Abstract:
A microactuation system selectively alters a position of a transducing head carried by a slider in a disc drive system with respect to a track of a rotatable disk having a plurality of concentric tracks. The microactuation system includes a head suspension having a first portion and a flexure for supporting the slider. A flexible beam extends from the first portion of the head suspension at one end to the flexure at the other end. An electroactive element is attached to the beam. The electroactive element bends in response to a control signal applied thereto. The beam is sufficiently compliant to permit movement of the first portion of the head suspension with respect to the flexure.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims priority from provisional application No. 60/149,530, filed Aug. 17, 1999 for “Two Piece Suspension Design For PZT Slider Level Microactuator” by Zine-Eddine Boutaghou, Peter Crane, Markus E. Mangold, and Lee Walter. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a slider-level microactuator having an improved stroke length. More particularly, it relates to a microactuator located between a suspension and a slider in a disc drive system having an electroactive element to selectively move a transducing head radially with respect to a rotatable disc. 
     Disc drive systems include disc drive suspensions for supporting transducing heads over information tracks of a rotatable disc. Typically, suspensions include a load beam having a mounting region on a proximal end, a flexure on a distal end, a relatively rigid region adjacent to the flexure, and a spring region between the mounting region and the rigid region. An air bearing slider which holds the transducing head is mounted to the flexure. The mounting region is typically attached to a base plate for mounting the load beam to an actuator arm. A motor which is controlled by a servo control system rotates the actuator arm to position the transducing head over the desired information tracks on the disc. This type of suspension is used with both magnetic and non-magnetic discs. 
     The density of concentric data tracks on magnetic discs continues to increase (i.e., the size of data tracks and radial spacing between data tracks are decreasing), requiring more precise radial positioning of the head. Conventionally, head positioning is accomplished by operating an actuator arm with a large-scale actuation motor, such as a voice coil motor, to radially position a head on a slider at the end of the actuator arm. The large-scale motor lacks sufficient resolution to effectively accommodate high track-density discs. Thus, a high resolution head positioning mechanism, or microactuator, is necessary to accommodate the more densely spaced tracks. 
     One promising design for high resolution head positioning involves employing a high resolution microactuator in addition to the conventional low resolution actuator motor, thereby effecting head positioning through dual-stage actuation. Various microactuator designs have been considered to accomplish high resolution head positioning. These designs, however, all had shortcomings that limited the effectiveness of the microactuator. Many designs increased the complexity of designing and assembling the existing components of the disc drive, while other designs were unable to achieve the force and bandwidth necessary to accommodate rapid track access. Therefore, the prior designs did not present ideal microactuator solutions. More recent microactuator designs employ electroactive elements to effect movement of the suspension with respect to the actuator arm. This technique has proven effective but suffers from a small range of motion. 
     The positioning of a transducing head through dual-stage actuation using electroactive elements has been disclosed in prior patent applications. One such application is U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/311,086 filed May 13, 1999 by Budde et al. entitled “PIEZOELECTRIC MICROACTUATOR SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY WITH IMPROVED STROKE LENGTH,” which is assigned to Seagate Technology, Inc., the assignee of the present application and is hereby incorporated by reference. There remains a need in the art, however, for an electroactive element microactuator design that provides efficient high resolution head positioning in a dual-stage actuation system and allows for a greater range of motion than current designs. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a microactuator 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 an actuator arm. The microactuator includes a load beam attached to a distal end of the actuator arm and a flexure for supporting the slider carrying the transducing head. A beam is attached between the load beam and the flexure, the beam being flexible to permit movement of the flexure with respect to the load beam in the general plane of the load beam. A bending motor is connected between the first section and the second section of the load beam, the bending motor disposed generally along a surface of the beam. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a disc drive system including a microactuation system for positioning a transducing head over selected tracks of a rotating disc. 
         FIG. 2A  is a top view of a microactuation system, shown in a neutral position, for use in a dual-stage disc drive actuation system for high resolution positioning of a transducing head according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2B  is a top view of the microactuation system of  FIG. 2A , shown in a first actuated position, for use in a dual-stage disc drive actuation system for high resolution positioning of a transducing head according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2C  is a top view of the microactuation system of  FIG. 2A , shown in a second actuated position, for use in a dual-stage disc drive actuation system for high resolution positioning of a transducing head according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the microactuation system of FIG.  2 A. 
