Abstract:
An improved microactuator magnetic circuit having a simplified assembly, reduced field leakage, and improved passivation methods is disclosed. To simplify assembly, a single magnet is polarized in two magnetic regions so that the single magnet is functionally similar to two separate magnets. In addition, the magnetic circuit can be produced without a top keeper. Field leakage is reduced by expanding the bottom keeper. Finally, corrosion-resistant alloys with acceptable magnetic properties are used in forming the keeper.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims priority from Provisional Application No. 60/175,564 filed Jan. 11, 2000, for “Improved Microactuator Magnetic Circuit” by Peter Crane, Derek A. Lewis, Zine-Eddine Boutaghou, and Lee Walter. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a disc drive microactuator, and more particularly to a magnetic microactuator utilizing a magnetic circuit having simplified assembly, reduced field leakage, and improved passivation methods. 
     The density of concentric data tracks on magnetic discs continues to increase (that is, 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 over a selected track on a disc. 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. 
     Various microactuator designs have been considered to accomplish high resolution head positioning. One such microactuator is a magnetic microactuator assembled from various components and bonded to a suspension gimbal and head interconnect. The components include a bottom keeper, two magnets, a coil separated from the magnets by an air gap, and a top keeper. Once assembled, the components form a vertically disposed magnetic circuit. The magnetic circuit makes use of two distinct materials, a magnetically hard magnet material, and a magnetically soft keeper. 
     In previous magnetic microactuators, the hard magnet material was divided into two discrete components. These included an upwardly polarized magnet with a north pole adjacent the air gap, and a downwardly polarized magnet with a south pole adjacent the air gap. These magnets are easy to polarize by placing the magnets in a strong and uniform magnetic field. However, it is difficult to assemble the two small magnets because the magnets tend to stick to each other due to their strong magnetic attraction. 
     The magnetically soft keeper material is necessary to reduce field leakage in the magnetic circuit. Specifically, there is often field leakage around the edges of a bottom keeper located between magnets and disc surfaces which may de-stabilize the recorded bits on the disc. A further problem of the keepers is that the magnetically soft keeper material typically used in magnetic microactuators is not resistant to corrosion. Therefore, keepers are typically nickel plated or otherwise passivated, which not only increases their cost, but also poses manufacturing problems, especially when the coil is fabricated on the top keeper. 
     Therefore, there is a need in the art for a microactuator design having simplified assembly, reduced field leakage, and improved passivation methods. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an improved magnetic microactuator with a single magnet, reduced field leakage, and improved passivation methods. The single magnet is polarized on a special fixture into two magnetic regions. There is a transition zone between the two regions with weak magnetization. By making the transition zone as small as possible, the single magnet design is made functionally similar to the prior art dual magnet design. The magnet is made of a suitable alloy which allows for magnetization within a desired temperature and current range. 
     To reduce field leakage from the magnetic circuit, the bottom keeper is expanded to address the problem of field leakage around the edges of the bottom keeper. The thickness of the expanded region may vary widely while still performing the desired shielding function. A preferred thickness surrounding the magnet is about twice the thickness beneath the magnet. The magnetic microactuator further does not have a top keeper. To make the keeper material more resistant to corrosion, corrosion-resistant alloys with acceptable magnetic properties are substituted for prior art keeper material. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a disc drive actuation system for positioning a slider over tracks of a disc. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of a disc drive including a microactuator according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the microactuator. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the underside of a flex circuit for use with a microactuator of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the microactuator of the present invention attached to the flex circuit for use in a disc drive. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a single magnet with oppositely poled regions and a transition zone between the regions. 
     FIG. 6A is a graphical depiction of the volume of the transition zone of a dual pole magnet and the fixture temperature reached while polarizing the dual pole magnet. 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a prior art magnetic circuit with a bottom keeper, magnets, an air gap containing a coil, and a top keeper. 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a magnetic circuit having a bottom keeper with a flange surrounding the magnets. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a magnetic circuit with a bottom keeper having a flange of uniform thickness surrounding the magnets. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the magnetic circuit showing a bottom keeper with a flange of about double thickness surrounding the magnets. 
     FIG. 11 is a graphical illustration of the magnetic field as contained by a top and bottom keeper. 
