Disc drive head actuator

• US 7,800,865 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Limmer, Joel, White, Andrew, Hipwell, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUIN, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US11/656,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20080174919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 360/265.7
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4826 Mounting, aligning or attachment of the transducer head relative to the arm assembly, e.g. slider holding members, gimbals, adhesive G11B5/484 takes precedence; details of head housings or structures G11B5/10, G11B5/127; adjustment relative to the record carrier G11B5/56
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4833 Structure of the arm assembly, e.g. load beams, flexures, parts of the arm adapted for controlling vertical force on the head G11B5/484 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5552 using fine positioning means for track acquisition separate from the coarse (e.g. track changing) positioning means
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5582 system adaptation for working during or after external perturbation, e.g. in the presence of a mechanical oscillation caused by a shock

Abstract

A disc drive head actuator includes a suspension structure and a slider integrated with the suspension structure. The actuator is one of at least two actuator assemblies batch-fabricated on a common substrate. The head actuator may be fabricated using mircofabrication techniques. The head actuator may have a reduced size, including package height relative to conventionally manufactured disc drives. Using mircofabrication and/or batch fabrication techniques provides reduced tolerances, which allows for increased actuation forces and/or reduced power consumption. Some embodiments include four-bar linkage actuators, which increase lateral stiffness of the actuator, allowing for a precise motion of the head relative to a media surface.

Claims

1. A disc drive head actuator comprising:

a suspension structure comprising a four-bar linkage with a rigid beam, a bearing and a rotary actuation mechanism adapted to rotate the beam about a stationary rotational axis of the bearing; and

a slider integrated with the suspension structure, wherein the actuator is one of at least two actuators batch-fabricated on a common substrate.

2. The disc drive head actuator of claim 1, further comprising a transducer integrated with the slider and the suspension structure.

3. The disc drive head actuator of claim 2, wherein the bearing is characterized as a rotary bearing adapted to be mounted to a housing member of a data storage device in which the actuator is disposed so that rotary actuation of the beam by the actuation mechanism moves the transducer adjacent a data storage surface.

4. The disc drive head actuator of claim 3, wherein the beam is characterized as a first beam and the four-bar linkage includes:

a second beam;

a third beam; and

a flexural bearing, wherein the flexural bearing provides a pivot point that allows the third beam to rotate relative to the second beam.

5. The disc drive head actuator of claim 1, wherein the bearing is disposed between the beam and the actuation mechanism and affixed to a housing member so that the beam moves adjacent a data storage surface of a storage medium.

6. The disc drive head actuator of claim 1, wherein the actuation mechanism comprises a voice coil batch fabricated with the four-bar linkage, wherein the voice coil a component of an actuation motor that actuates the actuator.

7. The disc drive head actuator of claim 1, wherein the suspension structure includes a beam having a three-dimensional truss-structure constructed of bars configured in triangular shapes.

8. The disc drive head actuator of claim 1, further comprising a second bearing connected between the beam and the slider.

9. The disc drive head actuator of claim 8, wherein the second bearing has a thickness of less than 4 millimeters as measured along its axis of rotation.

10. The disc drive head actuator of claim 1, further comprising a secondary actuation mechanism integrated with the slider and the suspension structure as part of the batch fabrication, wherein the secondary actuation mechanism provides fine positioning of the slider relative to a media surface of a disc drive that includes the disc drive head actuator.

11. A disc drive head actuator comprising:

a first rigid beam;

a second rigid beam connected to a third rigid beam via a rotary bearing; and

a flexural bearing coupled to a proximate end of the third beam, the flexural bearing providing a pivot point that allows actuation of the third beam and having a thickness of less than 4 millimeters as measured along its axis of rotation, wherein the first beam, second beam, third beam, flexural bearing, and rotary bearing form part of a four-bar linkage.

12. The disc drive head actuator of claim 11, wherein the actuator is one of at least two actuator assemblies batch-fabricated on a common substrate.

13. The disc drive head actuator of claim 11, wherein a distal end of the beam has a stroke of at least 0.5 millimeters during the actuation of the beam.

14. The disc drive head actuator of claim 11, wherein the flexural bearing is a first flexural bearing and the third beam has a second flexural bearing.

15. The disc drive head actuator of claim 11, wherein the beam includes a three dimensional truss structure, the three dimensional truss structure comprising:

a bottom skin having an interior surface;

a top skin having an interior surface opposing the interior surface of the bottom skin; and

a core positioned between the bottom skin an top skin and affixed to the interior surfaces of the bottom skin and the top skin including;

a first set of bars, wherein the bars of the first set of bars are substantially parallel to each other, and

a second set of bars, wherein the bars of the second set of bars are substantially parallel to each other and non-Oparallel to the bars of the first set of bars.

16. The disc drive head actuator of claim 11, wherein the flexural bearing includes multiple layers deposited during a batch fabrication process.

17. A method comprising:

constructing a plurality of structural layers of a disc drive head actuator on a substrate with at least two different patterns to form a portion of the disc drive head actuator, the plurality of structural layers constructing a three-dimensional truss defined by multiple pyramidal shapes each comprising straight bars connected at a common joint; and

releasing the least two structural layers from the substrate to separate the disc drive head actuator from the substrate.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein forming a structural layer of the at least two structural layers includes:

patterning a sacrificial mold layer;

electroplating a structural material of the structural layer over the sacrificial mold layer; and

planarizing the structural material.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein releasing the least two structural layers from the substrate includes etching the sacrificial mold layer.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the sacrificial mold layer includes copper.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least two structural layers include nickel.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the disc drive head actuator is one of at least two disc drive head actuators formed together on the substrate using batch fabrication.

23. An actuator comprising a four-bar linkage with first, second and third rigid beams intercoupled with bearings therebetween, a slider which supports a data transducer, a primary actuation mechanism adapted to rotate the actuator about a fixed rotational axis, and a secondary actuation mechanism adapted to rotate the slider relative to the first, second and third rigid beams.

24. The actuator of claim 23, wherein a first bearing is connected to a first end of the first beam and a second bearing is connected to an opposing end of the first beam, the primary actuation mechanism is connected to the first bearing opposite the first beam, and the first bearing is contactingly affixed to a base member of a data storage device in which the actuator is disposed so that the first beam rotates about the fixed rotational axis of the first bearing.

25. The actuator of claim 24, wherein the primary actuation mechanism is characterized as a coil of a voice coil motor and the secondary actuation mechanism is characterized as a microactuator.

26. The actuator of claim 24, wherein the second bearing is disposed between the first and second beams, and the slider extends from the second beam.

27. The actuator of claim 23, wherein at least one of said bearings is a flexure bearing.

28. A disc drive head actuator comprising:

a suspension structure; and

a slider and an accelerometer integrated with the suspension structure, wherein the actuator is one of at least two actuators batch-fabricated on a common substrate.

29. The actuator of claim 28, wherein the suspension structure comprises a four-bar linkage with a rigid beam, a bearing and a rotary actuation mechanism adapted to rotate the beam about a stationary rotational axis of the bearing.