TPC Heater-Slit Design to Reduce Crosstalk Effects on Flying Height Control

In this paper, a heater-slit design was investigated to reduce the crosstalk effects of thermal track positioning control (TPC) heating on the thermal flying height control, using a coupling thermal-structural simulation and air-bearing simulation. The results show that the slit design helps to achieve a large head displacement along crosstrack direction and flying height reduction at head elements, due to the reduction of the mechanical constraints on the thermally induced expansion of the slider body. The undesirable flying height reduction at side edge of trailing pad of the slider can be improved by further optimization of slit design. Thus, the heater-slit design overcomes the limitation on the air-bearing surface design for TPC slider.