         FIG. 4A  is a top view of a bending motor according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4B  is a sectional view of the bending motor of  FIG. 4A  taken along the line b—b. 
         FIG. 5A  is a top view of each of the layers of a multilayer bending motor according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5B  is a side view of the multilayer bending motor of FIG.  5 A. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a top view of a disc drive actuation system  10 , as known in the prior art, for positioning a transducing head (not shown) over a track of a magnetic disc. The actuation system  10  includes, as shown from left to right in  FIG. 1 , a voice coil motor (VCM)  12 , an actuator arm  14 , a suspension  16 , a flexure  18 , and a slider  20 . The slider  20  is connected to the distal end of the suspension  16  by the flexure  18 . The suspension  16  is connected to the actuator arm  14 , which is coupled to the VCM  12 . 
     As shown on the right side of  FIG. 1 , the disc drive assembly includes a disc  22  having a multiplicity of tracks  24  that rotate about an axis  26 . During operation of the disc drive assembly, the rotation of the disc  22  generates air movement which is encountered by the slider  20 . This air movement acts to keep the slider  20  aloft a small distance above the surface of the disc  22  allowing the slider  20  to “fly” above the surface of the disc  22 . Any wear associated with physical contact between the slider  20  and the disc  22  is thus minimized. 
     The flexure  18  provides a spring connection between the slider  20  and the suspension  16 . Flexure  18  is configured such that is allows the slider  20  to move in pitch and roll directions to compensate for fluctuations in the spinning surface of the disc  22 . Many different types of flexures  18 , also known as gimbals, are known to provide the spring connection allowing for pitch and roll movement of the slider  20  and can be used with the present invention. 
     The VCM  12  is selectively operated to move the actuator arm  14  around an axis  28  thereby moving the suspension  16  and positioning the transducing head (not shown) carried by the slider  20  between the tracks  24  of the disc  22 . Proper positioning of the transducing head (not shown) is necessary for reading and writing of data on the concentric tracks  24  of the disc  22 . For a disc  22  having a high density, however, the VCM  12  lacks sufficient resolution and frequency response to position the transducing head (not shown) on the slider  20  over a selected track  24  of the disc  22 . Therefore, a higher resolution microactuation system is used in combination with the VCM  12 . 
       FIGS. 2A-2C  show three top views of a microactuation system  30  for use in a dual-stage disc drive actuation system for high resolution positioning of a transducing head (not shown) according to the present invention. As shown from right to left in  FIGS. 2A-2C , the microactuation system  30  includes a bending motor  32  and a load beam  34 . A mounting region  38  of the load beam  34  connects to a base plate (not shown), which connects to the actuator arm  14 . The bending motor  32 , the load beam  34 , and the base plate are all components of the suspension  16  (as shown in FIG.  1 ). As shown on the far right side in  FIGS. 2A-2C , the distal end of the load beam  34  is coupled to the flexure  18 , which holds the slider  20 . 
       FIGS. 2A-2C , when viewed together, illustrate the general operation of the microactuation system  30  of the present invention.  FIG. 2A  shows the microactuation system  30  in a neutral position. As is apparent from  FIG. 2A , in the neutral position the bending motor  32  is generally straight along its longitudinal axis.  FIG. 2B  shows the microactuation system  30  in a first actuated position in which the bending motor  32  is curved or bent to the left of the neutral position.  FIG. 2C  shown the microactuation system  30  in a second actuated position in which the bending motor  32  is curved or bent to the right of the neutral position. The amount of displacement of the slider  20  shown in FIG.  2 B and  FIG. 2C  is exaggerated for purposes of illustration. The bending of the bending motor  32  operates to cause a displacement of the slider  20  and thus the transducing head (not shown), which in turn causes an adjustment of the position of the transducing head (not shown) with respect to a selected track  24  of the disc  22 . 
