We consider in this paper the design and implementation of a dual-stage actuated hard disk drive (HDD) servo system, in which an additional piezoelectric actuator is mounted on top of the conventional voice-coil-motor (VCM) actuator to provide a faster and finer response. More specifically, the dual-stage actuated HDD servo system consists of a primary VCM actuator and a secondary suspension pi...

A single crystal silicon MEMS microactuator for high density hard disk drives is described in this paper. The microactuator is located between a slider and a suspension, and drives the slider on which a magnetic head is attached. The MEMS actuator is fabricated by improved LISA process. It has an electrically isolated 20:1 (40μm thick, 2μm width) high aspect ratio structure directly processed f...

This paper presents results of the first phase “Dielectric Elastomer Cooperative Microactuator Systems” (DECMAS), a project within German Research Foundation Priority Program 2206, “Cooperative Multistable Multistage (KOMMMA). The goal is development soft cooperative microactuator system combining high flexibility with large-stroke/high-frequency actuation and self-sensing capabilities. softnes...

This paper describes a high power electromagnetic microactuator fabrication method that combines the hard magnetic Fe/Pt process, Ni/Fe permalloy magnetic circuit design, bulk micromachining, and excimer laser ablation. The hard magnetic material Fe/Pt is deposited under low temperature less than 300◦C by sputter onto a suspension diaphragm to produce a perpendicular magnetic anisotropic field....

For Micro-electro-mechanical System (MEMS) applications, TiNi-based thin film Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) possess many desirable properties, such as high power density, large transformation stress and strain upon heating and cooling, superelasticity and biocompatibility. In this paper, recent development in TiNi-based thin film SMA and microactuator Thin film SMAs and microactuators 209 applicat...