SLIDER DISK SEPARATION AT REST

The separation between a slider end a disk at rest is an important fac tor to be considered in th design of rigid disk drives. it provides de signers with useful information about low safe flying height, maximum achievable areal density, and stiction performance. In this paper, we present an approach to estimate this separation. In contrast to approa ches seen in the literature, this model takes into account the geometr y of the contacting surfaces, e.g. slider crown, instead of assuming t hey are nominally flat. With this, the slider/disk separation can be b etter estimated for a given applied load. In addition to the separatio n, other useful information can also be obtained, such as the maximum contact pressure.