Head gimbal assembly and storage device provided with the same

Abstract

A head gimbal assembly includes a load beam, a wiring member including a metal plate disposed on the load beam, a magnetic head attached to a tip section of the wiring member, and a piezoelectric element that is fixed to and supported by supporting pads and deforms in response to a voltage applied thereto. The metal plate includes a tip section to which the magnetic head is fixed, and a base section that is spaced apart from the tip section and is fixed to the load beam. The supporting pads include first and second supporting pads proximate to the tip section and distal from the base section and a third supporting pad proximate to the base section and distal to the tip section, each of supporting pads separated from and independent of both the tip section and the base section.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A head gimbal assembly comprising:
 a load beam;   a wiring member including a metal plate and an insulating layer disposed on the metal plate and the load beam, the metal plate including a tip section that is movable away from the load beam and a base section that is fixed to the load beam;   a magnetic head electrically connected to a first wiring of the wiring member and attached to a tip section of the wiring member; and   an expanding and contracting element that is fixed to supporting pads through the insulating layer and configured to deform in response to a voltage applied thereto through a second wiring of the wiring member, the supporting pads including first and second supporting pads proximate to the tip section of the metal plate and distal from the base section and third and fourth supporting pads proximate to the base section and distal from the tip section of the metal plate, the first and second supporting pads being structurally separated from and independent of both the tip section of the metal plate and the base section, and the third and fourth supporting pads being structurally connected to the base section.   
     
     
         2 . The head gimbal assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the expanding and contracting element includes a first element fixed to the first and third supporting pads and a second element fixed to the second and fourth supporting pads. 
     
     
         3 . The head gimbal assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the third and fourth supporting pads are structurally connected to the base section by respective bridge sections, each having a width that is substantially smaller than a width of the respective third and fourth supporting pads. 
     
     
         4 . The head gimbal assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the expanding and contracting element includes first and second strips each having a longitudinal axis aligned parallel to and on either side of a longitudinal axis of the metal plate. 
     
     
         5 . The head gimbal assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the first and second strips deform in response to the voltage applied thereto to rotate the magnetic head about an axis that is perpendicular to a plane of the metal plate. 
     
     
         6 . A storage device comprising:
 a disk-shaped recording medium;   a driving motor that supports and rotates the recording medium; and   a head gimbal assembly including:
 a load beam, 
 a wiring member including a metal plate and an insulating layer disposed on the metal plate and the load beam, the metal plate including a tip section that is movable away from the load beam and a base section that is fixed to the load beam, 
 a magnetic head electrically connected to a first wiring of the wiring member and attached to a tip section of the wiring member, and 
 an expanding and contracting element that is fixed to supporting pads through the insulating layer and configured to deform in response to a voltage applied thereto through a second wiring of the wiring member, the supporting pads including first and second supporting pads proximate to the tip section of the metal plate and distal from the base section and third and fourth supporting pads proximate to the base section and distal from the tip section of the metal plate, the first and second supporting pads being structurally separated from and independent of both the tip section of the metal plate and the base section, and the third and fourth supporting pads being structurally connected to the base section. 
   
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the expanding and contracting element includes a first element fixed to the first and third supporting pads and a second element fixed to the second and fourth supporting pads. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the third and fourth supporting pads are structurally connected to the base section by respective bridge sections, each having a width that is substantially smaller than a width of the respective third and fourth supporting pads. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein the expanding and contracting element includes first and second strips each having a longitudinal axis aligned parallel to and on either side of a longitudinal axis of the metal plate. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 9 , wherein the first and second strips deform in response to the voltage applied thereto to rotate the magnetic head about an axis that is perpendicular to a plane of the metal plate.