An investigation of the IBM 3380-K slider using laser Doppler interferometry

The dynamic characteristics of IBM 3380-K sliders are investigated using laser Doppler vibrometry, and the dependence of air bearing frequency on disk velocity, load, and yaw angle is studied. It is shown that vertical and pitch resonant modes are closely coupled and that the power in each of the modes changes with velocity or load. The measured resonant frequencies agree well with reported numerical predictions. A comparison is made with the dynamic behavior of conventional narrow-rail Winchester-type sliders. The comparison shows that the dynamic behaviors of both slider designs are very similar except for the substantially better damping properties of the IBM 3380-K slider.<>