JP2013149312A - Suspension substrate, suspension, suspension with head, and hard disk drive - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suspension substrate capable of improving reliability of electric connection with an external apparatus.SOLUTION: A suspension substrate 1 comprises: an insulating layer 10 having an insulating end 10a; a metal support layer 11; and a wiring layer 12 having a plurality of wiring lines 13a, 13b, 13c and an external connection part 16 extending outward from the insulating end 10a. The external connection part 16 has an external connection face 16a, which is located at the insulating layer 10 side and which is to be electrically connected to an actuator element 44 via a conductive adhesive. The insulating layer 10 has an island-like insulating support part 30 disposed on the external connection face 16a and separated from the insulating end 10a. At least a part of the insulating support part 10 is disposed in a top end region 18 in an outer peripheral edge region of the external connection part 16.

Description

  The present invention relates to a suspension board, a suspension, a suspension with a head, and a hard disk drive, and more particularly to a suspension board, a suspension, a suspension with a head, and a hard disk drive that can improve the reliability of electrical connection with an external device. About.

  In general, a hard disk drive (HDD) includes a suspension board on which a magnetic head slider for writing and reading data to and from a disk storing data is mounted. The suspension substrate includes a metal support layer and a wiring layer having a plurality of wirings stacked on the metal support layer with an insulating layer interposed therebetween. To write or read data.

  In such a hard disk drive, in order to move the magnetic head slider to a desired data track on the disk, a VCM actuator (for example, a voice coil motor) that rotates an actuator arm that supports the magnetic head slider is used as a servo control system. Is controlled by.

  By the way, in recent years, the track width has been reduced by increasing the density of the disk. For this reason, it may be difficult to accurately align the magnetic head slider to a desired track by the VCM actuator.

  In order to cope with this, a dual actuator type suspension is known in which a VCM actuator and a PZT microactuator (Dual Stage Actuator: DSA) cooperate to move a magnetic head slider to a desired track (for example, , See Patent Document 1). This PZT microactuator is constituted by a piezoelectric element such as a piezoelectric element made of PZT (lead zirconate titanate), and expands and contracts when a voltage is applied to move the magnetic head slider minutely. In such a dual actuator type suspension, the VCM actuator roughly adjusts the position of the magnetic head slider, and the PZT microactuator finely adjusts the position of the magnetic head slider. In this way, the magnetic head slider is aligned with a desired track quickly and accurately.

  In the suspension substrate shown in Patent Document 1, a through-hole is provided in the electrical insulating layer in a terminal portion for supplying power to a piezoelectric element as an external device, and a copper terminal is exposed, and the piezoelectric element side of the electrical insulating layer is exposed. A stainless steel ring is provided on the surface. By injecting a liquid conductive adhesive inside the stainless steel ring, the conductive adhesive is bonded to the copper terminal and the piezoelectric element, and the piezoelectric element is electrically connected to the copper terminal. Yes.

JP2011-238860A

  However, as shown in Patent Document 1, when a through hole is provided in an electrical insulating layer to expose a copper terminal, the contact area of the copper terminal that comes into contact with a conductive adhesive effective as an electrode is reduced. In particular, the contact area of the copper terminal with the conductive adhesive tends to be significantly smaller than the contact area of the piezoelectric element with the conductive adhesive. For this reason, the problem that the electrical connection between the copper terminal and the conductive adhesive becomes unstable arises, and it is difficult to improve the reliability of the electrical connection.

  By the way, silver paste is mainly used for the conductive adhesive for joining the copper terminal of the suspension substrate and the piezoelectric element for the following reasons. That is, silver or gold is generally used as the electrode of the piezoelectric element, but such a metal is soluble in tin contained in solder. For this reason, when the soldering operation time becomes long, the silver or gold of the electrode melts into the solder, and the electrode of the piezoelectric element disappears. In order to prevent the disappearance of the electrode, there is a measure to contain several percent of gold or silver in the solder. However, even if such a measure is taken, it is difficult to completely prevent the disappearance of the electrode. It is. Moreover, depolarization may be caused by the temperature rise during the soldering operation. From such a viewpoint, a silver paste that is not soluble in tin and has a low adhesion temperature is used.

  Silver paste requires not only adhesiveness but also a low glass transition temperature to prevent depolarization and to displace the slider effectively against expansion and contraction of piezoelectric elements. A low elastic modulus is required. By the way, in order to improve the electrical conductivity of the silver paste, it is considered effective to increase the content of the silver filler. However, when the content of the silver filler is increased, the glass transition temperature of the silver paste is increased. There's a problem. Further, it is considered effective to refine the silver filler in order to improve the adhesiveness of the silver paste. However, when the silver filler is refined, there is a problem that the elastic modulus of the silver paste increases. For these reasons, it is difficult to improve the conductivity and adhesion between the silver paste and the terminals of the suspension substrate by improving the silver paste as the conductive adhesive.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such points, and provides a suspension substrate, a suspension, a suspension with a head, and a hard disk drive that can improve the reliability of electrical connection with an external device. For the purpose.

  As a first solution, the present invention provides a suspension substrate having a connection structure region connected to an actuator element via a conductive adhesive, an insulating layer having an insulating end, and one surface of the insulating layer. A metal support layer provided on the other side, a plurality of wirings provided on the other surface of the insulating layer, provided in the connection structure region, and connected to one of the plurality of wirings, A wiring layer having an external connection portion extending outward from the insulating end portion, and the external connection portion is located on the insulating layer side with the conductive adhesive interposed therebetween. The exposed external connection surface is electrically connected, and the insulating layer has an island-shaped insulating support portion provided on the external connection surface and spaced apart from the insulating end, and the external connection The external connection surface of the part It is divided into a base end side region on the edge end side and a tip end side region opposite to the insulating end portion, and at least a part of the insulating support portion is an outer peripheral edge region of the external connection portion, Provided is a suspension substrate, which is disposed in the tip side region.

  Note that, in the suspension substrate according to the first solving means described above, the insulating support portion may be disposed at a distal end portion of the external connection portion.

  In the suspension substrate according to the first solving means described above, the insulating support portion may be formed over the distal end side region and the proximal end side region.

