Effect of Disk Asperity Size on Contact-Induced Head Scratches and Reader Temperature of a Thermal Flying Height Control Slider–Disk Interface

The mechanical and thermal response of a thermal flying height control slider during contacts with a disk asperity is numerically studied. The effect of asperity height and asperity diameter on the scratch dimensions in the read/write shields is investigated, and the maximum temperature at the reader location is determined. The effect of the number of contact cycles is studied.