     FIG. 12 is a graphical representation of the magnetic field of a microactuator without a top keeper. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a disc drive actuation system  10  for positioning slider  12  over track  14  of disc  16 . Actuation systems  10  includes voice coil motor (VCM)  18  arranged to rotate actuator arm  20  on a spindle around axis  22 . Head suspension  24  is connected to actuator arm  20  at head mounting block  26 . Flexure  28  is connected to an end of head suspension  24 , and carries slider  12 . Slider  12  carries a transducing head (not shown in FIG. 1) for reading and/or writing data on concentric tracks  14  of disc  16 . Disc  16  rotates around axis  30 , so that windage is encountered by slider  12  to keep it aloft a small distance above the surface of disc  16 . 
     VCM  18  is selectively operated to move actuator arm  20  about axis  22 , thereby moving slider  12  between tracks  14  of disc  16 . However, for disc drive systems with high track density, VCM  18  lacks sufficient resolution and frequency response to position a transducing head on slider  12  precisely over a selected track  14  of disc  16 . Therefore, a higher resolution actuation device is necessary. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of a disc drive including microactuator  32  according to the present invention. Flexure  28  is attached to load beam  24 , and microactuator  32  is attached to flexure  28  to carry slider  12  above a surface of disc  16  (FIG.  1 ). Transducing head  34  is carried by slider  12  to transduce data with the disc. 
     In operation of the disc drive, load beam  24 , flexure  28  and microactuator  32  carrying slider  12  are all moved together as coarse positioning is performed by VCM  18  (FIG. 1) moving actuator arm  20  (FIG.  1 ). To achieve fine positioning of transducing head  34 , microactuator  32  generates a force which causes bending of the beam springs of the microactuator. As a result, the portion of microactuator  32  carrying slider  12  moves slightly with respect to flexure  28  in the direction of arrows  36 , displacing transducing head  34  with high resolution for precise positioning over a selected track of the disc. 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of microactuator  32  according to the present invention. Microactuator  32  includes outer pre-loading bars  42  and  44  and inner alignment clips  46  and  48 , with inner alignment clips  46  and  48  clamping against the sides of slider  12  at a frontal portion (to the right in FIG. 3) thereof. Flexible beam springs  43  and  45  extend between the proximal ends of pre-loading bars  42  and  44  and the distal ends of alignment clips  46  and  48 . A tub  50  is formed in the substrate of microactuator  32  opposite transducing head  34  of slider  12 , and structural bond pad  52  is provided for attachment to the top surface (opposite the air-bearing surface) of slider  12 . The tub  50  contains a magnet  62  and has a ferromagnetic keeper material lining its bottom surface. Standoffs  64 ,  66 ,  68  and  70  are formed on outer pre-loading bars  42  and  44 , to be borne upon so as to apply pre-load, force to microactuator  32  as it supports slider  12  over the surface of the disc. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the underside of flexure  28  for use with microactuator  32  of the present invention. Flexure  28  forms the substrate of a flex circuit including conductive coil  72  connected to current-providing source  73 , and standoffs  74 ,  76 ,  78  and  80 . Standoffs  74 ,  76 ,  78  and  80  are aligned with respective standoffs  64 ,  66 ,  68  and  70  of microactuator  32  to apply pre-load force to microactuator  32  as it carries slider  12  (FIG.  3 ). In addition, conductive leads  82 ,  84 ,  86  and  88  are provided to electrically contact transducing head  34  carried by slider  12  (FIG.  3 ). 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of microactuator  32  of the present invention attached to the underside of flexure  28  for use in a disc drive. Flexure  28  further includes ferromagnetic keeper  92  formed on its top surface opposite coil  72  (FIG.  4 ). The coil  72  is positioned above the magnet  62  located in the tub  50  of microactuator  32  (FIG.  3 ). A vertically arranged magnetic circuit is thereby formed from the bottom keeper (the ferromagnetic lining of tub  50 ), magnet  62 , an air gap formed by the spacing between the magnet  62  and coil  72 , the windings of coil  72  itself, and top keeper  92 . 
     The arrangement of flexure  28  and the design of microactuator  32  are such that circulating current through the windings of coil  72  results in cross-track movement of slider  12  in a horizontal plane generally parallel to the surface of the disc. The movement is in the direction of arrows  36 , and is permitted by the flexibility of beam springs  43  and  45  (FIG.  3 ). Outer pre-loading bars  42  and  44  having standoffs  64 ,  66 ,  68  and  70  thereon effectively form the stator of the microactuator, with the magnet  62 , slider bond pad  52 , slider  12 , flexible beams  43  and  45  and inner alignment clips,  46  and  48  effectively forming the rotor of the motor (FIG.  3 ). Thus, lateral movement of the magnet  62  affects the cross-track (horizontal) position of slider  12  with respect to outer pre-loading bars  42  and  44  and standoffs  64 ,  66 ,  68  and  70 , and also with respect to flexure  28  and to the tracks of the disc. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the magnet  62  used in the microactuator  32  of the present invention. In prior art microactuators, two magnets were used in the magnetic circuit. However, as mentioned above, one magnet was polarized upwardly with a north pole adjacent the air gap, while the other magnet was polarized downwardly with a south pole adjacent the air gap. Though the magnets were easy to polarize, it was difficult to assemble the two small magnets because of the tendency of the magnets to stick together due to their strong magnetic attraction. The single magnet  62  of the present invention thus greatly eases assembly of the micro actuator. 
     The magnet  62  contains two oppositely poled regions, a north pole  100  and a south pole  102 . Between the north pole  100  and south pole  102  is a transition zone  104  having weak magnetization. By making the transition zone  104  as small as possible, the magnet  62  functions similar to the two magnets of the prior art. Thus, it is preferable to keep the transition zone  104  as small as possible, for example about 10% of the total magnet volume. 
