Stiction free slider for the smooth surface disk

We describe the superior tribological performance for a slider with three cylindrical pads on the air bearing surfaces on a smooth surface disk. Using photolithography, we can form the cylindrical pads with a controlled surface area and uniform height on the air bearing surfaces of a magnetic head. In addition to the reduction of the apparent contact area of the head/disk interface, by applying an excessive amount of lubricant to the vertical surface of the pads, we can lower the static friction with an ultra smooth surface (Ra=0.3 nm). Moreover, we observed no wearing of the pads after 100,000 CSS cycles.