounted to a chassis318. The disks312and spindle motor316comprise a disk stack assembly320.

During operation, a plurality of read/write heads330are positioned over disks312such that each surface of the disks312has a corresponding slider/head assembly330. Each slider/head assembly330is attached to one of a plurality of suspensions332. Each suspension332is attached to one of a plurality of actuator arms334. Arms334are connected to a rotary actuator336. Alternatively, arms334may be an integral part of a rotary actuator comb.

During operation, actuator336moves the slider/head assemblies330in a radial direction across the surface of disks312. Actuator336typically comprises a rotating member338mounted to a rotating bearing340, a motor winding342, and motor magnets344. Actuator336is also mounted to chassis318. Although actuator336is a rotary actuator, alternative embodiments may use a linear actuator. The slider/head assembly330, suspension332, arms334, and actuator336comprise an actuator assembly346. The disk stack assembly320and the actuator assembly346are sealed in an enclosure348(shown by a dashed line) which provides protection from particulate contamination.

A controller unit350provides overall control to system300. Controller unit350typically contains a central processing unit (CPU), memory unit and other digital circuitry. Controller350is connected to an actuator control/drive unit356which in turn is connected to actuator336. This allows controller350to control the movement of slider/head assemblies330over disks312. Controller350is connected to a spindle control/drive unit360which in turn is connected to spindle motor316. This allows controller350to control the rotation of disks312. A host system370, which is typically a computer system, is connected to the controller unit350. System370may send digital data to controller350to be stored on disks312, or may request the digital data to be read from disks312and sent to the system370. The read/write channel358couples controller unit350to slider/head assembly330.

FIG. 5shows a perspective view of a slider/head assembly330directly attached to a suspension332having an in-line configuration. This combination is referred to as a suspension assembly or head gimble assembly (HGA)500. AlthoughFIG. 5illustrates that suspension332is an integrated lead suspension, the present invention may be extended to various other suspension configurations such as circuit integrated suspensions (CIS), flex on suspensions (FOS) and wired suspensions. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to suspensions that are configured for in-line mounting and may be extended to suspension configurations for orthogonal mounting. Suspension332has a longitudinal axis501, a lateral axis502and a perpendicular axis504.

Suspension332includes a load beam510and a layered member512. Layered member512is formed from a multi-layer material. Various layers of member512are etched away in a photolithographic process to form the desired shapes.

The suspension assembly500can be extremely small. The distance from the end of actuator arm334to the end of suspension332is typically on the order of 15 to 7 millimeters (mm) or less. One embodiment of the slider/head330may have the dimensions of 1.25 mm×1.0 mm×0.3 mm.

The layered member512may have an electrical lead layer, electrical insulating layer, and support layer. The electrical lead and electrical insulating layers are etched to form electrical lines (or leads)520which run from the rear termination pad area522to the slider/head assembly330. Suspension332is configured for in-line mounting.

The slider/head assembly330includes a slider and transducer located at the trailing end of the slider. The electrical lines520terminate and are electrically attached to the slider/head assembly330at the head termination pads532located at the trailing end of the slider. The electrical lines520may be bent vertically upward at the head termination pads532. Thus, the head termination pads532are mounted in-line with the longitudinal axis of suspension332.

The support layer at laminated member512is formed into a rear member540and a flexure member542, which are welded onto load beam510. Rear member540is attached to actuator arms334by an adhesive or welding process.

Flexure member542provides a gimbal mount for attachment of the slider/head assembly330. The gimbal mount allows the slider/head assembly330to pivot in order to adjust its orientation (static attitude) to achieve the proper air bearing between the slider/head assembly330and disk312while the disk312is rotating. The rear member540, flexure542, and load beam510also serve the purpose of providing support for the electrical lines520, among other purposes such as providing stiffness balance and an area for bonding or welding.

It is often advantageous to use the same suspension design, or a very similar suspension design, for both the disk drive system and the disk test system, particularly when using an integrated lead suspension. Integrated lead suspensions provide various advantages over the conventional wired suspensions when incorporated into disk drive systems. As smaller slider/head assemblies are used in disk drives, the moments exerted on the slider/head assembly caused by the suspension have a greater effect on the flying height of the slider/head assembly. In general, the slider/head assembly will not fly correctly unless all the residual moments caused by pitch and roll static attitudes of the slider/head assembly are controlled. When the slider/head assembly is mounted on an integrated lead suspension, the integrated lead suspension minimizes the residual moments and provides for a more controlled flying height over the conventional wired suspensions by way of tight manufacturing control. Furthermore, when integrated lead suspensions are incorporated into disk tests systems, they also provide for tighter control over the conventional wired suspensions.

