Intermolecular forces, surface roughness and air bearing design

This paper presents authors´ effort in sub-10 nm air bearing design considering the influence of intermolecular forces and surface roughness. The intermolecular forces and surface roughness are analyzed, modeled, and introduced to the current HDI model. Simulation results indicate that when the flying height is in the range of deep sub 10 nm, the influence of intermolecular forces on the flying height of a slider can be significant and not negligible. A new type of femto air bearing design, with good performances in reducing the effects of intermolecular forces, is put forward and studied in detail.