Abstract: A mechanism for producing a minute movement of a head of a disk device, which simplifies wiring in a head actuator and reduces the cost of the device by decreasing the distance between adjacent carriage arms for putting a recording medium therebetween. The mechanism for producing a minute movement of the head is placed between the base portion of a head suspension and the leading end portion of each of the carriage arms of a rocking type head actuator. This mechanism consists of an actuator base fixed at the end portion of a carriage arm, a hinge plate attached to the base portion of a head suspension, and shearing type piezoelectric elements interposed between opposite surfaces of an actuator base and the hinge plate. A step portion is provided at an end portion of the actuator base. The piezoelectric elements are placed in a portion corresponding to the thickness of the carriage arm.

Abstract: An electromagnetic x-y stage driver for a nano data storage system and a method for fabricating the coils of the same are provided. In the electromagnetic x-y stage driver, a cantilever tip array fixedly provided a medium for recording data to write data to or read data from each cell of the medium. Four coils are formed to be integrated with the medium in front of, behind, to the left of and to the right of the medium to move the medium. Four supporting beam are installed to an x-y stage body onto which a medium structure composed of the medium and the four coils is loaded such that the four supporting beam are connected to the four corners of the medium structure to support the medium structure. Four driving beams connect the upper portions of the supporting beam to the four corners of the medium structure to allow the medium structure to move in an x or y direction. Stiffeners are disposed at the four sides between the supporting beam to prevent the medium structure from rotating.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in an actuator arm which is mounted to a primary actuator. The primary actuator positions the actuator arm, with a read/write head mounted to the actuator arm, across a data storage disk. The actuator arm comprises an inboard portion, an outboard portion and a pair of bimorph actuators. The inboard portion has a longitudinal axis and is attached to the primary actuator. The outboard portion has the read/write head mounted onto it. The pair of bimorph actuators are deflectable together in a common direction and are connected between the inboard and the outboard portions. Upon deflection of the bimorph actuators in the same direction, the outboard portion is translated along an at least nearly straight line transverse to the longitudinal axis of the inboard portion.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension comprising a load beam utilizing a piezoelectric microactuator has bendable arcuate spring portion elements which further curl or flatten in response to contraction or expansion of the piezoelectric microactuator to facilitate greater distance beam displacement at lower levels of voltage.

Abstract: A suspension supports a slider for use with a microactuator. The suspension includes a suspension arm attachment pad and a slider attachment pad, connected together by microbeams. A first plurality of microbeams run side-by-side and extend on one side of the suspension, and a second plurality of microbeams run side-by-side and extending on the other side of the suspension. The microbeams preferably include a web and at least one flange which is wider than the web, such as in an “I” shape. The suspension is fabricated out of a single crystal silicon wafer with photolithographic techniques, including doping a surface of the wafer and etching the interior of the wafer to form the “I” shaped microbeams. The microbeams of the present invention make the suspension more flexible in the lateral direction while supporting the preload force on the slider in the vertical direction.

Abstract: A suspension comprises a load beam fitted with a flexure, an actuator base including a base plate, a hinge member thinner than the base plate, and a pair of piezoelectric ceramic elements. The piezoelectric ceramic elements displace the distal end portion of the load beam in a sway direction when supplied with voltage. Each piezoelectric ceramic element is stored in an opening portion in the actuator base. An electrical insulating cover film is pasted on each piezoelectric ceramic element. The cover film covers the opposite side faces of each piezoelectric ceramic element. The opposite end faces of each piezoelectric ceramic element are covered with an adhesive agent that fixes the element to the actuator base.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension comprising a load beam utilizing a piezoelectric microactuator has locally bendable spring portion elements vertically to laterally disposed relative to the load beam that further curl or flatten in response to contraction or expansion of the piezoelectric microactuator to facilitate greater distance beam displacement at lower levels of voltage.

Abstract: A suspension for disc drive comprises a load beam fitted with a flexure, an actuator base including a base plate, a hinge member thinner than the base plate, and a pair of piezoelectric ceramic elements. Each piezoelectric ceramic element is stored in an opening portion in the actuator base and fixed to the actuator base by means of an adhesive layer. The adhesive layer includes an electrical insulating adhesive agent and a large number of fillers of an insulating material mixed in the adhesive agent. The fillers are interposed between each piezoelectric ceramic element and the actuator base to secure a clearance for electrical insulation between the two.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in an actuator arm which is mounted to a primary actuator. The primary actuator positions the actuator arm, with a read/write head mounted to the actuator arm, across a data storage disk. The actuator arm comprises an inboard portion, an outboard portion and a pair of bimorph actuators. The inboard portion has a longitudinal axis and is attached to the primary actuator. The outboard portion has the read/write head mounted onto it. The pair of bimorph actuators are deflectable together in a common direction and are connected between the inboard and the outboard portions. Upon deflection of the bimorph actuators in the same direction, the outboard portion is translated along an at least nearly straight line transverse to the longitudinal axis of the inboard portion.