  The suspension board according to the first solving means described above further includes a protective layer that covers the wiring and the external connection portion, and the insulating support portion protrudes outward from the external connection portion in plan view. The protective layer may extend from the external connection portion onto the insulating support portion.

  Further, in the suspension substrate according to the first solving means described above, a through hole that exposes a part of the surface of the external connection portion on the protective layer side may be provided in the protective layer.

  Further, in the suspension substrate according to the first solving means described above, a part of the side surface of the external connection portion may be exposed.

  Further, the present invention provides, as a second solution, a head region on which the head slider is placed, an inspection suspension substrate for inspecting the head slider, an insulating layer having an insulating end; A metal support layer provided on one surface of the insulating layer; a plurality of wires provided on the other surface of the insulating layer; and the one of the plurality of wires provided in the head region. And a wiring layer having an external connection portion extending outwardly from the insulating end, and the external connection portion is located on the insulating layer side. And the insulating layer has an island-shaped insulating support portion provided on the external connecting surface and spaced from the insulating end portion, and the insulating layer is electrically connected to the insulating connecting portion. The support part is a tip part of the external connection part. To provide a substrate for suspension, characterized in being arranged.

  The present invention is a base plate, the above-described suspension substrate attached to the base plate via a load beam, and joined to at least one of the base plate and the load beam, and the connection structure region of the suspension substrate. And the actuator element connected via the conductive adhesive.

  The present invention provides a suspension with a head comprising the above-described suspension and a head slider mounted on the suspension.

  The present invention provides a hard disk drive including the above-described suspension with a head.

  According to the present invention, the reliability of electrical connection with an external device can be improved.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a suspension substrate according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the details (connection structure region) of part A in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. FIG. 5 is a back view showing the wiring connection portion as seen from the direction D of FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of a suspension in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a back view showing a part of the suspension of FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of a piezo element in the suspension of FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the suspension connection structure region of FIG. 6 and corresponding to FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the suspension connection structure region of FIG. 6 and corresponding to FIG. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an example of a suspension with a head according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an example of the hard disk drive according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 13A to 13G are views showing a method for manufacturing a suspension substrate in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a back view showing the wiring connection part in the step shown in FIG. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the insulating support portion. FIG. 16 is a plan view showing an example of the head region in the suspension substrate according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a view showing a cross section of the inspection head terminal of FIG. FIG. 18 is a back view showing the inspection head terminal as viewed from the direction E of FIG. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a head slider inspection method using the inspection head terminal of FIG. 20A is a back view showing the wiring connection portion in Comparative Example 1, and FIG. 20B is a back view showing the wiring connection portion in Comparative Example 2. FIG.

  The suspension substrate, suspension, suspension with head, and hard disk drive according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the drawings attached to the present specification, for the sake of illustration and ease of understanding, the scale, the vertical / horizontal dimension ratio, and the like are appropriately changed and exaggerated from those of the actual ones.

(First embodiment)
In the present embodiment, an example in which the suspension substrate 1 is connected to a piezo element (actuator element) 44 as an external device will be described. The piezo element 44 is for minutely moving the head slider 52 (see FIG. 11) mounted on the suspension substrate 1 as will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the suspension substrate 1 is connected to the substrate body region 2 and a pair of piezo elements (actuator element, see FIG. 6) 44 via a conductive adhesive (for example, silver paste). And a structural region 3. Among these, the board body area 2 has a head area 2a on which a head slider 52 (see FIG. 11) described later is mounted, and a tail area 2b to which an FPC board (external device, see FIG. 11) 71 is connected. ing. A plurality of head terminals 5 connected to the head slider 52 are provided in the head region 2a, and a plurality of tail terminals (external device connection terminals) 6 connected to the FPC board 71 are provided in the tail region 2b. The head terminal 5 and the tail terminal 6 are connected to each other via a signal wiring 13a described later. Further, the pair of connection structure regions 3 are arranged on both sides of the substrate body region 2 and are connected to the substrate body region 2 via the connection region 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the suspension substrate 1 includes an insulating layer 10, a metal support layer 11 provided on one surface of the insulating layer 10 (the surface on the side of the piezo element 44 to be connected), The wiring layer 12 is provided on the other surface of the insulating layer 10 and includes a plurality of wirings 13a, 13b, and 13c. Although not shown, a seed layer made of nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and copper (Cu) and having a thickness of about 300 nm is interposed between the insulating layer 10 and the wiring layer 12, so The adhesion between the layer 10 and the wiring layer 12 is improved.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of wirings include a signal wiring 13 a including a pair of reading wirings and a pair of writing wirings, and a pair of element wirings 13 b connected to the piezo element 44. Among these, the pair of element wirings 13 b are electrically connected to each other via the metal support wiring portion 11 b of the metal support layer 11. The metal support wiring portion 11b of the metal support layer 11 is separated from the main body portion 11a of the metal support layer 11 and formed in an island shape, and is electrically insulated from the main body portion 11a. . The metal support wiring portion 11 b of the metal support layer 11 and the element wiring 13 b are electrically connected to each other by a wiring via 27 that penetrates the insulating layer 10. In this way, the two element wires 13b extending from the piezo element 44 merge in the substrate body region 2 and are connected to the corresponding one tail terminal 6 provided in the tail region 2b. Thereby, the voltage applied to the pair of piezo elements 44 is made uniform, and the accuracy of the expansion / contraction amount of each piezo element 44 is improved.

