AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF CONTACT CHARACTERISTICS BETWEEN A SLIDER AND MEDIUM USING THE ELECTRICAL-RESISTANCE METHOD

Highly accurate detection of contact is necessary to properly evaluate the characteristics of a head disk interface. The electrical resistance detection method involves detecting rapid resistance changes when a slider makes contact, and essentially is thought to have greater sensitivity than other methods. This paper presents a highly accurate technique for detecting contact based on the electrical resistance method. The experimental results, measured utilizing a thin film medium, are compared with those of the piezoelectric transducer (PZT) method. It is clarified that contact frequency obeys a simple power function of velocity and is extremely sensitive to spacing. In comparison, PZTs are unable to detect a solid contact until the number of contacts exceeds a certain threshold, thus they are not always satisfactory for highly accurate contact detection. © 1990 IEEE