       FIG. 3  shows an exploded perspective view of the microactuation system  30  of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3 , moving from left to right, or from a proximal end to a distal end, the load beam  34  includes a mounting region  38 , two pre-load bend legs  40   a ,  40   b , and a head suspension  42 . The head suspension  42  is flexibly coupled to the mounting region  38  by the two pre-load bend legs  40   a ,  40   b . The head suspension  42  includes a proximal section  44  and a distal section  46 . The distal section  46  is connected to the proximal section  44  by a flexible beam  48 . The distal section  46  of the head suspension  42  supports the flexure  18 , which supports the slider  20 , which supports the transducing head (not shown). 
     As further shown in  FIG. 3 , the bending motor  32  is mounted to a top surface of the flexible beam  48  disposed in a plane generally parallel to the plane of the head suspension  42 . In a first embodiment, the bending motor  32  is mounted to the flexible beam  48  using an adhesive. The bending motor  32  can also be mechanically fastened to the flexible beam  48 . The fastening of the bending motor  32  to the flexible beam  48  is described in greater detail below with reference to FIG.  4 B. 
     The bending motor  32  is a structural element operable as a bendable cantilever to alter the position of the distal section  46  with respect to the proximal section  44  of the head suspension  42  (as illustrated by the sequence of FIGS.  2 A- 2 C). By causing rotation and displacement of the distal section  46  of the head suspension  42 , the bending motor  32  effects high resolution positioning of the transducing head (not shown) carried by the slider  20 . In a preferred embodiment, the bending motor  32  is constructed from an electroactive material such as piezoelectrics, electroactive ceramics, electroactive polymers, or electrostrictive ceramics. In another preferred embodiment, the bending motor  32  is constructed from thermoactive elements. The remainder of this disclosure will describe the preferred embodiment of the present invention employing piezoelectric elements such as zinc oxide (ZnO), lead zirconate titanate (PbZrTiO 3 , also known as PZT), aluminum nitride (AlN), or polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). 
     During operation, the head suspension  42  is subjected to various shock loads by the spinning of the disc  22 . These loads are transmitted from the slider  20  to the distal portion  46  of the head suspension  42  through the flexure  18 . The loads are then further transmitted from the distal portion  46  to the proximal portion  44  of the head suspension  42  through the bending motor  32  and the flexible beam  48 . The load beam  34  design of the present invention, while allowing for the achievement of excellent head displacements, introduces concerns about the structural integrity of the bending motor  32  when exposed to these shock loads during operation. Piezoelectric elements, in general, tend to withstand compressive loads much better than tensile loads. The first embodiment of the present invention, therefore, is designed to insure that shock loads experienced by the slider create compressive loads in the bending motor  32 . This is accomplished through the use of the flexible beam  48 . The bending motor  32  is attached to the top of the flexible beam  48 , which has a thickness approximately equal to that of the bending motor  32 . Thus when bending of the composite structure in an upward direction (away from the disc  22 ) occurs, the bending motor  32  is subjected to a compressive load and the flexible beam  48  is subjected to a tensile load. In some cases, it may be advantageous to expose the bending motor  32  to a tensile load. In this case, in a second embodiment of the present invention, the bending motor  32  is attached to the bottom of the flexible beam  48 . In a third embodiment of the present invention, the flexible beam  48  is not employed. Instead, the bending motor  32  acts as both the structural member for connecting the proximal section  44  to the distal section  46  and the actuating element. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the head suspension  42  does not include a proximal section  44  and a distal section  46 . Instead, the flexible beam  48  connects the head suspension  42  directly to the flexure  18 , and the bending motor  32  is attached to the flexible beam  48 . In this embodiment, the head suspension  42  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) would consist only of the proximal section  44  (shown in FIG.  3 ), not the distal section  46 . 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  show a top view and a sectional view of a unimorph bending motor  50 , which represents a first preferred embodiment of the bending motor  32  described with reference to FIG.  3 . The unimorph bending motor  50  operates using a “differential” approach as further explained below. As best shown in  FIG. 4B , which is a sectional view taken along the line b—b in  FIG. 4A , the unimorph bending motor  50  includes a first bottom electrode  51 , a second bottom electrode  52 , a piezoelectric element  54 , a first top electrode  56 , and a second top electrode  58 . The first top electrode  56  is deposited over the top surface of one longitudinal half of the piezoelectric element  54 , and the second top electrode  58  is placed over the other longitudinal half of the piezoelectric element  54 . The entire piezoelectric element  54  is poled in the direction of the arrows  60 . 
