Understanding head/disk stiction by bearing area analysis of the head

Current air-bearing surface (ABS) geometries have very complex shapes. Bearing area analysis of the head via optical interferometry allows a realistic correlation of the ABS topography to the increase in head/disk contact area induced either by head wear or by lubricant thickness. The change in bearing area with Z-height from the top of the crown gives a comprehensive understanding of stiction increase for heads with complex ABS geometries. Experiments showed that the stiction performance of heads with different crowns after 20 K CSS cycles could be reasonably predicted via bearing area analysis assuming a maximum lube thickness of 5 nm at the head/disk interface