However, an integrated lead suspension designed for use in the disk drive system may need to be adapted for use in a disk test system. For example, the disk drive system may use a rotary actuator and therefore configured for in-line mounting; but the disk test system may use a linear actuator and therefore configured for orthogonal mounting. Unlike wired suspensions, the mounting configuration of integrated head suspensions cannot be easily altered because the leads are integrally formed within the suspension. Therefore, the integrated lead suspension needs to be redesigned to change the routing of the leads. Often it is not cost efficient to design and build small quantities of a dedicated test suspension for the disk testing system. A more viable solution is to adapt the product suspension to be used in the disk testing system.

During the manufacturing of disk drives, typically one or more tests are performed on each disk. Each test may be performed by an individual disk test system, or multiple tests may be performed by individual platforms or stages incorporated into a single disk test system. For example, a conventional disk test system may include a platform for performing a glide height test for testing the roughness of the disk surface, a platform for performing magnetic tests for testing the magnetic properties of the disk, and/or a platform for performing a disk flatness test for measuring the flatness of the disk. Additionally, the disk test system may perform procedures such as disk burnishing for removing localized disk asperities or tape burnishing for smoothing the disk surface with an abrasive tape.

FIG. 6illustrates a top view of one embodiment of a disk test system according to the present invention. Alternative embodiments may not include all of the test platforms shown inFIG. 6or may include additional platforms not shown inFIG. 6. The disk test system600includes two spindles601and602for rotating the disks to be tested. A robot mechanism (not shown) is used to place the disks on the spindles and typically requires approximately 120 to 150 degrees of empty space to access the spindles. The empty space610is provided for robot access to the spindles. Disk test system600includes multiple platforms where platforms620A and620B represent the disk flatness test stage; platforms630A and630B represent the glide height test stage; platforms640A and640B represent the burnish stage; platforms650A and650B represent the tape burnish stage; and platforms660A and660B represent the magnetic test stage.

Today, many disk drive manufacturers find it advantageous to incorporate as many tests as possible into a single disk test system to reduce the through-put test time for each disk. However, the number of test platforms are often physically constrained by the size of the disk and the geometries of the test equipment and the mechanisms used to access the disk surface.

The glide height test is one means of assuring a substantially asperity-free disk surface. During the glide height test, the roughness of the disk surface is measured by flying slider over the recording surface at a height equal to or below the desired data head flying height to analyze impacts between the slider and the disk surface. The slider includes one or more piezoelectric sensors bonded to an upper surface facing away from the recording surface. As the slider experiences rigid body displacement and flexural deformation, the adjacent sensor responds by generating a charge signal which may be monitored. Thus, the modulation of the slider flying height corresponds to the roughness of the disk surface. Often, a dedicated test suspension is used to support the slider used for glide testing. For alternative embodiments, a suspension similar or identical to the product suspension may be used.

Magnetic tests are used for testing the uniformity of the magnetic signal amplitude and for missing bits. Generally, the magnetic tester or platform includes a slider/head assembly that is the same or very similar to the product slider/head assembly, and also includes a suspension that is the same or very similar to the product suspension.

The various test platforms may require the use of a linear actuator although the actual disk drive uses a rotary actuator. As stated above, rotary actuators typically require suspensions that are configured for in-line mounting and linear actuators typically require suspensions that are configured for orthogonal mounting. Thus, when the product suspension, or a similar suspension, which is designed to operate with a rotary actuator, is incorporated into a disk test platform that uses a linear actuator, the leads must be adapted for orthogonal mounting. This may be accomplished by the use of a lead routing module for interconnecting a suspension to a slider/head assembly, or some other device.

FIG. 7illustrates one embodiment of a suspension configured for in-line mounting of a slider/head assembly but is adapted for orthogonal-mounting of a slider/head assembly in accordance with the present invention. The suspension assembly700, which includes a slider730, a lead routing module710and a suspension500, may be used in either a disk test system or a disk drive system. As mentioned above, suspension500is an integrated lead suspension having termination leads520configured for in-line mounting. However, slider/head assembly730is configured for orthogonal mounting with suspension500which is typically required when the positioning mechanism is a linear actuator. The head termination pads732of slider/head assembly are orthogonal to the termination leads520of suspension500.

