Head suspension and method of manufacturing head suspension

Abstract

A head suspension has a conductive base plate, a piezoelectric element, and a load beam. The piezoelectric element deforms in response to a voltage applied thereto, thereby moving the load beam relative to the base plate in a sway direction. The head suspension includes an actuator base integral with the base plate, an auxiliary plate laid on and fixed to the actuator base and having a surface support and a side support, the surface support facing a periphery of a surface of the piezoelectric element, the side support facing in the sway direction a side face of the piezoelectric element, an attaching part formed of the actuator base and auxiliary plate, the attaching part being present between the base plate and the load beam and being configured to attach the piezoelectric element thereto, a nonconductive adhesive layer interposed between the attaching part and the piezoelectric element, to adhere the piezoelectric element to the attaching part, and a conductive material configured to electrically connect an electrode plane of the piezoelectric element and the side support to each other. The head suspension is thin and secures conductivity between the electrode plane of the piezoelectric element and the actuator base.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.