     The size of the transition zone on  104  is dependent in part on the current running through the magnetizing fixture used to create the two poled regions  100 , 102  of the magnet  62 . In creating the magnet  62 , the current in the magnetizing fixture is limited by the power supply, which is typically a bank of capacitors. The current in the fixture also induces heating. Therefore, the transition volume of the magnet  62  cannot be completely eliminated without either exceeding the capacity of the power supply or overheating the fixture. 
     With these two constraints in mind, the materials from which the magnet  62  can be created include a Samarium Cobalt 1,5 alloy (“SmCo 1,5”) a Samarium Cobalt 2,17 alloy (“SmCo 2,17”), and Neodymium Iron Boron (“NdFeB”). SmCo 1,5 is a nucleation type alloy, while SmCo 2,17 is a pinning type alloy. These terms refer to the mechanism by which the magnet domains within the materials are held in alignment. The nucleation type alloys typically require much lower field strength to magnetize than the pinning type alloys. The lower field strength required to magnetize the SmCo 1,5 as compared to the field strength required to magnetize SmCo 2,17 allows a reduced current in the magnetizing fixture for magnets formed of SmCo 1,5. 
     Typically, the fixture has a trade off between fixture temperature and transition in volume as shown in FIG.  6 A. FIG. 6A shows the volume of transition zones as a percentage of the total volume of the magnet along the x-axis, with the temperature in degrees Celsius along the y-axis. A curve  110  for the SmCo 2,17 alloy shows that as the volume of the transition zone decreases, the temperature of the magnetizing fixture greatly increases. In contrast, the curve  112  of the SmCo 1,5 alloy shows only a small effect on the temperature of the magnetizing fixture as the volume of the transition zone is decreased. 
     In order to completely magnetize 90% of the magnet volume, the fixture must be run at 100° C. when magnetizing the SmCo 2,17 alloy. Due to the lower current required, the same fixture magnetizes the SmCo 1,5 alloy at only 25° C. The SmCo 1,5 alloy is preferred because of this lower temperature operation, which prolongs the fixture life and reduces factory downtime for fixture repairs or replacements. 
     Another suitable material for creating the magnets  62  is NdFeB. A drawback of using NdFeB compounds is that such compounds are typically sensitive to temperature such that they will demagnetize when operated above a given temperature limit. Most NdFeB grades are limited to operation at 80° C. or less. Special grades of NdFeB are available, however, which will tolerate temperatures up to 120° C. However, these grades have high coercivity, and therefore experience a similar difficulty in magnetization as that seen in the SmCo 2,17 alloy. 
     For all magnets, regardless of the material from which they are formed, some form of plating or coating of the magnet is required to prevent magnet particles from flaking off and erasing recorded bits on the disc surface. Both the SmCo 1,5 and SmCo 2,17 alloys can be electro-nickel plated. Magnets made of the SmCo alloys are typically nickel plated to a thickness of between about 2-5 microns. The electro-nickel plating of these SmCo magnets has no discernible affect on their magnetic properties. 
     The NdFeB magnets are slightly harder to coat with an anti-corrosive coating. If the NdFeB magnets are electro-nickel plated, the electro-nickel plating induces a magnetically “dead” layer beneath the surfaces of the NdFeB material. The dead layer is typically about 50 microns thick and is thought to result from metal hydride formation in the subsurface layer. Since the magnet is only about 125 microns thick, an NdFeB magnet which is electro-nickel plated would have a fully active volume of less than one fifth of the apparent volume, which is unacceptable. 
     One alternative to giving the NdFeB magnets, an anti-corrosion coating is to use a Metallo-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) process to deposit a metal layer on the magnets. The metal layer prevents any magnetic particles from flaking off, just as electro-nickel plating a SmCo alloy does. 
     In MOCVD, the metal to be deposited is bonded chemically or electrostatically to an organic precursor molecule, such as Nickel Carbonyl. The metallo-organic molecule may be in a solid, liquid, or gaseous phase. Solid precursors are heated to increase their vapor pressure and are introduced into a chamber via heated gaseous line. Liquid precursors are similarly heated to increase their vapor pressure and are introduced as the gaseous analogs. Commonly, liquid precursors are dip or spray coated onto the parts. Gaseous precursors are introduced into the CVD reaction chamber by standard flow methods. 
     The preferred MOCVD process for the magnets  62  made of NdFeB is a process using a unique fluidized bed reactor. The magnets are placed in the reactor vessel and suspended in an inert gas stream, such as nitrogen, or in a liquid containing the reactant metallo-organic molecules. Upon heating the reactor vessel, the metal ions crack free from the organic part of the precursor molecules, and attached themselves to the NdFeB material. Because the process takes place without releasing free reactive hydrogen, the problem of the magnetically dead layer is avoided. 
     A preferred, metal for MOCVD deposition is aluminum. The precursor molecules can be Triethylaluminum (TEA),Trimethylamine alane (TMAA) Trimethyl alane (TMA) Dimethylamine alane (DMEAA) or Trimethylamine aluminaborane (TMAAB). This is because the reaction takes place at a very low temperature of between 82° and 100° C. Also, a well defined chemical pathway exists for this metal, as shown below: 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Al(C 2 H 5 ) 3  → 
                 AlH(C 2 H 5 ) 2  + 
                 C 2 H 4   
               
