Piezoelectric actuator apparatus and methods

A mobile device comprising:

• a housing;
• a user interface;
• and
• an actuator assembly disposed between the housing and the user interface and being operatively coupled to the user interface to provide tactile feedback to a user, the actuator assembly comprising:
• a chassis having a plurality of recessed wells;
• a plurality of conductive contacts disposed within the plurality of recessed wells;
• and
• a plurality of piezoelectric elements each having a conductive layer directly coupled to the plurality of conductive contacts.

A method for electrically coupling a piezoelectric actuator assembly, the method comprising:

• forming a support plate with a plurality of recessed wells;
• coupling a plurality of conductive contacts within the plurality of recessed wells;
• directly coupling a conductive layer of a plurality of piezoelectric elements to the plurality of conductive contacts;
• and
• coupling a piezoelectric material of the plurality of piezoelectric elements to a ground via a flexible conductive lead.