Paul W Merchant

US Patent:

6411589, Jun 25, 2002

Filed:

Jul 29, 1998

Appl. No.:

09/126004

Inventors:

Storrs Hoen - Brisbane CA
Paul P. Merchant - Belmont CA
Carl P. Taussig - Redwood City CA

Assignee:

Hewlett-Packard Company - Palo Alto CA

International Classification:

G11B 900

US Classification:

369126, 369101

Abstract:

Data storage media are integrated into a microfabricated data storage system. Each data storage medium is located on one surface of a movable support. Flexures connected to the movable support allow the medium to move within a plane so that data can be stored at different locations on the medium, but significantly resist any out of the plane motion of the medium. Therefore, tips or other devices for writing or reading to or from the medium can be placed a small distance from the medium, thereby facilitating microfabrication of the data storage system. First electrodes are coupled to a second surface of the movable support opposite the medium. Second electrodes are located opposite the first electrodes to form an electrostatic surface actuator. Electric fields generated by the second electrodes interact with an electric field generated by the first electrodes to apply a force to the first electrodes and, hence, the movable support and the medium. After forming the media on a microfabricated wafer, the wafer can be bonded to another microfabricated wafer, and the resulting structure can thereby be sealed by a gasket to seal the media within the data storage system.