               
                   
                 2 AlH(C 2 H 5 ) 2  → 
                 AlH(C 2 H 5 ) 3  + 
                 AlH 2 (C 2 H 5 ) 
               
               
                   
                 2 AlH 2 (C 2 H 5 ) → 
                 AlH(C 2 H 5 ) 2  + 
                 AlH 3   
               
               
                   
                 AlH 3  → 
                 Al + 
                 3/2 H 2   
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Other suitable metals available for the MOCVD process include nickel, gold, platinum, and palladium. Any of these metals may be suitable depending on the specifics nature of the process and the requirements for the coatings. 
     Other options for coating to reduce the corrosion affects of the magnet  62  include carbon or a polymeric film coating. Carbon is a well known coating material, and if it can be applied with sufficient density, it offers good corrosion protection. One such dense carbon is the Diamond Like Carbon film, such as that offered by Commonwealth Scientific and other companies. Another possible film is pyrolytic carbon, which has proven to be particularly useful in the medical industry. Examples of possible suitable polymeric film coatings include Parylene from Speciality Coating Systems of Indianapolis, Ind., and an organic coating from IRE Coatings of Eden Valley, Minn. These films are dense enough to provide corrosion and protection when applied in the two to ten micron thickness range. 
     In addition to the magnet  62 , the magnetic circuit of the microactuator also comprises a top keeper  92  and a bottom keeper located in the tub  50  (FIGS.  5  and  3 ). The soft magnetic keeper material typically used in prior art microactuators was Permendur (the trade name of an alloy made of 49% Iron, 49% Cobalt, and 2% Vanadium). Permendur has the highest saturation magnetization of any commercial alloy, allowing the thickness of the keepers to be minimized. Permendur also has excellent permeability, and thus is successful in preventing field leakage. However, one disadvantage of Permendur is that it must be coated to prevent corrosion. The anti-corrosion coating of Permendur was typically accomplished by nickel plating, which adds about 20% to the piece part cost and is very difficult to integrate with a coil building process, especially when the coil is fabricated on the top keeper. 
     Thus, it is desired to find a keeper material which is resistant to corrosion, yet exhibits the desired magnetic properties. Table 2 below lists alternative soft magnetic materials having high corrosion resistant which are suitable for the present invention. 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                 Carbon % 
                 Chromium, 
                 Saturation, 
                   
