Observation of slider droplet formation during fly stiction tests with a real time visualization instrument

A microscope visualization technique is used to examine the accumulation of liquid droplets on the air-bearing surfaces of a head or `slider´ in real time while the slider is in an experimental, but fully functioning disk drive. Such droplets are known to contribute to a condition of increased static friction or `stiction´ at disk drive startup. Since this phenomenon results from prior drive operation while the sliders are, in effect, flying, it is called `fly stiction´. The liquid formed on the slider is predominantly composed of simple hydrocarbons, such as alkanes. The liquid volume increases linearly with time. These observations are consistent with some mechanisms where liquid molecules or nuclei use sites on the disk as an intermediary before transferring to the slider