     As best shown in  FIG. 4A , the first top electrode  56  is disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  54  and extends along about eighty-five percent of the length of the piezoelectric element  54 , initiating near a right side. The second top electrode  58  is also disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  54 . The second top electrode  58 , however, initiates near a left side and extends along about eighty-five percent of the length of the piezoelectric element  54 . As also best shown in  FIG. 4A , the first top electrode  56  and the second top electrode  58  are separated by a space or gap  59 . The bottom electrodes  51 ,  52  are arranged much like the top electrodes  56 ,  58 . The first bottom electrode is disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  54 , but it initiates near a left side (of FIG.  4 ). The second bottom electrode is disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  54 , initiating near a right side (of FIG.  4 ). 
     During operation, an electric potential is applied to the bottom electrodes  51 ,  52  and the top electrodes  56 ,  58 . The potential difference between the bottom electrodes  51 ,  52  and the top electrodes  56 ,  58  causes expansion or contraction of the portion of the piezoelectric element  54  located between the respective top electrode and the bottom electrode. For example, if a positive voltage is applied to the first top electrode  56  and a negative voltage is applied to the first bottom electrode  51 , the portion of the piezoelectric element  54  located between these electrodes  51 ,  56  will contract in the direction normal to the electrodes  51 ,  56 , which, according to the Poisson&#39;s Ratio of the material, will cause that portion to expand longitudinally (in the direction parallel to the electrodes  51 ,  56 ). At the same time, a negative voltage is applied to the second top electrode  58  and the second bottom electrode  52 , which causes the portion of the piezoelectric element  54  located between these electrodes to contract longitudinally. 
     In an alternative embodiment, only one bottom electrode is employed. The bottom electrode is connected to electrical ground, and the driving voltage is applied to the top electrodes  56 ,  58 . In this embodiment, however voltages of twice the magnitude must be applied to the top electrodes  56 ,  58  to achieve the same effect. 
     The expansion of the first portion and the concurrent contraction of the second portion generates a bending moment in the piezoelectric element  54 . This moment results in a bending motion of the unimorph bending motor  50 , which will effect rotation and displacement of the distal section  46  with respect to the proximal section  44  of the head suspension  42 . This rotation and displacement of the distal section  46  will, in turn, cause movement of the transducing head carried by the slider  20 . The amount of bending of the unimorph bending motor  50 , and thus the amount of displacement of the transducing head, is precisely controlled by the magnitude of the voltages applied to the electrodes  51 ,  52 ,  56 ,  58 . The direction of the bending motion is controlled by the polarity of the voltages applied to the first top electrode  56  and the second top electrode  58 . 
     In a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bending motor  32  is constructed using an oppositely poled piece of electric piezoelectric element. In this embodiment, the piezoelectric element is poled in one direction on a first longitudinal half and is poled in the opposite direction on the other longitudinal half. In this embodiment, only a single top electrode and a single bottom electrode are necessary for operation. The bending motion results from the opposite effect of the electric field on each half of the piezoelectric element. This oppositely poled piezoelectric element embodiment is further discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/553,523, filed on Apr. 20, 2000 by Murphy, Budde, Mangold, and Crane entitled “IN-PLANE SUSPENSION-LEVEL BENDING MICROACTUATOR FOR PRECISE HEAD POSITIONING,” which is assigned to Seagate Technology Inc., the assignee of the present invention, and is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     The amount of displacement or stroke of the transducing head from a neutral position can be calculated using the following equation: 
       Stroke   =       (       L   2     +   X     )     ⁢     (       2   ·   V   ·     d   31     ·   L       S   ·   t       )           
 
where L is the active length of the piezoelectric element, X is the distance from the distal active end to the transducing head, V is the driving voltage or electric potential, d 31  is the piezoelectric constant of the material, S is the spacing between electrode centers, and t is the thickness of the piezoelectric layer subjected to the electric field. As is apparent from this equation, one way to increase the stroke of the bending motor  32  is to increase the length to width ratio. In one embodiment of the present invention, the length to width ratio of the bending motor  32  is at least ten to one. This results in an increased stroke capability.
