Tribocharging of materials used in tape heads and associated ESD damage

Triboelectrification of tapes by read/write heads can result in either increased error rates or permanent damage to the heads through electrostatic discharge (ESD). We have studied triboelectrification of tapes when rubbed by different tape head materials in order to understand this phenomenon. The triboelectrification phenomenon can be modeled as a Thevenin equivalent battery or current source whose magnitude is highly dependent not only on materials but on physical parameters such as tape speed, wrap angle, the direction of tape (for multi-material substrates) and the complete electrical circuit. In this report we will discuss the different physical parameters which affect the tribocharging of tape by different tape and head materials. We also show that tribocharging can cause ESD damage.