The challenges beyond proximity head-disk interface

As the areal density for magnetic recording increases towards IO Gb/in2, the mechanical spacing between the head and the disk is expected to reduce rapidly below 20 nm. This leads to an increase of head-disk interaction which may induce unacceptable level of magnetic jitter and wear of the interface. In this study experimental air bearing sliders were designed and fabricated to fly near and below the take-off-height of the disks. The durability of the interface was tested and the challenges in maintaining a functional interface will be discussed.