Proximity recording-the concept of self-adjusting fly heights

The working behavior of "proximity recording" heads is described in terms of physical changes which occur at the interface. The concept of in-situ adjustment of fly height is described and verified with both acoustic and component characterization techniques. We then contrast successfully versus unsuccessfully designed proximity interfaces, and illustrate two failure mechanisms associated with proximity recording. An adequate understanding and control of these behaviors is shown to be critical for achieving a successful proximity design. We close with comments regarding several generalized design constraints.