Airflow velocity effects on air bearing with grooved disk surface in near-field optical disk drives

By means of an air bearing, the pickup head slider of a near-field optical disk drive flies above data tracks on a rotating disk surface to achieve a stable flying height. The influence of airflow velocities of the air bearing on lift force deserves investigation, as the airflow velocity varies during track seeking or disk speed variation. In this study, a direct simulation Monte Carlo method is used to investigate three-dimensional nanoscale gas film lubrication at the air bearing between a slider and a rotating disk. This study aims to investigate air bearing behavior at different airflow velocities. Computational results show that faster flow generates larger pressure and lift force. Lower flying height reduces force variation caused by different velocities. This study also proposes a method for maintaining the flying height within the near-field range. (C) 2006 American Institute of Physics.