  The head region 2a is provided with a ground via 28 for grounding the head terminal 5 for grounding. The ground via 28 is connected to the head terminal 5 for grounding via the ground wiring 13 c and passes through the insulating layer 10 to electrically connect the head terminal 5 for grounding and the main body portion 11 a of the metal support layer 11. Connected.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the wiring layer 12 includes a wiring connection portion (external connection portion) 16 provided in each connection structure region 3. Each wiring connection portion 16 is connected to the corresponding element wiring 13b and is electrically connected to the piezo element 44 via a conductive adhesive. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, each wiring connection portion 16 is formed to extend outward from an insulating end portion 10a of the insulating layer 10 described later. That is, each wiring connection portion 16 is formed in a circular shape in plan view, a part of the periphery of the wiring connection portion 16 is supported by the insulating end portion 10a, and cantilevered with the insulating end portion 10a as a base end. Is formed. 2 and 5 show an example in which the connection region 4 is formed perpendicular to the substrate body region 2 for convenience.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the wiring connection portion 16 is an exposed wiring connection surface (externally connected to the piezo element 44 via a conductive adhesive, located on the insulating layer 10 side. Connection surface) 16a. That is, in the connection structure region 3, no part constituting the metal support layer 11 is provided, and no part other than an insulating support part 30 described later constituting the insulating layer 10 is provided. In this way, the wiring connection surface 16 a of the wiring connection portion 16 is exposed to the piezo element 44 side without being covered by the insulating layer 10 other than the metal support layer 11 and the insulating support portion 30.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the wiring connection surface 16a of the wiring connection portion 16 is divided into a base end side region 17 on the insulating end portion 10a side and a tip end side region 18 on the side opposite to the insulating end portion 10a. Yes. Here, the base end side region 17 is a wiring connection surface defined by a boundary line (Z) orthogonal to a line (Y) connecting the center O of the wiring connection surface 16a and the insulating end 10a and passing through the center O. When 16a is divided into two regions, it refers to one region located on the insulating end portion 10a side, and the tip end region 18 refers to the other region located on the opposite side of the insulating end portion 10a.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a plating layer 32 is provided on the wiring connection surface 16 a of the wiring connection portion 16. The plating layer 32 includes a nickel (Ni) plating layer 33 provided on the wiring connection surface 16 a and a gold (Au) plating layer 34 provided on the nickel plating layer 33. That is, nickel plating and gold plating are sequentially performed on the wiring connection surface 16 a of the wiring connection portion 16 to form the plating layer 32. Further, it is preferable that the nickel plating layer 33 has a thickness of 0.3 μm to 4.0 μm, and the gold plating layer 34 has a thickness of 0.5 μm to 3.0 μm. 2 and 5, the plating layer 32 is omitted for the sake of clarity.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the insulating layer 10 includes an insulating end portion 10 a and an island-shaped insulating support portion 30 provided on the wiring connection surface 16 a of the wiring connection portion 16 and spaced from the insulating end portion 10 a. ,have. Of these, the insulating end portion 10 a is configured as a base end that supports the cantilevered wiring connection portion 16. Here, the island shape can be considered that the contact area where the wiring connection surface 16a of the wiring connection portion 16 contacts the conductive adhesive is not largely lost by the insulating support portion 30, and will be described later. Thus, it is used to mean a state where the wiring connection portion 16 is formed in a planar shape capable of supporting the wiring connection portion 16.

  At least a part of the insulating support portion 30 is disposed in the outer peripheral region of the wiring connection portion 16 and is disposed in the distal end side region 18. Here, the outer peripheral edge region is used to indicate a region in the wiring connecting surface 16a of the wiring connecting portion 16 that includes the outer peripheral edge of the surface and is close to the outer peripheral edge extending from the outer peripheral edge toward the center O. ing.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the insulating support portion 30 as a whole is disposed in the distal end side region 18 of the wiring connection surface 16 a of the wiring connection portion 16. It is arranged at the tip. In other words, the insulating support part 30 is located on the side opposite to the insulating end 10a with respect to the center O of the wiring connecting surface 16a of the wiring connecting part 16, that is, the center O of the wiring connecting surface 16a and the insulating end 10a. It is arranged on the extension of the connecting line (Y). Further, the insulating support portion 30 protrudes outward from the wiring connection portion 16 in plan view. In addition, in FIG. 5, although the insulation support part 30 has shown the example formed in the ellipse shape, it is not restricted to this, If it is formed in island shape, it will be set as arbitrary shapes be able to.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a protective layer 20 that covers the wiring connection portion 16 of the wiring layer 12 is provided on the insulating layer 10. The protective layer 20 extends from the wiring connection portion 16 onto the insulating support portion 30. That is, the protective layer 20 has a protective support portion 20 a formed on the insulating support portion 30, and the protective support portion 20 a extends from the wiring connection portion 16 onto the insulating support portion 30. The protective support portion 20 a covers the tip side portion of the side surface of the wiring connection portion 16. On the other hand, the other part of the side surface of the wiring connection part 16 is exposed without being covered with the protective layer 20. That is, a part of the side surface of the wiring connection portion 16 is exposed. A part of the outer peripheral edge region of the upper surface of the wiring connection portion 16 (the surface opposite to the wiring connection surface 16 a) is exposed without being covered with the protective layer 20. The plating layer 32 is formed so as to extend from the wiring connection surface 16a of the wiring connection portion 16 to the exposed side surface and upper surface.

  Further, the protective layer 20 is provided with an inspection through hole 21 that exposes a part (a central region portion) of the upper surface (the surface on the protective layer 20 side) of the wiring connection portion 16. An inspection plating layer 22 having an inspection nickel plating layer 23 and an inspection gold plating layer 24 is formed on the exposed surface of the wiring connection portion 16 in the inspection through hole 21. The nickel plating layer 23 for inspection and the gold plating layer 24 for inspection can be formed in the same manner as the nickel plating layer 33 and the gold plating layer 34 described above. Since the wiring connection portion 16 is exposed in the inspection through hole 21, a continuity test between the wiring connection portion 16 and the piezoelectric element 44 is performed from the upper surface of the wiring connection portion 16 by using a continuity tester such as a probe. Can be done.

  The protective layer 20 is formed so as to cover the wirings 13 a, 13 b and 13 c of the wiring layer 12 in the substrate body region 2 and the connection region 4. In FIG. 1, the protective layer 20 is omitted for the sake of clarity.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, two jig holes 25 are provided in the substrate body region 2 so as to pass through the metal support layer 11 and the insulating layer 10 and perform alignment with a load beam 43 described later. ing. Each jig hole 25 is disposed on a longitudinal axis (X) of a load beam 43 described later. That is, the longitudinal axis (X) passes through each jig hole 25.

  Next, each component will be described in detail.

  The material of the insulating layer 10 is not particularly limited as long as it is a material having a desired insulating property. For example, it is preferable to use polyimide (PI). Note that the material of the insulating layer 10 can be a photosensitive material or a non-photosensitive material. The thickness of the insulating layer 10 is preferably 5 μm to 30 μm, particularly 8 μm to 10 μm. As a result, it is possible to ensure insulation performance between the metal support layer 11 and the wirings 13a, 13b, and 13c, and to prevent loss of rigidity of the suspension substrate 1 as a whole.

