Abstract: A multi-level piezoelectric actuator is manufactured using wafer level processing. Two PZT wafers are formed and separately metallized for electrodes. The metallization on the second wafer is patterned, and holes that will become electrical vias are formed in the second wafer. The wafers are then stacked and sintered, then the devices are poled as a group and then singulated to form nearly complete individual PZT actuators. Conductive epoxy is added into the holes at the product placement step in order to both adhere the actuator within its environment and to complete the electrical via thus completing the device. Alternatively: the first wafer is metallized; then the second wafer having holes therethrough but no metallization is stacked and sintered to the first wafer; and patterned metallization is applied to the second wafer to both form electrodes and to complete the vias. The devices are then poled as a group, and singulated.

Abstract: A multi-level piezoelectric actuator is manufactured using wafer level processing. Two PZT wafers are formed and separately metallized for electrodes. The metallization on the second wafer is patterned, and holes that will become electrical vias are formed in the second wafer. The wafers are then stacked and sintered, then the devices are poled as a group and then singulated to form nearly complete individual PZT actuators. Conductive epoxy is added into the holes at the product placement step in order to both adhere the actuator within its environment and to complete the electrical via thus completing the device. Alternatively: the first wafer is metallized; then the second wafer having holes therethrough but no metallization is stacked and sintered to the first wafer; and patterned metallization is applied to the second wafer to both form electrodes and to complete the vias. The devices are then poled as a group, and singulated.

Abstract: A PZT microactuator such as for a hard disk drive has a restraining layer bonded on its side that is opposite the side on which the PZT is mounted. The restraining layer comprises a stiff and resilient material such as stainless steel. The restraining layer can cover most or all of the top of the PZT, with an electrical connection being made to the PZT where it is not covered by the restraining layer. The restraining layer reduces bending of the PZT as mounted and hence increases effective stroke length, or reverses the sign of the bending which increases the effective stroke length of the PZT even further. The restraining layer can be one or more active layers of PZT material that act in the opposite direction as the main PZT layer. The restraining layer(s) may be thinner than the main PZT layer.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric microactuator having a wrap-around electrode includes forming a piezoelectric element having a large central electrode on a top face, and having a wrap-around electrode that includes the bottom face, two opposing ends of the device, and two opposing end portions of the top face. The device is then cut through the middle, separating the device into two separate piezoelectric microactuators each having a wrap-around electrode.

Abstract: A method for processing an FM stereo signal. The FM stereo signal is digitized and divided into overlapping blocks, which are transformed into the frequency domain. Individual spectral lines of the difference signal are lowered if these have a higher magnitude than the respective spectral lines of the sum signal. The sum and difference signals are then transformed back.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric microactuator having a wrap-around electrode includes forming a piezoelectric element having a large central electrode on a top face, and having a wrap-around electrode that includes the bottom face, two opposing ends of the device, and two opposing end portions of the top face. The device is then cut through the middle, separating the device into two separate piezoelectric microactuators each having a wrap-around electrode.

Abstract: A multi-layer piezoelectric microactuator assembly has at least one poled and active piezoelectric layer and one poled but inactive piezoelectric layer. The poled but inactive layer acts as a constraining layer in resisting expansion or contract of the first piezoelectric layer thereby reducing or eliminating bending of the assembly as installed in an environment, thereby increasing the effective stroke length of the assembly. Poling only a single layer would induce stresses into the device; hence, polling both piezoelectric layers even though only one layer will be active in use reduces stresses in the device and therefore increases reliability.

Abstract: A method for processing an FM stereo signal. The FM stereo signal is digitized and divided into overlapping blocks, which are transformed into the frequency domain. Individual spectral lines of the difference signal are lowered if these have a higher magnitude than the respective spectral lines of the sum signal. The sum and difference signals are then transformed back.

Abstract: A multi-layer piezoelectric microactuator assembly has at least one poled and active piezoelectric layer and one poled but inactive piezoelectric layer. The poled but inactive layer acts as a constraining layer in resisting expansion or contract of the first piezoelectric layer thereby reducing or eliminating bending of the assembly as installed in an environment, thereby increasing the effective stroke length of the assembly. Poling only a single layer would induce stresses into the device; hence, polling both piezoelectric layers even though only one layer will be active in use reduces stresses in the device and therefore increases reliability.

Abstract: A dual clutch transmission device is disclosed. The dual clutch transmission device has a transmission device with a transmission housing, with a coupling housing positioned within the transmission housing and with a lubricant reservoir to receive a lubricant for the transmission device, which includes an oil trap ring connected at least indirectly with the transmission housing, which at least partially surrounds the coupling housing. The oil trap ring has a side facing the coupling housing which is primarily designed as an oil guide surface and which has at least one groove which is intended to guide lubricant into the lubricant reservoir. The dual clutch transmission device also has a gear set with a dry sump to lubricate the gear set.

Abstract: A base plate for a suspension has a swage hub whose inner diameter is offset from the outer diameter, and more specifically, the inner diameter of the swage hub is offset so as to be farther away from the head slider than is the outer diameter. The offset reduces variability in post-swaging deflection of the suspension at the distal end of the base plate to which the load beam is mounted.

