Patent ID: 7068471

Claim:
An improved gimbal and load beam apparatus for a disk drive head suspension comprising: a. a dielectric layer having a proximal region and a distal region with respect to an intermediate region and a pair of arms spaced laterally apart from the intermediate region and extending longitudinally from the proximal region to the distal region; b. a plurality of electrically conductive traces formed on the dielectric layer and extending from the proximal region to at least the intermediate region for connection to a head slider; and c. a structural layer formed of metal and substantially absent from the arms of the dielectric layer and having i. a first portion secured to the dielectric layer at the proximal region thereof, ii. a second portion isolated from the first portion and secured to the dielectric layer at the distal region thereof; iii. a third portion isolated from the first and second portions and secured to the dielectric layer at the intermediate region, for supporting a head slider; and d. a load beam extending from the proximal region beyond the intermediate region to the distal region of the dielectric layer and attached to the structural layer at the proximal and distal regions of the dielectric layer.