  Each of the wirings 13a, 13b, and 13c is configured as a conductor for transmitting an electrical signal, and the material of each of the wirings 13a, 13b, and 13c is particularly limited as long as it has a desired conductivity. However, it is preferable to use copper (Cu). In addition to copper, any material having electrical characteristics similar to pure copper can be used. Here, it is preferable that the thickness of each wiring 13a, 13b, 13c is, for example, 1 μm to 18 μm, especially 9 μm to 12 μm. As a result, the transmission characteristics of the wirings 13a, 13b, and 13c can be ensured, and the loss of flexibility of the suspension substrate 1 as a whole can be prevented. The head terminal 5, tail terminal 6 and wiring connection portion 16 are formed of the same material and the same thickness as the wirings 13a, 13b and 13c, and constitute the wiring layer 12 together with the wirings 13a, 13b and 13c. doing.

  The material of the metal support layer 11 is not particularly limited as long as it has desired conductivity, elasticity, and strength. For example, stainless steel, aluminum, beryllium copper, or other copper alloys are used. It is preferable to use stainless steel. The thickness of the metal support layer 11 is preferably larger than the thickness of the wirings 13a, 13b, and 13c. Moreover, the thickness of the metal support layer 11 can be 10 micrometers-30 micrometers as an example, and can be 15 micrometers-20 micrometers especially. As a result, the conductivity, rigidity, and elasticity of the metal support layer 11 can be ensured.

  As a material of the protective layer 20, it is preferable to use a resin material such as polyimide. The material of the protective layer 20 can be a photosensitive material or a non-photosensitive material. The thickness of the protective layer 20 is preferably 2 μm to 30 μm.

  Next, the suspension 41 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The suspension 41 shown in FIG. 6 is attached to the base plate 42, the load beam 43 that holds the metal support layer 11 of the suspension substrate 1, the suspension substrate 1, the base plate 42, and the load beam 43. And a piezo element 44 connected to the connection structure region 3 of the suspension substrate 1.

  Of these, the base plate 42 is made of stainless steel, and as shown in FIG. 7, a head side plate 42a disposed on the head region 2a side of the suspension substrate 1 and a tail side plate 42b disposed on the tail region 2b side. And a flexible portion 42c connecting the head side plate 42a and the tail side plate 42b. The base plate 42 has an accommodation opening 42 d for accommodating the piezo element 44. The accommodation opening 42d is formed by a head side plate 42a, a tail side plate 42b, and a flexible portion 42c.

  Like the base plate 42, the load beam 43 is made of stainless steel, and as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the head beam 43a disposed on the head region 2a side of the suspension substrate 1 and the tail region 2b side. The tail-side beam 43b is disposed, and a flexible portion 43c that connects the head-side beam 43a and the tail-side beam 43b. In addition, the load beam 43 has an exposed opening 43 d that exposes the surface of the piezo element 44 on the connection structure region 3 side. The exposed opening 43d is formed by a head side beam 43a, a tail side beam 43b, and a flexible portion 43c.

  A piezo element 44 is joined to the base plate 42 and the load beam 43 thus formed. That is, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the piezo element 44 is accommodated in the accommodation opening 42 d of the base plate 42, joined to the base plate 42, and joined to the surface of the load beam 43 on the side of the base plate 42. ing. As shown in FIG. 10, the connection structure region 3 of the suspension substrate 1 is connected to the piezo element 44 through the exposed opening 43 d of the load beam 43.

  The load beam 43 is provided with a beam jig hole (not shown) corresponding to each jig hole 25 of the suspension substrate 1. When the load beam 43 is attached to the suspension substrate 1, the suspension beam 1 is suspended. The substrate 1 and the load beam 43 can be aligned. The jig hole of the load beam 43 is disposed on the longitudinal axis (X). The load beam 43 and the suspension substrate 1 are fixed by welding.

  The piezo element 44 is configured as a piezoelectric element that expands and contracts in the direction of the arrow P in FIGS. 6 and 11 when a voltage is applied, and moves the head slider 52 in the sway direction (the turning direction, the arrow in FIGS. 6 and 11). Q direction). As shown in FIG. 8, each piezo element 44 is interposed between a pair of electrodes 44a facing each other and a pair of electrodes 44a, and is formed of a piezoelectric material such as PZT (lead zirconate titanate). Part 44b. The piezoelectric material portions 44b of the pair of piezo elements 44 are formed to have polarization directions different from each other by 180 °. When a predetermined voltage is applied, one piezo element 44 contracts and the other piezo element 44 44 extends. As shown in FIG. 6, such a piezo element 44 is disposed along the longitudinal axis (X) of the load beam 43, and its expansion / contraction direction is parallel to the longitudinal axis (X). Yes. The piezo elements 44 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis (X) so that the expansion and contraction of each piezo element 44 is evenly transmitted to the head slider 52. Further, in the present embodiment, the connection structure region 3 connected to the piezo element 44 is disposed on both sides of the substrate body region 2, and the expansion and contraction of the piezo element 44 is effectively converted into the displacement of the head slider 52. It can be used now.

  As shown in FIG. 10, each piezo element 44 is joined to the base plate 42 and the load beam 43 through a nonconductive adhesive portion 46 made of a nonconductive adhesive. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, one electrode 44a of the piezo element 44 (on the side opposite to the suspension substrate 1) is connected to the base plate 42 via a first conductive adhesive portion 47 made of a conductive adhesive. Is electrically connected. Further, the electrode 44a on the other side of the piezo element 44 (on the suspension substrate 1 side) is connected to the connection structure region 3 via a second conductive adhesive portion 48 made of a conductive adhesive, as shown in FIGS. And electrically connected to each other. That is, a second conductive adhesive portion 48 made of a conductive adhesive is formed between the wiring connection portion 16 and the piezo element 44, and the piezo element 44 is connected to the wiring connection portion 16 via the second conductive adhesive portion 48. While being joined, the other electrode 44 a of the piezo element 44 is electrically connected to the wiring connection portion 16 via the second conductive adhesive portion 48.

  Note that a silver paste can be preferably used as the conductive adhesive described above. This silver paste is obtained by mixing an epoxy resin as a base material with a silver filler, and has both mechanical joining properties and electrical connectivity properties.

