Development of balanced-type high shock suspension for 0.85-in hard disk drive

In this paper, we propose a novel shockproof head gimbals assembly (HGA) structure incorporated with "a balanced-type head suspension" for 0.85-in hard disk drives (HDDs), and investigated its performance on external shock resistance during read/write operations. Experimental drop impact test results confirm that the 0.85-in drive equipped with the new suspension structure is durable over 2000 G (1.0 ms duration) of external shock, ensuring no head slider and/or disk surface damage. According to computer simulation and experimental results, potential shock resistance of more than 2000 G may also be possible with the head actuator itself, which points to its application in cellular phones.