Abstract: A slider includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a transducer adjacent to the trailing edge, and an air bearing surface. The air bearing surface includes a forward pad, a rearward pad, and a center rail pad feature disposed along a longitudinal axis of the slider. The center rail pad feature includes a first shallow recess finger and a second shallow recess finger diverging from the longitudinal axis toward the trailing edge.

Abstract: A slider includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a transducer adjacent to the trailing edge, and an air bearing surface. The air bearing surface includes a forward pad, a rearward pad, and a center rail pad feature disposed along a longitudinal axis of the slider. The center rail pad feature includes a first shallow recess finger and a second shallow recess finger diverging from the longitudinal axis toward the trailing edge.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a slider body having a leading edge and an opposite trailing edge, as well as a top face and a bottom face each extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge. The slider body further includes a plurality of protrusions extending from the bottom face, a first recess defined on one of the protrusions, and a sacrificial layer deposited on the slider body in the recess. A bottom surface of the sacrificial layer extends at least as far from the bottom face as bottom surfaces of the plurality of protrusions. In another aspect, a first blocking feature is located at a first uptrack edge on an air bearing surface of a slider, with the first blocking feature being substantially continuous along the first uptrack edge and protruding outwardly from the air bearing surface to reduce particle interaction with the air bearing surface.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a slider body having a leading edge and an opposite trailing edge, as well as a top face and a bottom face each extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge. The slider body further includes a plurality of protrusions extending from the bottom face, a first recess defined on one of the protrusions, and a sacrificial layer deposited on the slider body in the recess. A bottom surface of the sacrificial layer extends at least as far from the bottom face as bottom surfaces of the plurality of protrusions. In another aspect, a first blocking feature is located at a first uptrack edge on an air bearing surface of a slider, with the first blocking feature being substantially continuous along the first uptrack edge and protruding outwardly from the air bearing surface to reduce particle interaction with the air bearing surface.