 
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  show a parade top view and a side view, respectively, of a multilayer bending motor  70  according to a second preferred embodiment of the bending motor  32 .  FIG. 5A  is oriented such that the proximal end of the multilayer bending motor  70  is shown near the left side and the distal end of the multilayer bending motor  70  is shown near the right side. The thicknesses in  FIG. 5B  are exaggerated (not proportional to the widths shown in  FIG. 5A ) for ease of illustration. As shown in  FIG. 5A , the multilayer bending motor  70  includes a first layer  72   a , a second layer  72   b , a third layer  72   c , a fourth layer  72   d , and a fifth layer  72   e . As best shown in  FIG. 5B , each of the layers are stacked one layer on top of the next such that the first layer  72   a  is on top and the fifth layer  72   e  is on bottom. The use of a multilayer device provides the advantages of a greater actuation force. Using the multilayer bending motor  70 , a greater displacement of the transducing head may be achieved with the same voltage as in a comparable single-layer device. Alternatively, the same displacement of the transducing head may be achieved using lower voltage levels than in a comparable single-layer device. A single-layer device, however, also offers advantages. For example, a single-layer device is less expensive and occupies less physical space. The preferred number of layers will vary depending upon the particular application and desired results. 
     As best shown in  FIG. 5A  each of the layers  72   a ,  72   b ,  72   c ,  72   d ,  72   e  include two electrodes on a top surface disposed in a staggered configuration with one electrode positioned near each end of a piezoelectric element. This configuration allows each electrode on a given layer to be coupled to a separate control signal for causing activation of the piezoelectric element as discussed in greater detail below. 
     As best shown in  FIG. 5A , the first layer  72   a  includes a positive electrode  74   a , a negative electrode  76   a , and a piezoelectric element  78   a . The positive electrode  74   a  and negative electrode  76   a  are disposed on a top surface of the piezoelectric element  78   a . The positive electrode  74   a  is disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  78   a  and extends along about eighty-five percent of the length of the piezoelectric element  78   a , initiating near a proximal end (the left side as shown in FIG.  5 A). The negative electrode  76   a  is disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  78   a  and extends along about eighty-five percent of the length of the piezoelectric element  78   a , ending near the distal end (the right side as shown in FIG.  5 A). As also best shown in  FIG. 5A , the positive electrode  74   a  and the negative electrode  76   a  are separated by a space or gap  79   a . As shown in  FIG. 5B , the negative electrode  76   a  of the first layer  72   a  is disposed near the right side of the multilayer bending motor  70 . 
     As best shown in  FIG. 5A , the second layer  72   b  includes a positive electrode  74   b , a negative electrode  76   b , and a piezoelectric element  78   b . The positive electrode  74   b  and negative electrode  76   b  are disposed on a top surface of the piezoelectric element  78   b . The positive electrode  74   b  is disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  78   b  and extends along about eighty-five percent of the length of the piezoelectric element  78   b , initiating near a proximal end (the left side as shown in FIG.  5 A). The negative electrode  76   b  is disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  78   b  and extends along about eighty-five percent of the length of the piezoelectric element  78   b , ending near the distal end (the right side as shown in FIG.  5 A). As also best shown in  FIG. 5A , the positive electrode  74   b  and the negative electrode  76   b  are separated by a space or gap  79   b . As shown in FIG.  5 B, the positive electrode  74   b  of the second layer  72   b  is disposed near the right side of the multilayer bending motor  70 . The positive electrode  74   b  and the negative electrode  76   b  also act as the bottom electrodes for the first layer  72   a.    
