Abstract: An apparatus includes: a media; a head over the media; and control circuitry, coupled to the heads, configured to: select an operational head from the heads based on margin data collected under a lube waterfall condition, and perform an access to the media with the operational head.

Abstract: A slider comprises a slider trailing edge; a lubricant blocker having a disk facing surface and a lubricant blocker trailing edge, the lubricant blocker trailing edge having a lateral end trailing a central end; and a lubricant guiding channel recessed from the disk facing surface and extending from the slider trailing edge to the lubricant blocker trailing edge.

Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing condensation along an air bearing surface of a slider in an energy assisted magnetic recording system are provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a slider configured to reduce condensation along an air bearing surface in an energy assisted magnetic recording system, the slider including an air bearing surface (ABS), a write transducer including a portion disposed at the ABS, a hot spot region disposed along the ABS, where the hot spot region includes the portion of the write transducer at the ABS, and a trench surrounding the hot spot region.

Abstract: An aspect of the invention can be regarded an air bearing slider for use in a disk drive including a rotatable magnetic disk. The slider includes a leading side and a trailing side. The slider further includes opposing lateral sides extending between the leading and trailing sides. The slider further includes a transducer pad disposed adjacent the trailing side. The transducer pad includes a transducer for reading and writing data from and to the magnetic disk. The slider further includes a pair of pressurized side pads each respectively disposed laterally between the transducer pad and a respective one of the lateral sides. Each side pad includes a forward shallow etched surface, a trailing shallow etched surface extending from adjacent the trailing side toward the leading side, and a side pad air bearing surface disposed between and above the forward and trailing shallow etched surfaces.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a disk having a recording surface and a head stack assembly. The head stack assembly includes a body portion that includes a bore defining a pivot axis, an actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion and a head gimbal assembly supported at the actuator arm. The head gimbal assembly includes a load beam, a gimbal coupled to the load beam and a slider coupled to the gimbal, the slider including a transducer for reading and writing on the recording surface. The slider includes an air bearing surface that is configured to form a shallow recessed surface and a deep recessed surface. The air-bearing surface includes a leading air bearing region and one or more insular regions configured to reduce stiction with the disk. The shallow recessed surface is disposed between the air bearing surface and the deep recessed surface.

Abstract: A method of operating a disk drive. The disk drive includes a disk having a disk surface, a slider disposable adjacent the disk surface, and a slider loading/unloading ramp for the slider. The method includes rotating the disk at a loading speed. The method further includes loading the slider from the loading/unloading ramp at a loading fly height above the disk surface. The method further includes rotating the disk at an operational speed greater than the loading speed. The method further includes operating the slider at an operational fly height above the disk surface less than the loading fly height above the disk surface. The method further includes rotating the disk at an unloading speed less than the operational speed. The method further includes unloading the slider from the disk to the loading/unloading ramp at an unloading fly height greater than the operational fly height.

Abstract: An air bearing slider for use in a disk drive. The slider includes a leading side and an opposing trailing side. The slider includes a pair of opposing lateral sides disposed between the leading and trailing sides. The slider includes a leading side air bearing surface including a main portion adjacent the leading side and a trailing portion extending from the main portion toward the trailing side along a respective one of the lateral sides. The slider includes a side rail disposed laterally along and between the respective lateral side and the trailing portion. The slider includes a channel formed between the side rail and the trailing portion disposed angularly with respect to the respective lateral side by extending from adjacent the respective lateral side towards the trailing side away from the respective lateral side for receiving airflow through the channel during operation of the disk drive.

Abstract: An air bearing slider for use in a disk drive that includes a rotatable magnetic disk. The slider includes a leading side and a trailing side. The slider further includes a pressurized pad including a pressurized pad air bearing surface. The pressurized pad is disposed between the leading and trailing sides. The slider further includes a contact pad disposed adjacent the trailing side and including a contact surface for sliding contact with the magnetic disk during operation of the disk drive. The contact pad includes a transducer disposed within the contact pad for reading and writing data from and to the magnetic disk. The slider further includes a depressed region disposed between the pressurized pad and the contact pad for mitigating air pressure adjacent the contact surface relative to air pressure adjacent the pressurized pad air bearing surface during operation of the disk drive.

Abstract: An air bearing slider for use in a disk drive. The slider includes a leading side and an opposing trailing side. The slider further includes a pair of leading side air bearing surfaces disposed adjacent the leading side. Each of the leading side air bearing surfaces includes a main portion and a trailing portion extending from the main portion toward the trailing side. The slider further includes a pair of side rails. Each of the side rails is disposed between a respective one of the leading side air bearing surfaces and the trailing side. Each of the side rails includes a side rail air bearing surface disposed toward the trailing side and a side rail shallow recessed surface extending away from the side rail air bearing surface toward the respective main portion and laterally along the respective trailing portion in spaced relation to the respective trailing portion.

Abstract: A proximity recording slider has a slider body with a leading edge, a trailing edge and a length measured from the leading edge to the trailing edge. First and second longitudinal bearing surfaces are positioned on the slider body and have a leading portion, a trailing portion and a waist portion. The waist portion of at least one of the bearing surfaces is wider than the leading and trailing portions and has a maximum width at a position that is between about ¼ to ¾ the length of the slider body.

Abstract: A slider supports a transducer proximate to a lubricated recording medium. The slider includes a slider body, a raised rail formed on the slider body and a fluid flow pattern across the slider body which has at least one stagnant flow region. A surface discontinuity is formed on the slider body and is positioned within the stagnant flow region to inhibit lubrication collected within the stagnant flow region from migrating to the raised rail.

Abstract: A magnetic disk which includes a thin film magnetic layer resistant to thermal erasures caused by a rise in localized temperature in the disk due to head disk interference includes a substrate having a thermal diffusivity of less than about 2.times.10.sup.-6 m.sup.2 /sec and a magnetic layer for storing information which is subject to erasure upon such use in localized temperature generated by the head disk interference. An underlayer below the magnetic layer is provided for orienting crystalline structure of the magnetic layer, and the heat sink layer directly above the substrate and directly below the underlayer has a single material such as chromium. The heat sink layer has sufficient thermal diffusivity and sufficient thickness for dissipating heat generated by the rise in localized temperature caused by head disk interference to prevent the erasure of stored information in the magnetic layer.

Abstract: A self-loading disc head slider includes a leading slider edge, a trailing slider edge and first and second raised side rails with first and second bearing surfaces, respectively. A cross rail extends between and is coplanar with the first and second raised side rails. A tapered surface is formed within the first and second raised side rails and the cross rail. The tapered surface extends from the leading slider edge to an intersection with the first and second bearing surfaces. A subambient pressure cavity is positioned between the cross rail and the trailing slider edge. A notch is positioned within the tapered surface, which extends from the leading slider edge to the cross rail and terminates prior to the intersection. The notch defines a leading edge of the cross rail along the tapered surface such that the leading edge of the cross rail is recessed from the first and second bearing surfaces.