Feasibility study of thermal positioning control actuator for hard disk drives

We have developed an actuator with a heater embedded in the head slider. This actuator, called the thermal positioning control (TPC) actuator, is integrated next to the read write elements in the head slider. By applying electric power to the TPC actuator, the actuator causes thermal expansion and the read write elements then move in the positioning direction. We demonstrated its feasibility in terms of the stroke and frequency response. We designed and fabricated head sliders that integrated a TPC actuator and a read element. We also conducted an experimental evaluation at the spin-stand. The results of 5 nm stroke and a 5-kHz bandwidth were experimentally demonstrated. These results showed the feasibility of the TPC actuator for future 550 kilo track per inch class hard disk drives.