     As best shown in  FIG. 5A , the third layer  72   c  includes a positive electrode  74   c , a negative electrode  76   c , and a piezoelectric element  78   c . The positive electrode  74   c  and negative electrode  76   c  are disposed on a top surface of the piezoelectric element  78   c . The positive electrode  74   c  is disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  78   c  and extends along about eighty-five percent of the length of the piezoelectric element  78   c , initiating near a proximal end (the left side as shown in FIG.  5 A). The negative electrode  76   c  is disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  78   c  and extends along about eighty-five percent of the length of the piezoelectric element  78   c , ending near the distal end (the right side as shown in FIG.  5 A). As also best shown in  FIG. 5A , the positive electrode  74   c  and the negative electrode  76   c  are separated by a space or gap  79   c . As shown in  FIG. 5B , the negative electrode  76   c  of the third layer  72   c  is disposed near the right side of the multilayer bending motor  70 . The positive electrode  74   c  and the negative electrode  76   c  also act as the bottom electrodes for the second layer  72   b.    
     As best shown in  FIG. 5A , the fourth layer  72   d  includes a positive electrode  74   d , a negative electrode  76   d , and a piezoelectric element  78   d . The positive electrode  74   d  and negative electrode  76   d  are disposed on a top surface of the piezoelectric element  78   d . The positive electrode  74   d  is disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  78   d  and extends along about eighty-five percent of the length of the piezoelectric element  78   d , initiating near a proximal end (the left side as shown in FIG.  5 A). The negative electrode  76   d  is disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  78   d  and extends along about eighty-five percent of the length of the piezoelectric element  78   d , ending near the distal end (the right side as shown in FIG.  5 A). As also best shown in  FIG. 5A , the positive electrode  74   d  and the negative electrode  76   d  are separated by a space or gap  79   d . As shown in  FIG. 5B , the positive electrode  74   d  of the fourth layer  72   d  is disposed near the right side of the multilayer bending motor  70 . The positive electrode  74   d  and the negative electrode  76   d  also act as the bottom electrodes for the third layer  72   c.    
     As best shown in  FIG. 5A , the fifth layer  72   e  includes a positive electrode  74   e , a negative electrode  76   e , and a piezoelectric element  78   e . The positive electrode  74   e  and negative electrode  76   e  are disposed on a top surface of the piezoelectric element  78   e . The positive electrode  74   e  is disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  78   e  and extends along about eighty-five percent of the length of the piezoelectric element  78   e , initiating near a proximal end (the left side as shown in FIG.  5 A). The negative electrode  76   e  is disposed longitudinally over slightly less than one transverse half of the piezoelectric element  78   e  and extends along about eighty-five percent of the length of the piezoelectric element  78   e , ending near the distal end (the right side as shown in FIG.  5 A). As also best shown in  FIG. 5A , the positive electrode  74   e  and the negative electrode  76   e  are separated by a space or gap  79   e . As shown in  FIG. 5B , the negative electrode  76   e  of the fifth layer  72   e  is disposed near the right side of the multilayer bending motor  70 . The positive electrode  74   e  and the negative electrode  76   e  also act as the bottom electrodes for the fourth layer  72   d.    
     The multilayer bending motor  70  is constructed by placing each of the layers  72   a ,  72   b ,  72   c ,  72   d ,  72   e  on top of one another. As is shown in  FIG. 5B , each of the first four piezoelectric elements  78   a ,  78   b ,  78   c ,  78   d  are subjected to opposite polarity voltages ( 74  representing a positive electrode and  76  representing a negative electrode) on each side of a longitudinal centerline. This configuration allows the multilayer bending motor  70  to be actuated in a bending fashion as further described below. The fifth piezoelectric element  78   e  is not subjected to the same electric potential as the first four elements because it does not have electrodes on a bottom surface. The principal purpose of the fifth piezoelectric element  78   e  is to act as an insulator between the multilayer bending motor  70  and the flexible beam  48  (and thus the head suspension  42 ). 
     As shown in  FIG. 5B , once the layers  72   a ,  72   b ,  72   c ,  72   d ,  72   e  are placed on top of one another, a positive endcap  80  is placed over the distal end (the left side as shown in  FIG. 5B ) of the multilayer bending motor  70 , and a negative endcap  82  is placed over the proximal end (the right side as shown in  FIG. 5B ) of the multilayer bending motor  70 . In a first preferred embodiment, the endcaps  80 ,  82  are placed using a metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique. In a second preferred embodiment, the endcaps  80 ,  82  are placed using metal paste ink as known in the art. Once in place, the positive endcap  80  makes electrical contact with each of the positive electrodes  74   a ,  74   b ,  74   c ,  74   d ,  74   e , and the negative endcap  82  make electrical contact with each of the negative electrodes  76   a ,  76   b ,  76   c ,  76   d ,  76   e.    
