Lubricant Design Attributes for Subnanometer Head-Disk Clearance

This paper is an attempt to review some historical trends in thin film disk lubricant technology, and the associated requirements in terms of overall reliability, as we inexorably approach the subnanometer clearance mark. We will mainly focus on the physical attributes of the lubricant, and more particularly on the slider-induced effects on lubricant dynamics. Design attributes for subnanometer clearance will be discussed in this historical context, as qualitative to semiquantitative models have emerged that allow such extrapolation.