Design of a dual stage actuator tape head with high-bandwidth track following capability

As tape recording density increases, high-frequency track following capability of the tape head actuator becomes more important. This paper details the mechanical design and experimental analysis of a dual state actuator tape head. The dual stage actuator design combines a traditional voice coil motor for low frequency track following with a piezoelectric actuator for high-frequency track following. Non-parametric and parametric modeling techniques are used in the analysis of the dual stage actuator. The performance of the dual stage actuator head shows good correlation with the model and will enable improved track following capability for future high-performance tape drives.