Interconnecting suspension500and slider730is a lead routing module710. The lead routing module710routes the electrical signals between the head termination pads732of slider/head assembly730and the termination leads520of suspension500such that suspension500may be adapted for orthogonal mounting. For one embodiment, lead routing module710may be approximately 1 mm×1.25 mm×190 microns (μm), which is approximately the same size as slider/head assembly730. However, when using lead routing module710to interconnect slider/head assembly730to suspension500, it is not required that the lead routing module be substantially the same size as the slider/head assembly.

As shown inFIG. 7, the head termination pads732are attached via wire bonding to a first set of electrical contact regions on lead routing module710, and the termination leads520of suspension500are attached via a direct link of bent leads to a second set of electrical contact regions on lead routing module710. Coupled between the first and second sets of electrical regions are conductive lines or leads (not shown). The electrically conducting lines trace a path on top or through lead routing module710. The first and/or second set of electrical contact regions may be referred to as bonding pads. Furthermore, the first and/or second set of electrical contact regions may be positioned on a side surface of module710, or a top or bottom surface of module710. For this embodiment of module710, the first set of electrical contact regions and the second set of electrical contact regions are positioned orthogonally. For alternative embodiments, the first and second set of electrical contact regions are 180 degrees apart. In general, the lead routing module710interconnects two devices (e.g., suspension580and slider/head assembly730) and the positioning of the first and second sets of electrical contact regions depend on the orientation of the termination pads/wires in the first and second devices.

The lead routing module is particularly well suited to interconnect a slider/head assembly that supports a pico-sized MR head and an integrated lead suspension. For one embodiment the lead routing module has the dimensions of 1 mm×1.25 mm×190 μm. Generally, pico-sized sliders are on the order of 1 mm×1.25 mm×0.3 mm and the pico-sized MR heads are sized accordingly. One advantage of using an interconnect module in this case is that redesign of the integrated lead suspension is not needed during testing although the head termination pads are rotated 90 degrees from the in-line mounting position. However, the lead routing module of the present invention may be used to interconnect various other devices other than suspensions and slider/head assemblies.

FIGS. 8A–Cillustrate one embodiment of a lead routing module according to the present invention. More specifically,FIG. 8illustrates a top view800of a lead routing module andFIGS. 8B and 8Cillustrate side views810and820, respectively, of the lead routing module. Generally, the top view800of the lead routing module refers to the surface of lead routing module that attaches to the suspension flexure. As mentioned above, a suspension flexure provides a gimbal mount for attachment to a slider/head assembly.

For one embodiment, the lead routing module includes an insulating region801made from an insulating material such as a ceramic substrate. Formed on insulating region801and shown inFIG. 8Ais a conducting central region802, which includes a plurality of solder balls803. Typically, the plurality of solder balls are glued to the flexure of the suspension. The solder balls803may be solder bumps or plated bumps that are raised approximately 30–50 microns above the top surface800to separate the suspension flexure from making electrical contact with a plurality of conducting lines835. The plurality of conducting leads835are formed on top surface800external to the central conducting region802. For alternative embodiments, the conducting leads or lines may be formed partially or fully within the lead routing module.

FIGS. 8A–Cillustrate two sets of electrical contact regions832and834, also referred to as bonding pads, which are interconnected via the plurality of conducting leads or lines835formed on top surface800. The first set of bonding pads832is generally formed on the side surface810adjacent to the head termination pads on the slider/head assembly. Contact between the first set of bonding pads832and the head termination pads can be made by wire bonds. The second set of bonding pads834is generally formed flush with the top surface800such that the termination leads of the suspension terminate on top surface800. Other termination methods such as solder ball placement and reflow, gold ball bumping, gold wire stitching, solder wire bumping, ultrasonic methods and etc. may be used for attachment. For alternative embodiments the first set of bonding pads832may also be formed on top surface800and/or the second set of bonding pads834may be formed on side surface820. The bonding pads are typically flush with either the top surface800, or one of the side surfaces810or820. The routing provided by the lead routing module of the present invention may reduce the size requirements of the head termination pads. Accordingly, the slider may be made thinner and therefore increase the yield of sliders per wafer.

For one embodiment, the first set of bonding pads832is attached to the head termination pads on a slider/head assembly. For alternative embodiments, the first set of bonding pads832may be attached to some other device, such as a microactuator. Furthermore, the second set of bonding pads834is attached to the termination leads of the suspension, which may be configured for in-line mounting. For alternative embodiments, the second set of bonding pads834may be attached to some other device. AlthoughFIGS. 8A–Cillustrate that the first and second sets of bonding pads have an orthogonal relationship (i.e., positioned 90 degrees apart), an orthogonal relationship is not required for the present invention. For example, the first and second sets of bonding pads832and834may be positioned 180 degrees apart, depending on the desired bonding pad locations of the two devices being interconnected. Although the first and second sets of bonding pads832and834, respectively, illustrate four bonding pads, the number of bonding pads in each set may vary for alternative embodiments.

