Abstract: A method is provided for making a high definition, high aspect ratio amorphous carbon element, such as a slider, which carries one or more magnetic heads in a disk drive. A special gaseous environment is provided during laser etching which results in virtually no redeposition of the etched material. The result is a carbon element which has good edge definition for establishing desirable flying characteristics of a slider. In a preferred embodiment the laser etching, which is preferably implemented by an excimer laser, is performed in an gaseous environment of oxygen saturated with water vapor at a pressure above ambient. Significant improvements were also realized with nitrogen saturated with water vapor at a pressure above ambient and steam at ambient pressure. High aspect ratios were achieved, namely slope angles of 50.degree. to 60.degree..

Abstract: A method of machining a complex pattern into the air bearing surface of a magnetic head slider includes the steps of forming a die with a diamond surface which has a pattern which is a reverse image of the desired pattern for the surface of the slider; placing the die with the pattern of the die facing the surface of the slider; placing an abrasive slurry between the die and the surface of the slider; applying a pressure between the die and the surface of the slider; and ultrasonically vibrating the die and the slider reciprocally with respect to one another to cause the abrasive slurry to grind the desired pattern into the surface of the slider.

Abstract: A process for fabricating a slider for mounting a magnetic transducer within a magnetic disk storage system. The process includes identifying one side of the slider, selecting at least one section on the selected side of the slider, and impinging the identified section with a stream of particles, wherein the curvature of the slider may be selectively altered.

Abstract: A data recording disk drive has an improved head-disk interface provided by a transducer carrier which is essentially a low-flying air-bearing slider that is also able to be in contact and near contact with the lubricant film on the disk. The slider has a front air-bearing surface in the form of a pair of equally-spaced air-bearing pads, a rear air-bearing pad, and a central nonair-bearing recessed surface which separates the front and rear air-bearing pads. The two front pads have a surface area greater than that of the rear pad and thus provide a positive pitch up of the slider. This causes the rear pad to also be pitched up so that air can flow beneath the rear pad to generate an air bearing in the rear portion of the slider. The presence of the central nonair-bearing region eliminates any lift in the central part of the slider, which allows for the low-flying height. The flying height of the rear pad of the slider above the disk is controlled by the width of the rear air-bearing pad.

Abstract: A method for making a magnetic head slider comprising the steps of lapping the slider to form an air bearing surface, producing a chosen pattern of rails on the air bearing surface, and producing a chosen pattern of stress on the back side of the slider to remove the distortion produced in the slider by the lapping and rail formation steps. The stress pattern can be chosen to produce any desired range of crown and camber for the slider.

Abstract: Apparatus for producing a line source of a desired shape from a light source such as an excimer laser comprising means for directing the light source along a predetermined path to a cylindrical lens positioned to produce a virtual line image having uniform intensity along its length at a first location. However, the image is intercepted by a cylindrical mirror inclined at an angle so that the beam is transformed into a curved shape and directed onto a quartz diffuser. This apparatus produces a curved self-luminous distribution having uniform intensity over its length. In a specific embodiment, the diffuser is a directional diffuser.