Definitions for "Settling Time"
The time for stage to move to a commanded position and settle to within 2% of its final value of the step size. A small signal step response reflects the dynamic characteristics of the system in more detail. Therefore, small signal settling time is normally used in the specifications of nPoint's nanopositioning products — the settling time for the response to 1 micrometer step signal.
The time required for the servo system to lock onto the new track
The time required for a disk drive’s read/write head to stabilize over a new site after being moved from another position over the disk.