Contact force measurements at the head/disk interface for contact recording heads in magnetic recording

S. K. Ganapathi; Mark Donovan; Yiao-Tee Hsia

doi:10.1117/12.230060

15 January 1996 Contact force measurements at the head/disk interface for contact recording heads in magnetic recording

S. K. Ganapathi, Mark Donovan, Yiao-Tee Hsia

Proceedings Volume 2604, High-Density Data Recording and Retrieval Technologies; (1996) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.230060
Event: Photonics East '95, 1995, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Abstract

As the spacing between the magnetic transducer and media decreases in hard disk drives, one approaches the regime of constant contact between the head and disk. In this regime, conventional measures of the head/disk interface such as 'takeoff velocity' and 'fly height' become less important. Instead, the 'contact force' between the head and the disk is a more relevant parameter to evaluate the performance and reliability of the interface. In this paper, a new contact force measurement technique that uses the acoustic emission (AE) from the interface is introduced. The contact force is modeled as a series of continuous collisions that cause the slider to vibrate at its resonant frequencies. These vibrations generate an AE signal, the magnitude of which is proportional to the contact force. The Read-Rite tripad slider, which is a contact recording head, is used for the measurements. Some intuitive expectations from contact force measurements are presented as validation of the technique. Specifically, it is shown that contact force decreases with increasing disk velocity, that the contact force varies inversely with the flying height measured on a glass disk, and that the contact force decreases with burnishing of the interface.

Citation Download Citation

S. K. Ganapathi, Mark Donovan, and Yiao-Tee Hsia "Contact force measurements at the head/disk interface for contact recording heads in magnetic recording", Proc. SPIE 2604, High-Density Data Recording and Retrieval Technologies, (15 January 1996); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.230060

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