Mechanical performance study of pattern media based head-disk systems

In the pursuit of areal recording densities towards 10 Tb/in², patterned media technology as well as the technology to reduce magnetic spacing between the slider and disk have attracted great attention. As a result, contact stresses can be encountered at the head-disk interface (HDI). Detailed knowledge of the stress distribution due to inelastic deformation at asperity microcontacts is therefore of great importance. An elastic-plastic contact analysis for the HDI that is based on a finite element model and two typical pattern media cases is presented in this work. Simulation results for the contact pressure at asperity microcontacts and subsurface von Mises equivalent stress are interpreted in terms of two typical pattern media cases.