Tribological Challenges of Flying Recording Heads Over Unplanarized Patterned Media

Here we evaluate some of the problems likely to be encountered for flying magnetic recording heads over unplanarized patterned media. We demonstrate: (i) current air bearing codes developed for flying heads over smooth disks can be extended to patterned surfaces; (ii) the method for detecting contact at the head-disk interfaces within disk drives will likely need to be more sensitive for unplanarized patterned media; and (iii) the disk lubricant is more likely to be picked up on a head slider surface when flying over patterned surfaces. While our experiments and simulations were carried for discrete track media (DTM), we also discuss the implications for future bit patterned media (BPM) technology programs and possible solutions to these tribological problems.