Head Slider Air Bearing Surface Segmentation for Fly Height Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current head slider designs face challenges in maintaining a consistent fly height, avoiding contamination, and achieving acceptable manufacturing tolerances, which can lead to variations in performance and increased risk of contact with the disk surface.
Innovation Solution
The head slider features an internal cavity enclosed by the air bearing surface with misaligned gaps that help maintain a target fly height, prevent particle trapping, and accommodate manufacturing variations, ensuring robustness and consistent operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the head slider uses a conventional air bearing surface design, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the fly height consistency deteriorates and contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air bearing surface is segmented into multiple regions with different channel patterns. The leading edge region has first channels while the trailing edge region has second channels, creating distinct airflow patterns in different zones to achieve consistent fly height across the entire surface.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the air bearing surface are given different local properties through varied channel designs. The leading edge has channels optimized for its specific function while the trailing edge has channels optimized for its function, allowing each region to contribute optimally to overall fly height consistency.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the head slider uses a closed air bearing surface, then contamination is reduced, but manufacturing tolerance becomes more difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The air bearing surface is divided into multiple regions with different channel patterns, allowing each region to be optimized independently for both contamination resistance and manufacturability. This segmentation enables controlled airflow while maintaining tolerance to manufacturing variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The channel patterns in different regions are designed with different parameters (spacing, depth, orientation) to optimize both contamination resistance and manufacturability. By varying these parameters across regions, the design achieves a balance between closed surface protection and manufacturing feasibility.
3Measurement precision
If the head slider is designed for high data storage capacity, then the positioning precision must be increased, but the risk of contact with disk surface increases
Solution Approach 1:
The design uses pneumatic principles by creating pressurized air bearings through channel patterns that generate high-pressure regions. This pneumatic lifting mechanism provides reliable separation between the head slider and disk surface, reducing contact risk while maintaining the positioning precision needed for high data storage capacity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively reduces contamination risks, maintains a consistent fly height, and allows for the production of multiple head sliders with proper function, even under varying conditions such as helium environments and servo writing.
Implementation Method 1
The surface of the head and the channels contained therein, collectively referred to as the air-bearing surface (ABS), are designed to generate regions of increased air pressure in between the ABS and media surface that forces the head away from direct contact with the media surface
Implementation Method 2
As the media moves relative to the head, air is dragged by the disk surface through specifically designed channels in the surface of the head adjacent to the media surface
Data Source
AI summary
A head slider for a disk drive storage device. The head slider is adapted to fly at the target height above the disk, reduce contamination by preventing particles from being trapped under the head slider, fly well in helium at low velocity and obtain a manufacturing tolerance so that multiple head sliders may be produced and function properly. The head slider has an internal cavity that is substantially enclosed by the air bearing surface. There are two gaps in the air bearing surface that are misaligned relative to the leading edge. The gaps aid in preventing particles from entering the cavity.