Slider-disk interaction and its effect on the flying performance of slider

This paper reports a novel optical head-disk interaction tester setup and e xperimental investigations into the effects of slider-disk interaction in n anometer spaced head-disk interface. The setup revealed quantitatively the lubricant induced change of slider-disk spacing before the slider enters it s fully flying status. The setup was also applied to investigate the slider sinking process which is caused by the meniscus force when the slider star ts to rest on disk surface. Results shows that such a setup is of the advan tage of quantitative characterization of slider-disk interface comparing wi th acoustic emission method. Furthermore, the results also demonstrate its advantages of reflecting the actual interaction between slider, lube, and d isk surface, comparing with the current optical flying height testers.