A one-body MEMS device composed of mutually insulated metallic parts-fabrication processes for a microactuator for high-density hard disk drives

Micromachining processes are developed to fabricate a high-aspect-ratio-microstructure (HARMS) actuator for head positioning system of Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) to increase the recording density of HDDs. The actuator is driven by electrostatic force and it has multiple parallel plate electrodes. Our process is to fabricate high-aspect-ratio gap using electroplated sacrificial layer. The process is very attractive to increase the generating force of the electrostatic actuator. Another process is to fabricate a one-body MEMS device composed of mutually insulated metallic parts. These process are essential to realize a compact MEMS device such as a piggy-back microactuator of HDDs.