Portions of the bottom surface of the lead routing module are shown by side views810and820. When the lead routing module is used to interconnect a slider/head assembly and a suspension, the bottom surface is typically attached to the slider/head assembly. For one embodiment, the bottom surface840of the lead routing module includes a solid electrode plate that covers substantially all of the bottom surface840. Typically, the electrode is glued to the slider/head assembly. Because the slider/head assembly typically includes an MR head, the slider/head assembly needs to be grounded to prevent charge build-up. Thus, grounding may be accomplished by routing charge from the MR head to the electrode plate, through a side-wrapping electrode836to the central conductive region802, which is attached to the suspension. For alternative embodiments, the side-wrapping electrode836may be replaced with a via hole extending between the top and bottom surfaces, that is gold plated to operate as a conductor.

A trend in the disk drive industry is that the storage capacities and areal densities of disk drives continue to increase. As a result, the magnetic bit size which may be reliably written and read continues to decrease. Accordingly, data is recorded in ever-narrowing tracks which must be followed with extreme precision. In order to achieve increased track densities, for example 25,000 tracks/in, a two-stage servo system may be necessary. The two-stage servo system typically includes a high bandwidth microactuator for rapid position corrections of the recording head, coupled with a conventional actuator, such as the rotary or linear actuators described above.

In general microactuators are electrostatically-driven, or electroplated polysilicon microstructures, normally 10 or 40 microns thick. The microactuator may include a movable plate connected to a substrate by springs. Positioned on the substrate may be two sets of mating interdigitated electrodes which activate motion of the plate in opposing directions. The electrode layout may be such that one or more masking levels is needed to define the electrode sets that can generate position-independent electrostatic force in both direction. A bonding platform may be formed above the moving electrodes which structurally attach to a rigid plate as a top cover. Typically, the slider/head assembly is attached to that rigid plate. For a better understanding of a two-stage servo system, refer to the article written by Long-Sheng Fan et al. entitled “Magnetic Recording Head Positioning at Very High Track Densities Using a Microactuator-Based, Two Stage Servo System” (IEEE Transaction on Industrial Electronics, Vol. 42, No. 3, P. 222–233, June 1995) which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Typically, when fabricating microactuators, the locations for placing the termination pads or leads is limited by the size of the microactuator and the various circuits and components within the microactuator. As such, it is often inconvenient or impossible to route the traces from the suspension for mating with the microactuator. Thus, it is desirable or often necessary to interconnect the suspension and the microactuator with an interconnect module.

FIG. 9illustrates a portion of one embodiment of a suspension assembly according to the present invention. The suspension assembly900includes a suspension940configured for in-line mounting, a lead routing module930, a microactuator chip920, and a slider910. A typical suspension used in suspension assembly900requires that suspension940have 8 electrical leads or terminating leads that need to be routed and terminated. A first set of the leads941may be attached to the MR read/write elements via head termination pads911. The first set of leads941may be attached using bent lead termination. The second set of leads942are for attachment to microacuator920. Various methods of attachments such as solder ball placement and reflow, gold ball bumping, gold wire stitching, solder wire bumping, ultrasonic bonding, or other methods of termination may be used. The lead routing module930is used to interconnect suspension940and microactuator920. Although,FIG. 9illustrates that lead routing module930is positioned between suspension940and microactuator920, for alternative embodiments, lead routing module930may be positioned between microactuator920and slider/head assembly910.

As shown inFIG. 9, the second set of leads942of suspension940terminates at and attaches to lead routing module930at a first set of electrical contact regions. The lead routing module930also includes a second set of electrical contact regions (not shown) that is coupled to microactuator920. In general, the location of the second set of electrical contact regions is determined by the desired attachment location of microactuator920. The first and second sets of electrical contact regions may include bonding pads or solder plated regions. Coupling the first and second sets of electrical contact regions is a plurality of conducting leads or lines (not shown). Although the first and second sets of electrical contact regions may be located orthogonal or 180 degrees the present invention is not limited to these orientations.

The lead routing module generally consists of a ceramic substrate with two sets of electrical contact regions and electrically conducting lines. The lead routing module allows the interconnected devices to place their terminations pads or leads at its optimal location while providing an efficient attachments between the two devices. For additional embodiments, multiple layers of interconnect modules may be used to provide more complex wiring schemes that can provide shielding or other optimizations of electrical or mechanical characteristics of a suspension assembly.