Effect of etching wall profile on TPC flying height

The effect of the flying height on the TPC wall profile is studied. The different etching techniques to form the TPC steps create different wall profiles. The wall profiles are measured using an AFM. By employing the numerical technique developed for the sub-ambient pressure sliders the wall profile can be modeled correctly. The resulting modeled flying heights show very good agreement with the measured flying heights. The flying heights are less sensitive to the wall length and wall height; thus, the flying heights are less susceptible to the measurement uncertainties.