               
               
                 Alloy 
                 Maximum 
                 % 
                 Tesla 
                 Permeability 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Permendur 
                 — 
                 — 
                 2.40 
                 2120 
               
               
                 430 Stainless Steel 
                 0.12 
                 17 
                 1.61 
                 1920 
               
               
                 409 Stainless Steel 
                 0.08 
                 11 
                 1.87 
                 2460 
               
               
                 Chrome-Core 12 
                 0.03 
                 12 
                 1.70 
                 3100 
               
               
                 Chrome-Core 8 
                 0.03 
                 8 
                 1.75 
                 3100 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Table 2 shows the saturation in Tesla for five alloys along with the maximum Carbon percentage of the alloy, the percentage of Chromium of the alloy, and the permeability. As can be seen in Table 2, Permendur offers the highest saturation. However, as noted above, the disadvantage of Permendur is that it requires a nickel plating to prevent corrosion. Of the remaining alloys, the 409 Stainless Steel is the preferred material because it has the highest permeability and saturation magnetization of the corrosion resistant alternatives. The Chrome-Core 12 and the Chrome-Core 8 alloys exhibit high saturation, however, both Chrome-Core alloys are among the most expensive alternatives. This is because both Chrome-Core alloys must be obtained from a special melt, which greatly increases the cost. Normally, Chrome-Core is only available in a grade which contains sulfur. It would be undesirable to have any sulfur contaminating the disk drive, so it is necessary to obtain the Chrome-Core in a sulfur-free grade, which greatly increases the cost. 
     A final option is the 430 Stainless Steel. The 430 Stainless Steel has a highly variable permeability due to normal variation in the carbon level of the stainless steel. In addition, the high chromium level tends to reduce the saturation magnetization. As such, when all factors are balanced the 409 Stainless Steel is the preferred alloy for the keeper material. 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a prior art magnetic circuit  120  with a bottom keeper  122 , magnets  124 ,  126 , coil  128 , and top keeper  130 . The bottom keeper  122  is generally the same size and shape as the magnets  124 ,  126 . As described above, the bottom and top keepers  122 ,  130  function to prevent field leakage from the magnetic circuit  120  which could potentially damage the disk. 
     FIGS. 8-10 illustrate alternate designs for the bottom keeper which improve the ability of the bottom keeper to shield the disk from any stray magnetic field emanating from the magnetic circuit. In FIGS. 8-10, the coil  128  has been removed for clarity. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a magnetic circuit  132  having a bottom keeper  134 , dual pole magnet  136 , and top keeper  138 . An air gap  140  exists between the magnet  136  and the top keeper  138 . The bottom keeper  134  comprises a flange  142  which, surrounds the magnet  136  and extends in a plane parallel to the disk surface. The bottom keeper  134  and flange  142  can be made using a well known photochemical etching process. The bottom keeper  134  packages easily into the microactuator because the thin flange  142  extends beneath the lower surface of the microactuator substrate. Because the flange  142  extends beneath the surface of the microactuator, no change to the substrate dimensions of the microactuator is required to implement this type of expanded keeper. However, a complicated etching process with multiple mask and etch step is required to form the flange  142 . 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a magnetic circuit  148  with a bottom keeper  150 , dual pole magnet  152 , and top keeper  154 . The bottom keeper  150  once again has a flange  156  surrounding the magnet  152 . A convenient reference for the thickness of the flange  156  surrounding the magnet is the keeper thickness directly beneath the magnet. The flange  156  has the same thickness as the keeper  150  thickness beneath the magnet  152 , and effectively enlarges the size of the bottom keeper  150 . This expanded flange  156  on the bottom keeper  150  requires that the substrate of the microactuator likewise be expanded to contain the keeper  150 . This expansion entails added costs since the yield of devices from the substrate wafer is reduced. However, the photo chemical etching of this embodiment is straight forward. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a magnetic circuit  160  having a bottom keeper  162 , dual pole magnet  164 , and top keeper  166 . The bottom keeper  162  has a flange  168  of about double the thickness of the bottom keeper  162  and surrounds the magnet  164 . The flange  168  effectively forms a tub into which the magnet  164  is placed. As is the case with the bottom keeper  150  shown in FIG. 9, the bottom keeper  162  shown in FIG. 10 is larger and requires substrate expansion. The etching of bottom keeper  162  is straight forward as long as the flange  168  is about double the reference thickness of the keeper  162 . It is desirable to perform the etch at a machining tolerance that ensures the magnet  164  will properly fit when incorporated into the expanded keeper  162 . 
     Table 3 below compares the shielding capability of the various embodiments. It is desired to keep the field at the disk below 20 Oersteds. All of the over size designs are suitable, so the preferred embodiment is a tradeoff between cost and the desired safety margin below the 20 Oersted threshold. Shown in Table 3 are the disc field in Oersteds and the tracking force in milliNewtons for each of the above embodiments. 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
                 Disc Field, 
                 Tracking 
               
