Abstract: The present invention includes an improved suspension assembly comprises a suspension including a load beam and a gimbal, a FOS having a polymer portion (or flex circuit) and a trace portion, wherein the FOS is connected to the suspension. The present invention further includes a slider that is electrically connected to a ground trace and the ground trace is further electrically connected to the suspension. The present invention also includes a plateau gimbal, which comprises of a portion of the ground trace positioned between the flex circuit and the slider thereby elevating the slider to the level of the bond pads on the FOS.

Abstract: A curved surface is formed between first and second a substantially planar surfaces that are normal to each other, such as the bottom and side surfaces of a slider for a disc drive. A laser beam has a center with a focus and a power distribution, such as a Gaussian distribution, such that the laser power is greatest at the center of the beam and is weaker radially from the center of the beam. The laser beam is directed at the first surface along a first path substantially normal to the first surface so that a center of the laser beam is substantially contiguous to the second surface. The laser beam is moved along a second path substantially parallel to the second surface to ablate the slider at the first surface adjacent the second surface to ablate the material and form a continuous curved surface between and tangential to the first and second surfaces.

Abstract: A method is used for forming sliders for use in a disc drive actuation system. The method comprises providing a wafer formed of a substrate having a base coat and an overcoat. Wafer-level notch lanes having a first width extend across the wafer in a first direction. The overcoat is removed from the wafer-level notch lanes. The wafer is sliced along a portion of the wafer-level lanes through the base coat to form a channel. The wafer is mechanically sliced through the substrate along slice lanes that extend across the wafer in the first direction to differentiate the wafer into bars. The bars are cut in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction to form the sliders.

Abstract: A disc head slider includes a slider body having a disc-facing surface and a leading surface adjacent to the disc facing surface. The disc facing surface has leading-most edge and first and second side edges. A bearing surface is formed on the disc facing surface. A debris deflection surface is formed along the leading surface, which is spaced vertically from the leading-most edge with respect to the disc facing surface and has a tangent that forms an angle with the bearing surface of less than ninety degrees.

Abstract: A method is used for forming sliders for use in a disc drive actuation system. The method comprises providing a wafer formed of a substrate having a base coat and an overcoat. Wafer-level notch lanes having a first width extend across the wafer in a first direction. The overcoat is removed from the wafer-level notch lanes. The wafer is sliced along a portion of the wafer-level lanes through the base coat to form a channel. The wafer is mechanically sliced through the substrate along slice lanes that extend across the wafer in the first direction to differentiate the wafer into bars. The bars are cut in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction to form the sliders.

Abstract: A process of dicing a bar to form a plurality of sliders having air bearing surfaces commences with defining a dice lane having a nominal surface between adjacent slider portions on the bar, opposite edges of the dice lane defining respective edge surfaces of adjacent slider portions. The dice lane is cut away with a blade to form an edge surface of the slider. A barrier trench is formed in the nominal surface along each edge of the dice lane. The barrier trench has a width that extends a predetermined distance into the slider portion of the bar from the edge of the dice lane and a predetermined depth to eliminate ridges in the air bearing surface of the slider. The barrier trench is formed either before or after the dicing of the slider. The slider thus formed is characterized by an absence of ridges in the air bearing surface.

Abstract: A disc head slider includes a slider body having a disc-facing surface and a leading surface adjacent to the disc facing surface. The disc facing surface has leading-most edge and first and second side edges. A bearing surface is formed on the disc facing surface. A debris deflection surface is formed along the leading surface, which is spaced vertically from the leading-most edge with respect to the disc facing surface and has a tangent that forms an angle with the bearing surface of less than ninety degrees.

Abstract: A method is used for aligning a slider on a gimbal. The gimbal includes a slider opposing face with a flex circuit material on the slider opposing face and a flex on suspension (FOS) bond pad is disposed on the flex circuit material. The slider has a gimbal opposing face and a disc opposing face. Both faces are bounded by a leading edge and a trailing edge. The slider has a forward face along the trailing edge extending between the gimbal opposing face and the disc opposing face. An extended bond pad is formed on the forward face of the slider. A notch is formed on the slider in the forward face adjacent the gimbal opposing face. The slider is placed on the flex circuit material such that the extended bond pad is positioned relative to the FOS bond pad to improve bond strength and static attitude.

Abstract: A curved surface is formed between first and second a substantially planar surfaces that are normal to each other, such as the bottom and side surfaces of a slider for a disc drive. A laser beam has a center with a focus and a power distribution, such as a Gaussian distribution, such that the laser power is greatest at the center of the beam and is weaker radially from the center of the beam. The laser beam is directed at the first surface along a first path substantially normal to the first surface so that a center of the laser beam is substantially contiguous to the second surface. The laser beam is moved along a second path substantially parallel to the second surface to ablate the slider at the first surface adjacent the second surface to ablate the material and form a continuous curved surface between and tangential to the first and second surfaces.