     During operation, a first control signal is applied to the positive endcap  80 , and a second control signal is applied to the negative endcap  82 . Generally, a positive voltage is applied to the positive endcap  80 , and a negative voltage is applied to the negative endcap  82 . The applied voltages create an electric potential difference between each corresponding pair of positive electrodes  74   a ,  74   b ,  74   c ,  74   d ,  74   e  and negative electrodes  76   a ,  76   b ,  76   c ,  76   d ,  76   e , which acts upon each of the piezoelectric elements  78   a ,  78   b ,  78   c ,  78   d ,  78   e  to cause expansion or contraction of the corresponding portion of that element. This voltage application will cause one half of each piezoelectric element  78   a ,  78   b ,  78   c ,  78   d ,  78   e  to contract longitudinally and the other half to expand longitudinally (in the direction parallel to the electrodes). 
     The expansion of the first portion and the concurrent contraction of the second portion generates a bending moment in each of the piezoelectric elements  78   a ,  78   b ,  78   c ,  78   d ,  78   e . This moment results in a bending motion of the multilayer bending motor  70 , which will effect rotation and displacement of the distal section  46  with respect to the proximal section  44  of the head suspension  42 . This rotation and displacement of the distal section  46  will, in turn, cause movement of the transducing head carried by the slider  20 . The amount of bending of the multilayer bending motor  70 , and thus the amount of displacement of the transducing head, is precisely controlled by the magnitude of the voltages applied to the endcaps  80 ,  82 . The direction of the bending motion is controlled by the polarity of the voltages applied to the positive endcap  80  and the negative endcap  82 . 
     The present invention provides precise, high performance head positioning with high acceleration in moving the head. It provides sufficiently large and accurate head displacement or stroke to cover numerous data tracks. The present invention also allows for the control of resonance modes of the suspension. 
     During operation of the disc drive actuation system  10 , the head suspension  42  is subjected to a variety of excitation forces. These forces can negatively impact the performance of the read/write head by causing undesirable vibrations of the head suspension  42 . Some vibration of interest include out-of-plane, torsional, and in-plane. The out-of-plane vibrations are commonly caused by the force applied to the head by the windage generated by the spinning of the surface of the disc  22 . The vibrations can become especially problematic when the excitation frequency approaches the first bending mode or the second bending mode of the head suspension  42 . At these frequencies, the head suspension  42  may begin to resonate causing unacceptable out-of-plane displacement of the head suspension. It is desirable, therefore, to design the head suspension  42  such that the first bending mode and second bending mode frequencies are high. Torsional vibration of the head suspension  42  may be caused by the combination of coarse and fine actuation activities. Torsion or twisting of the head suspension  42  can affect both the track positioning and the height of the head. Finally, the excitation of the head suspension  42  by both the coarse and fine actuation (causing acceleration and deceleration of the head) can cause in-plane vibrations. 
     In-plane vibration of the head suspension  42  can be problematic because it introduces track misregistration, which is defined as the offset distance between the center of the read head and the center of the written track. Track misregistration may result in errors when reading data from the disc  22 . The in-plane resonance frequency of the head suspension  42  is commonly referred to as the microactuator mode. Two techniques may be employed to control problems associated with in-plane vibration. The first technique is to design the head suspension  42  to have a microactuator mode at a low enough frequency to fall within the bandwidth of the disc drive&#39;s servo control system. In this case, the track misregistration effects of the vibrations may be counteracted by the servo control system using the error data received from the disc servo pattern. The second technique is to design the head suspension  42  to have a microactuator mode at a sufficiently high frequency that resonance is not a concern. 