               
                 Keeper Embodiment 
                 Oe 
                 Force, mN 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 Prior Art 
                 104.2 
                 1.06 
               
               
                 Oversized, Thin Flange 
                 15.8 
                 1.20 
               
               
                 Oversized, Normal Flange 
                 8.8 
                 1.19 
               
               
                 Oversized, Double Thick Flange 
                 5.0 
                 1.08 
               
               
                 Oversized, Double Thick, without Top Keeper 
                 13.5 
                 0.60 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The tracking force in Table 3 assumes a 20 turn coil with a 100 mA driving current circulating through it. The magnets have a coercivity of 11,900 Oe and residual magnetization of 12,300 Gauss. The designed resonant frequency of the microactuator is 1000 Hertz. The tracking force is sufficient to drive the recording head off track about 10 microns. This is about 3 times higher than typical disc drive requirements. Therefore, the tracking force is not a significant design criterion when selecting a keeper configuration. 
     As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the microactuator has a coil  72  fabricated on a flex circuit  28 . Fabricating the coil  72  on the flex circuit  28  is relatively inexpensive, but it is difficult to incorporate a top keeper in an assembly having the coil  72  on the flex circuit  28 . One option is to eliminate the top keeper all together. This allows easy assembly of the microactuator to the coil  72  without having the additional step of flipping the assembly over to bond the top keeper to the opposite side of the coil  72 . FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate the field strength of a magnetic circuit  170  having a top keeper and a magnetic circuit  190  in which the top keeper has been removed, respectively. 
     FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of a magnetic circuit  170  having a bottom keeper  172 , magnet  174 , air gap  176 , coil  178 , and top keeper  180 . As can be seen in FIG. 11, the top keeper contains the magnetic field so that the strength of the magnetic field is highest in the air gap. 
     FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view of a magnetic circuit  190  with the top keeper removed. In FIG. 12 is the bottom keeper  192 , magnet  194 , air gap  196 , and coil  198 . In comparison to the magnetic circuit  170  of FIG. 11, the magnetic field in the air gap of FIG. 12 is reduced. This is because without a top keeper, the air gap  196  is effectively longer than when a top keeper is used. Though more of the field is leaking into the air, the field is not leaking downwards toward the disc because the bottom keeper  192  has been extended to protect the disc. In addition, while the field leakage at the bottom keeper  192  is somewhat increased at the top surface of the bottom keeper  192  on both sides of the magnet  194 , it is still within tolerable limits. 
     Removing the top keeper is a trade off between ease of manufacture and efficiency. Without the top keeper, the magnetic field spreads out so that less energy exists in the air gap and more energy exists in the demagnetization field inside the magnetic. In magnetic circuits, it is preferable to get as much of the magnet energy as possible into the air gap where it can interact with the coil. The field reduction in the air gap causes an accompanying reduction in the actuation force. This is typically not a significant problem, however, because the driving current can simply be increased to compensate in most cases. Thus, white it is not as efficient a design, removing the top keeper results in a microactuator which still operates within desirable limits. 
     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.