Effects of Altitude on Thermal Flying-Height Control Actuation

Abstract

Thermal flying-height control (TFC) is now a key technology used in hard-disk drives (HDD) as an effective way to push the magnetic spacing to sub-5 nm. Precise control of the TFC sliders' actuated flying-height (FH) is a major consideration in improving the read/write capability as well as reducing the reliability problem. In this paper, we investigate the response of TFC sliders to altitude changes with a focus on the variation of actuated FH. Numerical and experimental results both indicate an increase in the actuated FH at higher altitudes. Simulations show that the increased TFC protrusion and less air bearing pushback on sliders at higher altitudes contribute to this increase. This study is of practical importance for improving heater and air bearing surface design to reduce the TFC sliders' sensitivities to altitude changes.

Investigation of Nanoscale Heat Transfer and Flying Characteristics in Thermal Flying Height Control Sliders Considering Near-Field Radiation

“…In present day disk drives, this is accompanied by using the so-called thermal flying height control (TFC) technique. In this approach, a resistance heater is incorporated in the trailing edge of the slider to thermally deform the area around the read/write element, thereby reducing the head-disk spacing [2,3]. Figure 1a, b shows a typical air bearing surface of the slider and the TFC slider flying over a disk surface.…”

Heat transfer across a nanoscale pressurized air gap and its application in magnetic recording

“…This simulation strategy is then applied to examine the gap heating effect with two commonly-used disk types in the magnetic recording industry, namely, disks with aluminum and glass substrates. Material properties of both the slider and disk used in this analysis can be found from recent literature 13,29 .…”