Optimum Design of Head Slider with Ultra-Thin Air-Lubricated Spacing for Enhanced Flying Characteristics

Flying attitudes of the slider, which are flying height, pitch and roll, are affected by the air flow velocity, the skew angle, and the manufacturing tolerances. Traditional designs of the air bearing surface have considered only the flying performances for the variations in the air flow velocity and the skew angle, which are determined by the radial position. In this study, we present the new shape design of the air bearing surface by considering the track seek performance and the air bearing stiffness as well as the traditional design requirements. The optimization technique is used to improve the dynamic characteristics and operating performance of the newly proposed air bearing surface shape design further. The optimized configuration is obtained automatically and the optimally designed sliders show the enhanced flying and dynamic characteristics.