Abstract: The invention relates to a dual clutch transmission comprising two input shafts (11a, 12a; 11b, 12b) which are provided for respectively linking to a power shift clutch (K1a, K2a; K1b, K2b), a first countershaft (13a; 13b) arranged offset parallel to the input shafts (11a, 12a; 11b, 12b), a second countershaft (14a; 14b) arranged offset parallel to the input shafts (11a, 12a; 11b, 12b), at least five gear wheel planes (Z1a-Z5a; Z1b-Z5b) which each comprise a fixed gear (Z11a-Z51a; Z11b-Z51b) permanently connected in a rotationally fixed manner to one of the input shafts (11a, 12a; 11b, 12b), wherein one of the gear wheel planes (Z4a; Z4b) comprises an idler gear wheel (Z42a; Z42b) arranged coaxially relative to the first countershaft (13a; 13b) and an idler gear wheel (Z43a; Z43b) arranged coaxially relative to the second countershaft (14a; 14b), which form a gear wheel pair for shifting into at least one reverse transmission gear (R1a, R2a), at least nine shift units (S1a-S9a; S1b-S9b) for producing an opera

Abstract: The invention relates to DNA-adapter-molecules for the preparation of DNA-libraries and methods for producing them and their use. The invention is useful for the application in molecular biology, in particular for Next Generation Sequencing and/or Library Multiplexing. The present invention discloses DNA-adapter-molecules, comprising a double-stranded polynucleotide molecule, whereat the 5? end of the first strand is modified in a way, that no binding site for kinases is available, the 3? end of the first strand is modified in a way that no ligation can occur, the 5? end of the reverse strand is modified in a way, that no binding site for a kinase is available, and the 3? end of the reverse strand features a free hydroxyl group (at the 3? position of the last nucleotide).

Abstract: A microactuator assembly is formed by depositing PZT material over electrode gaps, the electrode gaps being defined by the spaces between interleaved fingers of metal that define alternating plus and minus electrodes. The PZT material is hardened and poled. The PZT material may be deposited and poled either as isolated islands of PZT material across respective electrode gaps, or as a continuous sheet of PZT material with localized areas of that material being poled and then activated. The individual PZT elements are arranged such that successive PZT elements extend in the same direction as across the electrode gaps. The resulting microactuator assembly acts in the d33 direction of the PZT elements. The electrodes have raised or recessed features such as ribs or castellations, with the PZT material mating with those features, thus anchoring the PZT material to the electrodes.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to the use of at least one abasic modification within the first 8 nucleotide positions of the 5? region of the antisense strand of a small interfering nucleic acid (siNA) molecule for reducing off-target effects. Provided are suitable modified siNAs, compositions and methods for producing respective siNAs, as well as kits comprising respective siNAs.

Abstract: A method of assembly a dual stage actuated suspension includes either applying an adhesive to a microactuator motor and then B-staging, it or applying an adhesive that has already been B-staged such as in film adhesive form, then assembling it to a microactuator and then finishing the adhesive cure. The method allows greater control over how much adhesive is used, and greater control over spread of that adhesive, than traditional liquid epoxy dispense methods. Additionally, a suspension is provided that has a wrap-around electrode such that both the driving voltage and the ground, which are normally connected at different sides of a PZT, can be connected at the same side of the PZT, thus simplifying electrical connections to the PZT.

Abstract: A PZT microactuator such as for use in a hard disk drive has a restraining layer bonded on its side that is opposite the side on which the PZT will be mounted. The restraining layer comprises a stiff and resilient material such as stainless steel. The restraining layer can cover all of the top of the PZT, or most of the top of the PZT with an electrical connection being made to the PZT where it is not covered by the restraining layer. The restraining layer reduces bending of the PZT as mounted and hence increases effective stroke length, or reverses the sign of the bending which increases the effective stroke length of the PZT even further.

Abstract: A vibration damper for a suspension has two different viscoelastic layers and two different constraint layers. The two viscoelastic layers can be tailored to have different properties, including different viscosities and/or peak vibration frequency damping at different frequencies. The vibration damper exhibits improved vibration damping as compared to a single layer damper having the same overall thickness at critical frequencies.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing a microcapsule dispersion comprising microcapsules comprising a hydrophilic capsule core and a capsule wall polymer, wherein a water-in-oil emulsion comprising a hydrophobic diluent as continuous phase, and the hydrophilic capsule core material, a monomer composition and an amphiphilic polymer is produced and then the monomers are free-radically polymerized, where the monomer composition comprises 30 to 100% by weight of one or more monomers selected from C1-C24-alkyl esters of acrylic acid and/or methacrylic acid (monomers I), 0 to 70% by weight of one or more monomers selected from acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, acrylic acid esters and/or methacrylic acid esters which carry hydroxy and/or carboxy groups (monomers II), 0 to 50% by weight of one or more monomers which has two or more ethylenically unsaturated radicals, (monomers III) and 0 to 30% by weight of one or more other monomers (monomers IV) in each case based on the total weight o

Abstract: In a dual stage actuated suspension, conductive adhesive is both sandwiched between a microactuator and a grounded stainless steel layer of the suspension, and also extends at least partially onto a wrap-around portion of the microactuator's ground electrode. The conductive adhesive that extends onto the wrap-around portion of the electrode has an exposed edge for more complete exposure and curing during the cure step.