Fabrication and Characterization of Smart Sliders with Integrated ZnO Thin-Film Sensors and Actuators

• Main Authors: Yuan, Yanhui, Wong, Yoke Rung, Xia, Xin, Du, Hejun
• Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: ZnO; Thin-film sensor
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/84267; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/41689
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

To realize higher areal densities in hard disk drive (HDD), it is necessary to decrease distance between slider and disk, i.e. flying height. The low flying height may result in severe damage occurring on the head-disk interface. Therefore, it is essential to monitor head-disk interactions to prevent instability and damage. In this paper, a smart slider integrated with micro-sensor and micro-actuator is proposed. The fabrication and characterization of the smart slider with integrated zinc oxide (ZnO) thin-film sensor and actuator is presented here. A possible 3D printing manufacturing approach is also proposed to replace the current complex MEMS fabrication processes for producing the smart slider.