  Next, referring to FIG. 11, the suspension with head 51 in the present embodiment will be described. A suspension 51 with a head shown in FIG. 11 has the above-described suspension 41 and a head slider 52 mounted on the suspension substrate 1 and connected to the head terminal 5.

  Next, the hard disk drive 61 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. A hard disk drive 61 shown in FIG. 12 is attached to a case 62, a disk 63 that is rotatably attached to the case 62, stores data, a spindle motor 64 that rotates the disk 63, and a desired flying height on the disk 63. And a suspension 51 with a head including a head slider 52 that writes and reads data to and from the disk 63. Among them, the suspension with head 51 is attached to the case 62 so as to be movable, and the voice coil motor 65 for moving the head slider 52 of the suspension with head 51 along the disk 63 is attached to the case 62. Yes. The suspension 51 with a head is attached to the voice coil motor 65 via an arm 66 and is connected to an FPC board 71 (see FIG. 11) connected to a control unit (not shown) that controls the hard disk drive 61. ing. In this way, an electrical signal is transmitted between the control unit and the head slider 52 via the suspension board 1 and the FPC board 71.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the suspension substrate 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, as an example, a method for manufacturing the suspension substrate 1 by the subtractive method will be described with reference to FIG. 13 showing a cross section of the connection structure region 3. The suspension substrate 1 is not limited to the subtractive method, and may be manufactured by an additive method.

  First, the insulating layer 10, the metal support layer 11 provided on one surface of the insulating layer 10 (the surface on the side of the piezo element 44 to be connected), the wiring layer 12 provided on the other surface of the insulating layer 10, and Are prepared (see FIG. 13A). In this case, first, the metal support layer 11 is prepared, and the insulating layer 10 is formed on the metal support layer 11 by a coating method using non-photosensitive polyimide. Subsequently, nickel, chromium and copper are sequentially coated on the insulating layer 10 by a sputtering method to form a seed layer (not shown). Thereafter, the wiring layer 12 is formed by copper plating using the seed layer as a conductive medium. In this way, a laminate 35 having the insulating layer 10, the metal support layer 11, and the wiring layer 12 is obtained.

  Subsequently, a plurality of wirings 13a, 13b, 13c and a wiring connection portion 16 are formed in the wiring layer 12, and a metal support opening for exposing the wiring connection surface 16a of the wiring connection portion 16 in the metal support layer 11 is formed. 11c is formed (see FIG. 13B). In this case, a patterned resist (not shown) is formed on the wiring layer 12 and the metal support layer 11 by a photofabrication technique, and the wiring is formed from the resist opening with a corrosive liquid such as ferric chloride aqueous solution. Layer 12 and metal support layer 11 are etched. Thus, the wiring layer 12 having a desired shape is formed and the metal support opening 11c is formed. When forming the wiring connection portion 16, the head terminal 5 and the tail terminal 6 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the resist is removed.

  Next, a protective layer 20 having a desired shape is formed on the insulating layer 10 to cover the wirings 13a, 13b, 13c and the wiring connection portion 16 of the wiring layer 12 (see FIG. 13C). In this case, non-photosensitive polyimide is coated on the insulating layer 10 using a die coater, and dried to form the protective layer 20. Subsequently, a patterned resist (not shown) is formed on the formed protective layer 20, and the exposed portion of the protective layer 20 is etched to cure the protective layer 20. In this way, the protective layer 20 having a desired shape is obtained. At this time, the protective layer 20 is formed with the inspection through hole 21 and the protective support portion 20a. The method for etching the protective layer 20 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to perform wet etching. In particular, the etching solution is preferably selected as appropriate according to the type of material of the protective layer 20. For example, when the protective layer 20 is formed of a polyimide resin, an alkaline etching solution such as an organic alkaline etching solution is used. Can be used. Thereafter, the resist is removed.

  After the protective layer 20 is obtained, the insulating support part 30 is formed, and the outer shape of the insulating layer 10 is processed into a desired shape (see FIG. 13D). In this case, first, a patterned resist (not shown) is formed, and the exposed portion of the insulating layer 10 is etched to form the insulating support 30 and the outer shape of the insulating layer 10 is processed. As a result, the wiring connection surface 16a of the wiring connection portion 16 is exposed through the metal support opening 11c. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14, a part of the outer edge of the metal support opening 11 c overlaps the insulating support 30 in plan view, and the insulating support 30 is a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing the suspension substrate 1. It is supported by the reinforcing portion 11d of the supported metal support layer 11. As a result, the tip end portion of the wiring connection portion 16 can be reliably supported by the reinforcing portion 11 d of the metal support layer 11. The method for etching the insulating layer 10 is not particularly limited as in the method for etching the protective layer 20, but wet etching is preferably performed. In particular, the etching solution is preferably selected as appropriate according to the type of material of the insulating layer 10. For example, when the insulating layer 10 is formed of a polyimide resin, an alkaline etching solution such as an organic alkaline etching solution is used. Can be used. After the etching is performed, the resist is removed.

  Next, the nickel plating layer 33 is formed in the wiring connection part 16 (refer FIG.13 (e)). In this case, first, a patterned resist (not shown) is formed on the metal support layer 11 using a dry film so as to expose a portion where the nickel plating layer 33 is to be formed. Subsequently, the portion exposed from the resist is subjected to acid cleaning, and nickel plating is performed by an electrolytic plating method to form a nickel plating layer 33. In this case, nickel plating is similarly applied to the head terminal 5 and the tail terminal 6 (both refer to FIG. 1), and nickel plating is also applied to the portion exposed by the inspection through hole 21 of the wiring connection portion 16. (That is, the inspection nickel plating layer 23 is formed). The plating method is not limited to the electrolytic plating method, and an immersion plating method, a jig plating method, or the like can also be used.

  Subsequently, a gold plating layer 34 is formed on the nickel plating layer 33 (see FIG. 13F). In this case, the above-described resist for forming the nickel plating layer 33 is used as it is, and a portion exposed from the resist (that is, on the nickel plating layer 33) is subjected to gold plating by an electrolytic plating method. A gold plating layer 34 is formed. Thereafter, the resist is peeled off. Thus, the plating layer 32 having the nickel plating layer 33 and the gold plating layer 34 is formed. In this case, in the same manner as the nickel plating step described above, the head terminal 5 and the tail terminal 6 (both see FIG. 1) are similarly plated with gold, and the inspection nickel plating layer on the wiring connection portion 16 is applied. 23 is also plated with gold (that is, a gold plating layer 24 for inspection is formed).

