A data storage device is disclosed comprising a plurality of disks each comprising a top disk surface and a bottom disk surface, and a plurality of actuator arms each comprising a first fine actuator configured to actuate a top head over one of the top disk surfaces and a second fine actuator configured to actuate a bottom head over one of the bottom disk surfaces. A first fine driver controls the fine actuators of an even interleave of the actuator arms, and a second fine driver controls the fine actuators of an odd interleave of the actuator arms.

Examples of a suspension are provided. The suspension includes a mount plate attached to a load beam at a suspension assembly attachment point. The suspension may include a first actuator and a second actuator located at the mount plate. The first actuator is shaped as a non-right angle parallelogram spanning across a first opening in the mount plate. The second actuator is shaped as a non-right angle parallelogram spanning across a second opening in the mount plate. The first and second actuators are configured to deflect the distal end of the mount plate, which causes the load beam to rotate with a rotation center located along the load beam.

A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric microactuator having a wrap-around electrode includes forming a piezoelectric element having a large central electrode on a top face, and having a wrap-around electrode that includes the bottom face, two opposing ends of the device, and two opposing end portions of the top face. The device is then cut through the middle, separating the device into two separate piezoelectric microactuators each having a wrap-around electrode.

A method includes generating a first feedforward signal based, at least in part, on a sensor signal. The method further includes generating a second feedforward signal based, at least in part, on a feedforward seek table. A control signal is modified based, at least in part, on the first feedforward signal and the second feedforward signal. A position of an actuator is controlled in response to the modified control signal.

A multi-layer piezoelectric microactuator assembly has at least one poled and active piezoelectric layer and one poled but inactive piezoelectric layer. The poled but inactive layer acts as a constraining layer in resisting expansion or contract of the first piezoelectric layer thereby reducing or eliminating bending of the assembly as installed in an environment, thereby increasing the effective stroke length of the assembly. Poling only a single layer would induce stresses into the device; hence, polling both piezoelectric layers even though only one layer will be active in use reduces stresses in the device and therefore increases reliability.

A victim feedforward signal is added to a microactuator control signal of the victim actuator in response to a voice-coil motor (VCM) control signal that is applied to the aggressor actuator, where the victim feedforward signal is configured to compensate for disturbances to a victim head caused by assertion of the aggressor VCM control signal. Each aggressor VCM control signal is asserted at a specific time by the aggressor actuator, for example in response to the aggressor head passing over a first servo wedge. A feedforward signal that compensates for the effect of the aggressor VCM control signal is then determined based on the aggressor VCM control signal, stored, and asserted via the victim microactuator at a predetermined time relative to when the aggressor VCM control signal is asserted.

In accordance with an embodiment, a method of operating a piezoelectric transducer configured to transduce mechanical vibrations into transduced electrical signals at a pair of sensor electrodes includes stimulating a resonant oscillation of the piezoelectric transducer by applying at least one pulse electrical stimulation signal to the pair of sensor electrodes; detecting, at the pair of sensor electrodes, at least one electrical signal resulting from the stimulated resonant oscillation, wherein the at least one electrical signal resulting from the stimulated resonant oscillation oscillates at a resonance frequency of the piezoelectric transducer; measuring a frequency of oscillation of the at least one electrical signal resulting from the stimulated resonant oscillation to obtain a measured resonance frequency of the piezoelectric transducer; and tuning a stopband frequency of a notch filter coupled to the piezoelectric transducer to match the measured resonance frequency of the piezoelectric transducer.

A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric microactuator having a wrap-around electrode includes forming a piezoelectric element having a large central electrode on a top face, and having a wrap-around electrode that includes the bottom face, two opposing ends of the device, and two opposing end portions of the top face. The device is then cut through the middle, separating the device into two separate piezoelectric microactuators each having a wrap-around electrode.

A PZT microactuator such as for a hard disk drive has a restraining layer bonded on its side that is opposite the side on which the PZT is mounted. The restraining layer comprises a stiff and resilient material such as stainless steel. The restraining layer can cover most or all of the top of the PZT, with an electrical connection being made to the PZT where it is not covered by the restraining layer. The restraining layer reduces bending of the PZT as mounted and hence increases effective stroke length, or reverses the sign of the bending which increases the effective stroke length of the PZT even further. The restraining layer can be one or more active layers of PZT material that act in the opposite direction as the main PZT layer. The restraining layer(s) may be thinner than the main PZT layer.

A method includes generating a first feedforward signal based, at least in part, on a sensor signal. The method further includes generating a second feedforward signal based, at least in part, on a feedforward seek table. A control signal is modified based, at least in part, on the first feedforward signal and the second feedforward signal. A position of an actuator is controlled in response to the modified control signal.