Experimental Evidence of Lubricant Droplet Transfer From Slider to Disk

To enable the smaller slider-disk spacing that is required for the continual increase in data storage density, the interaction between the slider and the lubricant layer must be understood. In this paper, an interesting experimental phenomenon of sudden lubricant droplet transfer from the slider to the disk is reported and investigated. This phenomenon is different from the lubricant moguls and ripples previous researchers have identified. Is it expected that this sudden lubricant drop-off will degrade head-disk spacing and magnetic signal. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the mechanism and the driving conditions so that it can be prevented.