Apparatus and method for glide height calibration of disk surfaces by use of dual-zone laser texture

A disk for calibrating a glide head, comprising:

• a disk substrate having a center, a perimeter, and a surface;
• a calibration zone of laser melt bumps located between the center and the perimeter of the disk, wherein the laser melt bumps are located between the center and the perimeter in a circumferential pattern at a selected radius from the center of the disk;
• and
• a head cleaning zone spaced apart from the calibration zone.

A method of calibrating a glide head, comprising:

• (a) providing a disk with a center, a perimeter, a surface, a calibration zone on the surface, and a separate head cleaning zone on the surface;
• (b) flying a glide head over the cleaning zone to clean the glide head;
• and then
• (c) flying a glide head over the calibration zone to calibrate the glide head.