     The design of the present invention allows for a variation in the frequency of the microactuator mode. Only the distal portion  46  (if present), the flexure  18 , and the slider  20  are moved by the bending motor  32 , which minimizes the total mass that is displaced and thereby enables high acceleration of the head. Additionally, moving only the distal portion  46  of the head suspension  42  discounts the resonance effects of the actuator arm  14  and the remainder of the load beam  34 , eliminating any track misregistration effects due to vibrations resulting from vibration of these components. 
     The suspension design of the present invention also allows for higher out-of-plane resonance frequencies than those of prior art suspension designs, which results in decreased track positioning error. The out-of-plane resonance frequency of the load beam  34  of the present invention can be easily adjusted. The out-of-plane resonance frequency is adjusted by placing creases in selected locations of the pre-load bend legs  40   a  and  40   b . Using this technique, a load beam that has a first mode out-of-plane resonance frequency of greater than about two kilohertz and a second mode out-of-plane resonance frequency of greater than about six kilohertz may be created. These out-of-plane resonance frequencies may be further increased by increasing the thickness of the load beam. 
     A further aspect of the present invention is a process for fabricating the bending motor  32 . Initially, the piezoelectric material is mixed and then oven dried until a workable slurry is formed. This green piezoelectric material is then thinly spread on a laminate. Next, the electrode structures, typically platinum/titanium or palladium/titanium, are applied, in appropriate locations, on green sheets of piezoelectric material. The electrode structures are typically applied using a painting, spinning, or screen printing technique and patterned as generally known in the art. The sheets of piezoelectric material, with applied electrodes, are then stacked on top of one another until the desired number of layers (five in an illustrative embodiment shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B ) are present to form an array. This array is then aligned using techniques known in the art. 
     The array is then baked, typically at 500 to 700° C., and then fired or heated in a kiln at typically 800 to 1500° C. The baking cycle decomposes and drives off the organic substances in the slurry leaving only the ceramic piezoelectric material and the metal electrodes. The firing process converts the piezoelectric material into a perovskite phase, and causes the electrodes to diffuse into the piezoelectric material and reduce in thickness. The piezoelectric material is then poled by exposing it to an electromagnetic field while at an elevated temperature. Poling of the piezoelectric material may also be performed after the dicing process described below. After the array is fired, a first dicing pass is made to define the length of the bending motor  32 . At this stage of the process, the length of the bending motor  32  has been defined, but the width remains uncut so several bending motors  32  remain in the wafer. 
     At this point, the endcaps  80 ,  82  are applied to the ends in a configuration perpendicular to the electrodes. The endcaps  80 ,  82  are applied along the edge and partially along the top surface of the wafer, such that the endcaps  80 ,  82  make contact with the electrodes located near the end of its application. In a first preferred embodiment, the endcaps  80 ,  82  are applied by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), a method generally known to those of ordinary skill in the art. MOCVD allows the endcaps  80 ,  82  to be applied to the wafer at a low temperature, which prevents the application process from interfering with the properties of the piezoelectric material. MOCVD offers the further advantage of conformability. In other words, MOCVD allows the application of the endcaps  80 ,  82  in a manner that closely follows the topography of the surface of the piezoelectric elements and fills in any cracks or gaps. This allows the deposited metal to make contact with the inner electrodes positioned near the end of application. Typically, the endcaps  80 ,  82  are constructed from platinum, palladium, or gold, because or their non-corrosive properties. 
     After application of the endcaps  80 ,  82 , a second dicing pass is made to singulate each individual bending motor  32  from the wafer. This second dicing pass actually cuts through the metal endcaps  80 ,  82 , which may result in a smearing of the endcaps  80 ,  82 . To prevent this smearing of the endcaps  80 ,  82  from causing contact with an opposed electrode, the electrodes are positioned a small distance from the edge of the bending motor  32 . In a preferred embodiment, the electrodes are positioned about fifteen microns from the edge. 
     The fabrication process of the present invention allows inexpensive and efficient production of the bending motors  32  by allowing the electrodes and endcap terminals to be applied to large wafers of piezoelectric material. The process disclosed further results in highly effective bending motors  32 , because the piezoelectric material retains its poling. Additionally, the process allows for the manufacture of piezoelectric material layers having far thinner thicknesses than those of the prior art. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.