  After the plating layer 32 is formed, the metal support layer 11 is trimmed (see FIG. 13G). In this case, first, a patterned resist (not shown) is formed on the lower surface of the metal support layer 11 using a dry film. Next, for example, a portion of the metal support layer 11 exposed from the resist is etched with an iron chloride-based etchant, and the metal support layer 11 is trimmed into a desired shape. At this time, the reinforcing portion 11d of the metal support layer 11 supporting the insulating support portion 30 is removed. As a result, the wiring connection portion 16 is cantilevered with the insulating end portion 10a as a base end. Thereafter, the resist is removed, and the suspension substrate 1 according to the present embodiment is obtained.

  Next, a suspension manufacturing method using the suspension substrate 1 thus obtained will be described.

  First, the base plate 42 and the load beam 43 are prepared, and the above-described suspension substrate 1 is prepared.

  Next, the suspension substrate 1 is attached to the base plate 42 via the load beam 43 by welding. In this case, first, the load beam 43 is fixed to the base plate 42 by welding, then, a beam jig hole (not shown) provided in the load beam 43 and a jig hole 25 provided in the suspension substrate 1. As a result, the alignment of the load beam 43 and the suspension substrate 1 is performed. Thereafter, the metal support layer 11 of the suspension substrate 1 is welded, and the load beam 43 and the suspension substrate 1 are joined and fixed to each other.

  Next, the piezo element 44 is bonded to the base plate 42 and the load beam 43 using an adhesive, and connected to the connection structure region 3 of the suspension substrate 1 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). In this case, first, the piezo element 44 is bonded to the base plate 42 and the load beam 43 via the non-conductive adhesive portion 46. Next, a conductive adhesive is applied to form a first conductive adhesive portion 47, and an electrode 44 a on one side (opposite side of the suspension substrate 1) of the piezo element 44 is formed via the first conductive adhesive portion 47. The base plate 42 is electrically connected via a conductive adhesive.

  Further, the other electrode 44a (the suspension substrate 1 side) of the piezo element 44 is joined and electrically connected to the connection structure region 3 of the suspension substrate 1 through the second conductive adhesive portion 48. . Note that a conductive adhesive is applied in advance to the surface of the wiring connection portion 16 of the suspension substrate 1 on the piezoelectric element 44 side, and when the piezoelectric element 44 is bonded to the base plate 42 and the load beam 43, the wiring connection portion 16 is applied. Is joined to and electrically connected to one electrode 44a of the piezo element 44.

  In this way, the suspension 41 according to the present embodiment is obtained.

  A head slider 52 is connected to the head terminal 5 of the suspension 41 to obtain a suspension with head 51 shown in FIG. Further, the suspension 51 with the head is attached to the arm 66 of the hard disk drive 61 and the FPC board 71 is connected to the tail terminal 6 of the suspension board 1 to obtain the hard disk drive 61 shown in FIG.

  When data is written and read in the hard disk drive 61 shown in FIG. 12, the head slider 52 of the suspension 51 with the head is moved along the disk 63 by the voice coil motor 65 and is rotated by the spindle motor 64. Keep close to the desired flying height. As a result, data is exchanged between the head slider 52 and the disk 63. During this time, an electrical signal is transmitted between the control unit (not shown) connected to the FPC board 71 and the head slider 52 via the suspension board 1 and the FPC board 71. Such an electrical signal is transmitted between the head terminal 5 (see FIG. 1) and the tail terminal 6 through the signal wirings 13a in the suspension board 1.

  When moving the head slider 52, the voice coil motor 65 roughly adjusts the position of the head slider 52, and the piezo element 44 finely adjusts the position of the head slider 52. That is, by applying a predetermined voltage to the electrode 44a of the piezo element 44 on the connection structure region 3 side of the suspension substrate 1, the direction along the longitudinal axis (X) (the direction of the arrow P in FIGS. 6 and 11). In addition, one piezo element 44 contracts and the other piezo element 44 expands. In this case, the flexible portion 42b of the base plate 42 and the flexible portion 43c of the load beam 43 are elastically deformed, and the head slider 52 located on the tip side of the load beam 43 moves in the sway direction (turning direction Q). it can. Note that the voltage applied to the electrode 44 a of the piezo element 44 is input to the electrode 44 a via the element wiring 13 b, the wiring connection portion 16, and the second conductive adhesive portion 48. In this way, the head slider 52 can be quickly and accurately aligned with a desired track of the disk 63.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the wiring connection portion 16 that is electrically connected to the piezo element 44 via the conductive adhesive is exposed to the piezo element 44 side located on the insulating layer 10 side. The wiring connection surface 16a is provided, and an island-shaped insulating support portion 30 spaced from the insulating end portion 10a of the insulating layer 10 is provided on the wiring connection surface 16a. That is, the wiring connection surface 16 a of the wiring connection portion 16 is exposed to the piezo element 44 side in a region other than the insulating end portion 30. As a result, the contact area between the wiring connection surface 16a of the wiring connection portion 16 and the conductive adhesive can be increased. For this reason, the electrical connection between the connection structure region 3 and the piezoelectric element 44 can be stabilized, and the reliability of the electrical connection between the suspension substrate 1 and the piezoelectric element 44 can be improved.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the insulating support portion 30 is disposed in the distal end side region 18 of the wiring connection surface 16a of the wiring connection portion. And this insulation support part 30 can be supported by the reinforcement part 11d of the metal support layer 11 at the time of manufacture of the board | substrate 1 for suspensions (especially during the process shown to FIG.13 (d)-(f)). . For this reason, the wiring connection part 16 extended in a cantilever form from the insulating end part 10a can be supported by the reinforcing part 11d of the metal support layer 11, and the wiring connection part 16 has the base end of the insulating end part 10a by its own weight. Can be prevented from being bent and deformed. Further, even while the removing liquid for removing the resist is flowing from above (or below) the wiring connection portion 16, the wiring connection portion 16 bends with the insulating end 10a as the base end due to this liquid flow. Deformation can be suppressed. In particular, according to the present embodiment, since the insulating support portion 30 is disposed at the distal end portion of the wiring connection portion 16, it is further prevented that the wiring connection portion 16 bends with the insulating end portion 10a as the base end. Can be suppressed.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the protective layer 20 extends from the wiring connection portion 16 onto the insulating support portion 30. Thereby, the insulation support part 30 can be supported also by the protective layer 20, and it can suppress further that the wiring connection part 16 bends by using the insulation edge part 10a as a base end.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, a part of the side surface of the wiring connection portion 16 is exposed without being covered with the protective layer 20. For this reason, the contact area between the wiring connection portion 16 and the conductive adhesive can be further increased by bringing the conductive adhesive into contact with a part of the side surface of the wiring connection portion 16, and the connection structure region 3 and The electrical connection with the piezo element 44 can be further stabilized.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the insulating support portion 30 is disposed at the distal end portion 18 of the wiring connection portion 16 in the distal end side region 18 of the wiring connection surface 16 a of the wiring connection portion 16 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 15, the insulating support portion 30 is configured such that a part of the insulating support portion 30 is disposed in the distal end side region 18 and the insulating support portion 30 is in the proximal end side region. 17 and the front end side region 18 may be formed. Even in this case, the wiring connection portion 16 extending from the insulating end portion 10a can be supported by the reinforcing portion 11d of the metal support layer 11. In each processing step, the wiring connection portion 16 has the insulating end portion 10a as the base end. It can prevent bending.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, a pair of connection structures disposed on both sides of the substrate body region 2 so that the suspension substrate 1 can be connected to the pair of piezo elements 44 as shown in FIG. The example which has the area | region 3 was demonstrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to the suspension substrate 1 in which the connection structure region 3 is provided on one side of the substrate body region 2 via the connection region 4. Further, the present invention can be applied to the suspension substrate 1 in which the connection structure region 3 is disposed in the substrate body region 2 without using the connection region 4.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the suspension substrate in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 16 to FIG. 19, the case where the present invention is applied to an inspection suspension substrate for a head slider will be described. 16 to 19, the same parts as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 14 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The suspension substrate in the present embodiment is an inspection suspension substrate 81 for inspecting the head slider 52 (see FIG. 11). The inspection suspension substrate 81 has substantially the same structure as the suspension substrate 1 in the first embodiment, and here, main differences from the suspension substrate 1 will be described.

