Shielded electrostatic microactuators for magnetic-head positioning such devices

• US 5,959,808 A
• Filed: 12/30/1997
• Issued: 09/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hirano, Toshiki, Fan, Long-Sheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolff, John H.
• Application Number:
  US09/000,958
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 360/104-106
• US Class Current: 360/294.3
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5552 using fine positioning means for track acquisition separate from the coarse (e.g. track changing) positioning means

Abstract

A rotary microactuator includes a plurality of stationary electrodes formed on a substrate, an electrically conducting bottom layer formed on the substrate that is electrically isolated from the stationary electrodes, a plurality of movable electrode, and an electrically conducting top layer attached to the movable electrodes. The top layer is electrically connected to the bottom layer, the movable electrodes, and to a signal common that is preferably a ground potential. The top layer prevents vibration modes of the microactuator caused by vibrations of individual electrodes of the plurality of movable electrodes. The top layer, the bottom layer and the movable electrodes surround the stationary electrodes and contain an electric field generated between the stationary electrodes and the movable electrodes. An edge structure is formed on the substrate surrounding the plurality of stationary electrodes, and is electrically connected to the top layer, the bottom layer and the plurality of movable electrodes.

Claims

1. A disk drive, comprising:

a magnetic disk having a plurality of tracks;

a voice coil motor coarsely positioning a read/write head over a selected track; and

a microactuator finely positioning the read/write head over the selected track, the microactuator including,

a stationary electrode formed on a substrate;

an electrically conducting bottom layer formed on the substrate, the bottom layer being electrically isolated from the stationary electrode;

a movable electrode; and

an electrically conducting top layer attached to the movable electrode, the top layer being electrically connected to the bottom layer and the movable electrode, and the top layer, the bottom layer and the movable electrode surrounding the stationary electrode and containing an electric field generated between the stationary electrode and the movable electrode.

2. The disk drive according to claim 1, wherein the top layer, the bottom layer and the movable electrode are connected to a signal common.

3. The disk drive according to claim 2, wherein the signal common is a ground potential.

4. The disk drive according to claim 2, wherein the microactuator further includes,

a plurality of stationary electrodes formed on the substrate;

and

a plurality of movable electrodes, and

wherein the electrically conducting bottom layer is isolated from each of the plurality of stationary electrodes,

wherein the top layer is attached to each of the movable electrodes and is electrically connected to each of the movable electrodes, and

wherein the top layer, the bottom layer and the plurality of movable electrodes surround the plurality of stationary electrodes and contain electric fields generated by the plurality of stationary electrodes and the plurality of movable electrodes.

5. The disk drive according to claim 4, wherein the microactuator further includes an edge structure formed on the substrate surrounding the plurality of stationary electrodes, the edge structure being electrically connected to the top layer, the bottom layer and the plurality of movable electrodes.

6. The disk drive according to claim 5, wherein the edge structure includes a plurality of limiters anchored to the substrate, each limiter having an in-plane limiter portion and an out-of-plane limiter portion, the in-plane limiting portion limiting movement of the movable structure to a predetermined in-plane distance in a direction parallel to a surface of the substrate, and the out-of-plane portion limiting movement of the movement of the movable structure to a predetermined out-of-plane distance.

7. The disk drive according to claim 4, wherein the top layer prevents vibration modes of the microactuator caused by vibrations of individual electrodes of the plurality of movable electrodes.

8. The disk drive according to claim 4, further comprising a magnetic recording head slider attached to the top layer.

9. The disk drive according to claim 4, wherein the microactuator is a rotary actuator.