SOLUTION EXPLORATION OF AN ATOMICALLY-SPACED HEAD-DISK INTERFACE FOR MAGNETIC DISK DRIVE APPLICATION

Abstract

CONTINUOUS GROWTH OF THE HARD DISK DRIVE?S AREAL DENSITY LEADS TO REDUCTION OF HEAD-DISK MECHANICAL SPACING OR FLY HEIGHT (FH). AT SUB-5 NM FH, SHORT-RANGE INTERACTIONS AFFECT STABILITY AND REQUIRE STUDIES. IN ADDITION, LUBRICANT SURFING WAS PROPOSED AS ONE OF THE FUTURE HEAD-DISK INTERFACE (HDI) SCHEMES, BUT WITH MAJOR CHALLENGES SUCH AS 1) UNSTABLE TRANSITION FROM FLYING TO SURFING; AND 2) INCAPABILITY TO IDENTIFY ANGSTROM-LEVEL SURFING REGIME. IN THIS PROJECT, POSSIBLE REASONS OF THE UNSTABLE TRANSITION WERE IDENTIFIED. THE ELECTROSTATIC FORCE MANIPULATION (EFM) METHODOLOGY WAS PROPOSED FOR HEAD-DISK INTERACTIONS MONITORING. USING THE METHOD, TOPOGRAPHY EFFECTS ON INTERACTIONS AND STABILITY WERE STUDIED. A STABLE SURFING REGIME WAS THEN IDENTIFIED USING THE ELECTROSTATIC FORCE EXCITED SIDEBAND. THE EXISTENCE OF THE REGIME, AT THE TRANSITIONAL STATE BETWEEN INTERMITTENT LUBRICANT CONTACT AND SOLID CONTACT, REQUIRES ATOMICALLY SMOOTH INTERFACE. DISCOVERY OF THE SURFING REGIME PUSH THE