  The head region 2 a of the inspection suspension substrate 81 is provided with a head opening 82 that penetrates the insulating layer 10 and the metal support layer 11, and an inspection head terminal 83 as an external connection portion is provided on the head opening 82. A plurality (six in FIG. 16) are provided. These inspection head terminals 83 are connected to the signal wiring 13a and the ground wiring 13c, respectively. The inspection head terminal 83 is bent at a substantially right angle when the head slider 52 is inspected, and is electrically connected to the head slider 52 as an external device (see FIG. 19).

  As shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the inspection head terminal 83 extends in an elongated shape outward from the insulating end portion 84 and is formed in an elongated rectangular shape in plan view. The inspection head terminal 83 has a longer dimension than the head terminal 5 (see FIG. 1) of the suspension substrate 1 in the first embodiment, but is formed in the same manner as the head terminal 5. Is. Further, the inspection head terminal 83 is exposed at the exposed head connection surface 83a that is electrically connected to the head slider 52 located on the insulating layer 10 side, similarly to the wiring connection portion 16 in the first embodiment. have. Note that the insulating end portion 84 in the present embodiment defines a part of the head opening 82 described above.

  The head connection surface 83 a of the inspection head terminal 83 is provided with an island-shaped insulating support portion 85 that is separated from the insulating end portion 84. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the insulating support portion 85 is disposed at the distal end portion of the inspection head terminal 83. Further, the insulating support portion 85 protrudes outward from the head terminal for inspection 83 in a plan view. Further, as will be described later, the insulating support portion 85 is disposed at a position where it does not interfere with the head slider 52 when a terminal (not shown) of the head slider 52 abuts.

  The inspection head terminal 83 is not covered with the protective layer 20 and is exposed upward. The plating layer 32 is formed on the head connection surface 83a, the side surface, and the upper surface (surface opposite to the head connection surface 83a) of the inspection head terminal 83.

  Next, a method for inspecting the head slider 52 using the inspection suspension substrate 81 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the inspection head terminal 83 is bent upward at a substantially right angle. Subsequently, a mounting jig 86 for mounting the head slider 52 is attached to the head opening 82. Next, the head slider 52 is placed on the placement jig 86. At this time, the head slider 52 is placed such that a plurality of terminals (not shown) are in contact with the bent inspection head terminals 83. As a result, the terminals of the head slider 52 are electrically connected to the inspection head terminals 83, respectively. Thereafter, an inspection device (not shown) is connected to the tail terminal 6 (see FIG. 1) of the inspection suspension substrate 81, and between the inspection device and the head slider 52 via the signal wiring 13a and the inspection head terminal 83. A test signal is transmitted. In this way, the head slider 52 can be inspected.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the elongated inspection head terminal 83 electrically connected to the head slider 52 has the exposed head connection surface 83a located on the insulating layer 10 side. In addition, an island-shaped insulating support portion 85 spaced from the insulating end portion 84 of the insulating layer 10 is provided on the head connection surface 83a, and the insulating support portion 85 is disposed at the tip portion of the inspection head terminal 83. Yes. Accordingly, the head connection surface 83a of the inspection head terminal 83 and the terminal of the head slider 52 are electrically connected without interposing the insulating support portion 85, thereby improving the reliability of the electrical connection. Thus, the head slider 52 can be inspected efficiently.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, as described above, since the insulating support portion 85 is disposed at the tip portion of the inspection head terminal 83, the inspection suspension substrate 81 is manufactured (for example, FIG. 13). During the steps shown in (d) to (f), the insulating support portion 85 can be supported by the metal support layer 11 (similar to the reinforcing portion 11d shown in FIG. 14). Therefore, the inspection head terminal 83 extending in a cantilever shape from the insulating end portion 84 can be supported by the metal support layer 11, and the inspection head terminal 83 is based on the insulating end portion 84 by its own weight. It can suppress that it bends and deform | transforms as an edge. Further, even while the removing liquid for removing the resist is flowing from above (or below) the inspection head terminal 83, the inspection head terminal 83 causes the insulating end portion 84 to be the base end by this liquid flow. It is possible to suppress bending and deformation.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. However, the suspension substrate, the suspension, the suspension with a head, and the hard disk drive according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the gist of the present invention. Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and the following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

  The suspension substrate 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, that is, the suspension substrate 1 provided with the insulating support portion 30 at the tip of the wiring connection portion 16 connected to the piezo element 44 is manufactured. It was confirmed whether the connection part 16 deform | transformed.

