Seagate Technology Incorporated

Vidyadhara K Gubbi

Chung Yuang Shih

Zhu Feng

Chiu-Shing Frank Poon

Dallas W Meyer

Mark James Schaenzer

Youmin Liu

An apparatus and method for evaluating surface characteristics of a recording disc prior to incorporation into a disc drive. A glide test system includes a glide test head supportable over the disc, the glide test head having a negative-pressure air bearing slider and a contact sensor which outputs a signal when the glide test head contacts a feature of the disc surface. The glide test head and the disc are characterized as opposing plates of a variable capacitor with a dielectric layer therebetween including at least a layer of air supporting the glide test head. A voltage source, operably coupled to the glide test head and the disc, applies a fly height control voltage across the capacitor to adjust the fly height of the glide test head. The disc surface preferably comprises a data region configured to magnetically store data as the disc is rotated and a texturized landing zone configured to support the disc drive read/write head when the disc is stopped. The voltage source accordingly applies a first fly height control voltage to maintain the glide test head at a first glide distance over the data region and a second fly height control voltage to maintain the glide test head at a second, greater glide distance over the landing zone.

Head with active fly height control

A method for controlling flying height at the interface of a magnetic head and a magnetic storage medium is described. The flying height is controlled by applying a voltage between head and medium. This controls the vertical movement of the head, and thus, may increase or decrease the flying height. For example, the flying height may be changed with surface texture to achieve high writing/reading density, where the flatness of the medium is high. Also, the contact between the head and medium may be limited where the texture includes projections such as laser bumps.

Method for controlling flying height of a magnetic head

A thin-film magnetic recording disc for use with a read/write head in a disc drive includes a substrate, a magnetic recording film disposed over the substrate, and a protective overcoat on the recording film. The recording disc has an outer layer that includes a solid fluorocarbon and a perfluoropolyether (PFPE) oil. The disc can be used as a data storage media for a digital computer and, in particular, with a read/write head in a disc drive. The addition of the fluorocarbon layer can improve the tribology of the disc, thereby reducing wear and improving the long-term performance of the magnetic disc.

Magnetic recording media

Glide test head with active fly height control

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Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Vidyadhara K Gubbi