Head IC, head amplifier circuit, head suspension assembly, and magnetic disk drive for avoiding electrostatic breakdown of magnetic head

摘要

A head suspension assembly for use in a magnetic disk drive includes a magnetic head constituted by a magnetoresistive element for reading data and a head element for writing data, a slider for holding the magnetic head above a surface of a rotating magnetic recording medium, a suspension for supporting the slider, and a head integrated circuit mounted on the suspension. The head integrated circuit having a built-in protection circuit electrically connected with the magnetoresistive element to protect the magnetoresistive element from electrostatic breakdown. Thereby, the magnetic head can be efficiently prevented from suffering electrostatic breakdown due to, e.g., electrostatic discharge occurring during the assembly process of incorporating the head suspension assembly into the magnetic disk drive.