Algorithms for extraction of spacing information from a head/tape interface

Various algorithms for the extraction of spacing information from an interferometric fringe pattern of the head/tape interface have been proposed. In this paper, a comparison of three algorithms is presented: tape unloading, polynomial fitting and Fourier transform. The relative merits of each method are discussed, together with implementation details. In an experiment with a transparent head and CrO₂ tape, it was found that all methods give a similar result to within ±5 nm, with none unilaterally preferable to the others. The Fourier transform method, which has not been used for this application before, gives smooth spacing data for high fringe orders, and is less sensitive to fringe order errors, but produces noisier spacing data in the contact region.