Abstract: A head carriage assembly includes a head carriage having a magnetic head at a first end part and a bearing between the first end part and a second end part, the head carriage being pivotable about a shaft cooperating with the bearing in such a manner that the head moves in a radial direction of a rotating disk to be read. The head carriage assembly further includes a first driving device provided at the second end of the head carriage and generating a force for pivoting the head carriage and, second driving device generating a further force for pivoting the head carriage.

Abstract: An integral computer hard drive microactuator support comprising a unitary member of solid material. The support includes a frame portion surrounding and defining an opening portion, and a platform portion disposed within the opening portion. Four fixed-fixed beam portions connect the platform portion to the frame portion, the fixed-fixed beam portions being generally rectangular in cross section and substantially straight along their length.

Abstract: A disc drive implementing a dual-stage actuation system having an improved scheme for electrically interconnecting a transducing head to a flexure includes a support structure supporting a slider in proximity to a surface of a rotatable disc. The support structure is coarsely positionable by a main actuator. A microactuator is also provided, including a stator attached to the support structure and a rotor operatively attached to the slider. The rotor is connected to the stator by at least one flexible beam. A first electrical interconnect is formed between the support structure and the stator of the microactuator. A conductive trace is formed on the flexible beam between the stator and the rotor of the microactuator. A second electrical interconnect is formed between the rotor of the microactuator and at least one bond pad on the slider electrically connected to the transducing head.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension comprising a load beam utilizing a piezoelectric microactuator has arcuate spring portion elements vertically to laterally disposed relative to the load beam that further curl or flatten in response to contraction or expansion of the piezoelectric microactuator to facilitate greater distance beam displacement at lower levels of voltage.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension uses microactuators comprising piezoelectric crystals to drive movement of the load beam carrying slider relative to disk tracks, the crystals being positively coupled to the load beam portions by cooperating, interfitting structures defined by the crystal and load beam portions.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension comprising a load beam utilizing a piezoelectric microactuator has multiply reversely deflected arcuate spring portion elements that further curl or flatten in response to contraction or expansion of the piezoelectric microactuator to facilitate greater distance beam displacement at lower levels of voltage.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in an actuator arm which is mounted to a primary actuator. The primary actuator positions the actuator arm, with a read/write head mounted to the actuator arm, across a data storage disk. The actuator arm comprises an inboard portion, an outboard portion and a pair of bimorph actuators. The inboard portion has a longitudinal axis and is attached to the primary actuator. The outboard portion has the read/write head mounted onto it. The pair of bimorph actuators are deflectable together in a common direction and are connected between the inboard and the outboard portions. Upon deflection of the bimorph actuators in the same direction, the outboard portion is translated along an at least nearly straight line transverse to the longitudinal axis of the inboard portion.

Abstract: A microactuator is employed in a disc drive system to finely position a transducing head adjacent to a selected track of a rotatable disc. The disc drive includes an actuator arm, a load beam attached to the actuator arm, and a flexure supporting a slider carrying the transducing head adjacent to a surface of the rotatable disc. The microactuator is formed integrally with the load beam, and is attached to the flexure so that displacement effected by the microactuator deflects a portion of the load beam to finely position the flexure and the head-carrying slider with respect to the selected track of the rotatable disc.

Abstract: A suspension includes a load beam having a main body and a transducer support element which is movable relative to the main body. A sheet of dielectric material extends along the load beam and carries a plurality of transducer signal traces and a coil. A microactuator is positioned along the load beam and includes a first magnet, the coil and a lever arm. The lever arm is secured to the transducer support element and supports one of the first magnet and the coil. The other of the first magnet and the coil is secured relative to the load beam.

Abstract: A suspension supports a slider for use with a microactuator. The suspension includes a suspension arm attachment pad and a slider attachment pad, connected together by microbeams. A first plurality of microbeams run side-by-side and extend on one side of the suspension, and a second plurality of microbeams run side-by-side and extending on the other side of the suspension. The microbeams preferably include a web and at least one flange which is wider than the web, such as in an “I” shape. The suspension is fabricated out of a single crystal silicon wafer with photolithographic techniques, including doping a surface of the wafer and etching the interior of the wafer to form the “I” shaped microbeams. The microbeams of the present invention make the suspension more flexible in the lateral direction while supporting the preload force on the slider in the vertical direction.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension uses microactuators comprising piezoelectric crystals to drive movement of the load beam carrying slider relative to disk tracks, the crystals being positively coupled to the load beam portions by cooperating, interfitting structures defined by the crystal and load beam portions.

Abstract: A microactuator comprises an outer stator and an inner rotor electrostatically coupled to a stator. The rotor comprises a suspended mass with a substantially circular shape, and a plurality of mobile arms extending radially towards the exterior, starting from the suspended mass. The stator has a plurality of pairs of fixed arms extending radially to the suspended mass, a respective mobile arm being arranged between each pair of fixed arms. The fixed arms are divided into fixed drive arms connected to a drive stage for actuating the microactuator, and into fixed measure arms connected to a measure stage, and define a capacitive uncoupling structure.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension comprising a load beam utilizing a piezoelectric microactuator has multiply reversely deflected arcuate spring portion elements that further curl or flatten in response to contraction or expansion of the piezoelectric microactuator to facilitate greater distance beam displacement at lower levels of voltage.