Suspension-level microactuator

摘要

A microactuator is disclosed for selectively altering a position of a transducing head carried by a slider in a disc drive system with respect to a track of a rotatable disc having a plurality of concentric tracks. The disc drive system includes a head mounting block for attachment to an actuator arm and a head suspension supporting the slider over the rotatable disc. The microactuator includes a piezoelectric element attached between the head mounting block and the head suspension and beams connecting the head mounting block and the head suspension. The piezoelectric element is deformable in response to a voltage applied thereto. The beams are flexible to permit movement of the head suspension with respect to the head mounting block upon deformation of the piezoelectric elements, and have heights extending out of the general plane of the head mounting block and the head suspension.