Tribological design methods for minimum surface damage of HDD slider

In order to optimize the tribological characteristics of the head/disk interface (HDI) of a hard disk drive, the surface damage mechanisms must be clearly understood. Once the mechanisms have been clearly identified schemes to contain the adverse effects of contact sliding can be conceived. In this work, based on the axiomatic design methodology, the design parameters of the HDI tribological behavior were investigated with respect to the functional requirements of the HDI. The basic tribological characteristics of micro-systems and HDI were reviewed and analyzed. Based on this knowledge design methods based on a combination of techniques such as μ-grooves for particle trapping, pads for stiction reduction, and organic ultra-thin film for surface energy reduction is presented.