Silicon microstructures and microactuators for compact computer disk drives

Advances in VLSI and software technology have been the primary engines for the ongoing information revolution. But the steady stream of technical innovations in magnetic disk recording technology are also important factors contributing to the economic strengths of the computer and information industry. One important technology trend for the disk drive industry has been that of miniaturization. As this trend continues, future disk drives will have the same form factor as VLSIs, storing gigabytes of data. Silicon micromachining technology will play an important role in the fabrication of high-bandwidth servo-controlled microelectromechanical components for future super-compact disk drives. At UCLA and Caltech, for the past two years (1992-94) we have initiated a number of industry-supported joint research projects to develop microstructures and microactuators for future generation super compact magnetic recording rigid disk drives, including one to design and fabricate silicon read/write head microsuspensions with integrated electrical and mechanical interconnects, which target the next generation 30% form factor pico-sliders, and one for electromagnetic piggyback microactuators in super high-track-density applications, both of which utilize state-of-the-art silicon micromachining fabrication techniques

Silicon microstructures and microactuators for compact computer disk drives

In 1956, IBM shipped the first magnetic rigid disk drive. It was 24 inches in diameter; fitted inside a box the size of an industrial size refrigerator; stored 5 megabytes, and sold for tens of thousands of dollars. In 1983, Seagate shipped the first magnetic disk drive for the PC market which was 5-1/4 inch in diameter; fitted in a box half the size of a shoebox, also stored 5 megabytes and sold for less than $1,500. In 1992, HP shipped what is still the world’s smallest commercially available rigid disk drive, which is 1.3 inch in diameter; fitted in a box the size of a matchbook, stored 20 megabytes, and sold for$150. In terms of both areal storage density and cost per megabyte, this progress has far exceeded the so-called 10-10 rules of the semiconductor industry, which is an order of magnitude improvement in 10 years. In fact, since 1991 magnetic recording disk drives have doubled in performance every eighteen months, and as a result, have maintained at least an order of magnitude cost advantage over solid-state memory and have long since surpassed optical recording in terms of storage density and capacity per drive. It is projected that in another five years, the industry will be capable of delivering credit-card size gigabyte disk drive cartridges at about 10 cents per megabyte. At UCLA and Caltech, we believe silicon micromachining technology will play an important role in the fabrication of high-bandwidth, servo-controlled miniaturized microelectromechanical components for such super-high-capacity, supercompact computer disk drives. For the past four years, we have been collaborating on a number of industry and government supported joint research projects to develop the necessary technology building blocks for design of a low-cost integrated drive of the future. These efforts include the design and fabrication of a silicon read/write head, microgimbaled with integrated electrical and mechanical interconnects, which targets the next-generation, 30 percent form factor pico-sliders. The efforts also include an electromagnetic piggyback planar microactuator for super high-track-density applications. Both efforts utilize state-of-the-art silicon micromachining fabrication techniques

Silicon microstructures and microactuators for compact computer disk drives

Advances in VLSI and software technology have been the primary engines for the ongoing information revolution. But the steady stream of technical innovations in magnetic disk recording technology are also important factors contributing to the economic strengths of the computer and information industry. One important technology trend for the disk drive industry has been that of miniaturization. As this trend continues, future disk drives will have the same form factor as VLSIs, storing gigabytes of data. Silicon micromachining technology will play an important role in the fabrication of high-bandwidth servo-controlled microelectromechanical components for future super-compact disk drives. At UCLA and Caltech, for the past two years (1992-94) we have initiated a number of industry-supported joint research projects to develop microstructures and microactuators for future generation super compact magnetic recording rigid disk drives, including one to design and fabricate silicon read/write head microsuspensions with integrated electrical and mechanical interconnects, which target the next generation 30% form factor pico-sliders, and one for electromagnetic piggyback microactuators in super high-track-density applications, both of which utilize state-of-the-art silicon micromachining fabrication techniques

Silicon microstructures and microactuators for compact computer disk drives

Silicon micromachining techniques offer many exciting opportunities for fabricating both passive microstructures and active electromagnetic microactuators for significant form factor reduction and increase in recording density of future magnetic recording rigid disk drives. In this overview paper, the authors have presented some recent results and novel product concepts

Silicon micromachined SCALED technology

Silicon micromachining technology will play an important role in the fabrication of high-bandwidth servo controlled microelectromechanical (mechatronic) components for super-compact disk drives. At the University of California, Los Angeles, and the California Institute of Technology, for the last three years, we have initiated a number of industry-supported joint research projects to develop the necessary technology building blocks for an integrated drive design of the future. These efforts include a silicon read/write head microgimbal with integrated electrical and mechanical interconnects, which targets the next-generation 30% form factor pico-sliders, and an electromagnetic piggyback microactuator in super-high-track-density applications, both of which utilize state-of-the-art silicon micromachining fabrication techniques

Design, fabrication, and testing of silicon microgimbals for super-compact rigid disk drives

This paper documents results related to design optimization, fabrication process refinement, and micron-level static/dynamic testing of silicon micromachined microgimbals that have applications in super-compact computer disk drives as well as many other engineering applications of microstructures and microactuators requiring significant out-of-plane motions. The objective of the optimization effort is to increase the in-plane to out-of-plane stiffness ratio in order to maximize compliance and servo bandwidth and to increase the displacement to strain ratio to maximize the shock resistance of the microgimbals, while that of the process modification effort is to simplify in order to reduce manufacturing cost. The testing effort is to characterize both the static and dynamic performance using precision instrumentation in order to compare various prototype designs

Silicon micromachined SCALED technology

Silicon micromachining technology will play an important role in the fabrication of high-bandwidth servo controlled microelectromechanical (mechatronic) components for super-compact disk drives. At the University of California, Los Angeles, and the California Institute of Technology, for the last three years, we have initiated a number of industry-supported joint research projects to develop the necessary technology building blocks for an integrated drive design of the future. These efforts include a silicon read/write head microgimbal with integrated electrical and mechanical interconnects, which targets the next-generation 30% form factor pico-sliders, and an electromagnetic piggyback microactuator in super-high-track-density applications, both of which utilize state-of-the-art silicon micromachining fabrication techniques

Design, modeling and fabrication of thermal actuated micromirror for fine-tracking mechanism of high-density optical data storage

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