  As Comparative Example 1, as shown in FIG. 20A, a suspension substrate in which the insulating support portion 30 was not formed was produced, and the presence or absence of deformation of the wiring connection portion 16 was examined. Further, as Comparative Example 2, a crescent-shaped insulating support portion 87 as shown in FIG. 20B is connected to the insulating end portion 10a (that is, the insulating support portion 87 is connected to the insulating layer 10 in the connection region 4). A suspension substrate (which was integrally formed) was produced, and the presence or absence of deformation of the wiring connection portion 16 was examined. These results are shown in Table 1.

  In addition, the presence or absence of the deformation | transformation of the wiring connection part 16 was investigated using the stereomicroscope (Nikon stereomicroscope SMZ645, 48 light LED ring light). That is, the suspension substrate 1 was placed on a white board, the magnification was set to 20 times using the above-described stereomicroscope, and the stereomicroscope was tilted by 5 degrees to examine the presence or absence of deformation. By tilting the stereomicroscope by 5 degrees in this way, a portion where deformation has occurred can be confirmed to be black in appearance by reducing the total amount of reflected light from the portion. In particular, since the gold-plated part has a high gold plating rate, the difference can be remarkably confirmed. In this manner, the presence or absence of deformation of the wiring connection portion 16 was examined, and when the wiring connection portion 16 had a portion visually recognized as black, it was determined that the wiring connection portion 16 was deformed.

  As shown in Table 1, it was confirmed that the deformation of the wiring connection portion 16 was suppressed by providing the insulating support portion 30 at the distal end portion of the wiring connection portion 16.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Suspension board | substrate 2 Substrate body area | region 2a Head area | region 2b Tail area | region 3 Connection structure area | region 4 Connection area | region 5 Head terminal 6 Tail terminal 10 Insulating layer 10a Insulating edge part 11 Metal support layer 11a Main body part 11b Metal support wiring part 11c Metal support opening Part 11d Reinforcement part 12 Wiring layer 13a Signal wiring 13b Element wiring 13c Ground wiring 16 Wiring connection part 16a Exposed surface 17 Base end side area 18 Front end side area 20 Protective layer 20a Protective support part 21 Inspection through hole 22 Inspection plating layer 23 Inspection nickel plating layer 24 Inspection gold plating layer 25 Jig hole 27 Wiring via 28 Ground via 30 Insulation support 32 Plating layer 33 Nickel plating layer 34 Gold plating layer 35 Laminate 41 Suspension 42 Base plate 42a Head side plate 42b Tail side Plate 42c Flexible part 42d Accommodation open Mouth part 43 Load beam 43a Head side beam 43b Tail side beam 43c Flexible part 43d Exposed opening 44 Piezo element 44a Electrode 44b Piezoelectric material part 46 Nonconductive adhesive part 47 First conductive adhesive part 48 Second conductive adhesive part 51 Suspension with Head 52 Head Slider 61 Hard Disk Drive 62 Case 63 Disk 64 Spindle Motor 65 Voice Coil Motor 66 Arm 71 FPC Board 81 Inspection Suspension Board 82 Head Opening 83 Inspection Head Terminal 83a Head Connection Surface 84 Insulating End 85 Insulation support part 86 Mounting jig 87 Insulation support part

Claims (10)

In a suspension substrate having a connection structure region connected to an actuator element via a conductive adhesive,
An insulating layer having an insulating end;
A metal support layer provided on one surface of the insulating layer;
A plurality of wirings provided on the other surface of the insulating layer and provided in the connection structure region, connected to one of the plurality of wirings and extending outward from the insulating end portion A wiring layer having an external connection part,
The external connection portion is located on the insulating layer side, and has an exposed external connection surface that is electrically connected to the actuator element via the conductive adhesive,
The insulating layer includes an island-shaped insulating support portion provided on the external connection surface and spaced from the insulating end portion.
The external connection surface of the external connection portion is divided into a base end side region on the insulating end side and a tip end region on the opposite side to the insulating end portion,
At least a part of the insulating support portion is arranged in the outer peripheral edge region of the external connection portion and in the distal end side region.   The suspension substrate according to claim 1, wherein the insulating support portion is disposed at a distal end portion of the external connection portion.   The suspension substrate according to claim 1, wherein the insulating support portion is formed across the distal end side region and the proximal end side region. Further comprising a protective layer covering the wiring and the external connection portion,
The insulating support part protrudes outward from the external connection part in plan view,
The suspension substrate according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer extends from the external connection portion onto the insulating support portion.   The suspension substrate according to claim 4, wherein the protective layer is provided with a through hole that exposes a part of the surface of the external connection portion on the protective layer side.   The suspension substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a part of a side surface of the external connection portion is exposed. In the suspension substrate for inspection for inspecting the head slider, having a head region on which the head slider is placed,
An insulating layer having an insulating end;
A metal support layer provided on one surface of the insulating layer;
A plurality of wirings provided on the other surface of the insulating layer, and provided in the head region, connected to one of the plurality of wirings, and elongated outward from the insulating end portion An external connection portion extending to the wiring layer, and
The external connection portion is located on the insulating layer side, and has an exposed external connection surface that is electrically connected to the head slider,
The insulating layer includes an island-shaped insulating support portion provided on the external connection surface and spaced from the insulating end portion.
The suspension substrate according to claim 1, wherein the insulating support portion is disposed at a distal end portion of the external connection portion. A base plate;
A suspension comprising the suspension substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 7 attached to the base plate via a load beam. The suspension according to claim 8;
A suspension with a head, comprising: a head slider mounted on the suspension.   A hard disk drive comprising the suspension with a head according to claim 9.

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