Abstract: An air bearing design enables a slider to fly at a higher fly height when the rotational speed of the disk is reduced to about one-third of its operational velocity. In addition, the slider has a flat profile as it scans the disk surface at a low fly height sigma, and low fly height loss during track seek and high altitude operation. This design also provides write protrusion compensation and thereby mitigates spacing losses due to the write current swelling of the write element protrusion. The leading region of the rear pad of the air bearing is mildly concave. This design produces unexpected results by compressing incoming air flow in such a way that, even under two very different velocities, good air bearing lift is generated while compensating for write element protrusion.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a slider of a head has a negative-pressure cavity which is formed in a facing surface, a leading step portion, a trailing step portion, a pair of side step portions which protrude from the facing surface and extend in the longitudinal direction, and a pair of skirt portions. Each of the skirt portions has a proximal end portion and an extended end portion, which is situated on the downstream end side of the slider and nearer to the trailing step portion with respect to the proximal end portion and faces the trailing step portion with a gap therebetween. The skirt portion is disposed in a region E which contains a line connecting the proximal end portion and the extended end portion and an area situated on the opposite side of the line with respect to the trailing step portion.

Abstract: The head slider has a plurality of heaters each heating a corresponding region of the ABS, and a sensor detecting collision of the ABS with a projection on a surface of the magnetic disk. Currents supplied to the respective heaters are controlled and produce heats independently of one another. The heats produce projections on the corresponding regions of the ABS, respectively. The ABS with asperity can be planarized through appropriately controlling magnitude of the currents supplied to the heaters. Thus, the variation of a sensor output depending on asperity of the ABS is effectively reduced. Another head slider has a heater locally heating a corresponding region of the ABS. The heater has a structure where a central portion is away from the ABS compared with end portions, or a structure where calorific power of a central portion is smaller than that of each of end portions. Thus, overall projection shape becomes flat.

Abstract: A burnishing head comprises at least two rails, each rail having an inner wall and an outer wall. The outer walls are at an angle relative to one another and relative to a central axis of the burnishing head. This angle permits the burnishing head to exhibit improved recovery time if it contacts a disk being burnished. The rail walls are vertical, and the corner between the rail walls and the top surface of the rails is sharp.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a flying magnetic head slider includes a step of providing a substrate with a plurality of inductive write head elements formed thereon, each head element having a pair of magnetic poles facing to each other via a magnetic gap, and with a protection layer covering the plurality of inductive write head elements, a step of cutting the substrate to separate into a plurality of bar members, each of the bar members having aligned inductive write head elements, a step of processing the protection layer of each bar member so that a distance from an end edge of the pair of magnetic poles to an edge of a bottom surface of the bar member becomes in a range of 1 to 15 ?m, a step of lapping each bottom surface of the bar member, and cutting each bar member to separate into a plurality of individual magnetic head sliders.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention pertain to enabling location specific burnishing of a disk. According to one embodiment, the smoothness of a disk is evaluated by gliding over a disk to determine if there is an asperity on the disk. If there is an asperity on the disk, a location of the asperity is stored to enable location specific burnishing of the disk.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention pertains to a slider that includes a substrate, a transducer tip disposed on the substrate, and a hydrodynamic surface including a responsive aeroelastic deposit. The substrate has a first coefficient of expansion responsive to a stimulus. The transducer tip has having a second coefficient of expansion responsive to the stimulus that is greater than the first coefficient of expansion. The aeroelastic deposit has a third coefficient of expansion responsive to the stimulus that is greater than the first coefficient of expansion. The responsive aeroelastic deposit allows the slider to alter its flight characteristics responsively and elastically to changing operating conditions.

Abstract: A head slider to which little amount of contaminants is adhered, that can form a uniform and flat head lubricant layer surface and that has excellent ultra-low floating properties, as well as a magnetic recording device equipped with the head slider are provided. The head slider is equipped with a head slider lubricant layer having an average film thickness of not more than 2.5 nm, and composed of a water-repellent resin, the lubricant layer being formed on the head slider surface and head slider protection layer surface facing the magnetic recording medium, and the surface tension of the head slider lubricant layer determined by the Fowkes equation is not more than those of the head slider surface and head slider protection layer surface.

Abstract: A hybrid burnishing head for processing of surfaces of hard disk media comprises a solid body including a first major surface and a second, opposed major surface comprising a burnishing surface including first and second surface portions, wherein the first surface portion is configured for providing air bearing stability and flyability of the head over the media surface, the second surface portion is configured for providing burnishing of a media surface, and the first and second surface portions are operatively decoupled for simultaneously providing optimized air bearing stability/flyability and burnishing aggressiveness for a particular application.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a transducer slider. The method involves first coating a substrate with a radiation-sensitive layer and exposing the radiation-sensitive layer to radiation according to an intensity pattern. Preferably, the intensity pattern is provided using a grayscale mask. Once the image is developed into the radiation-sensitive layer, the image is transferred into the substrate to form a transducer slider having a surface profile comprising a tapered edge. In the alternative or in addition, the surface profile may comprise a rounded corner. The invention also relates to a structure for forming a transducer slider.

Abstract: A slider-mounted transducer has an integral wear pad for determining interference between the transducer and a disk surface. The wear pad intensifies interference events during disk drive testing and enables the threshold for slider fly-height to be set at a lower level. This, in turn, improves disk drive reliability during normal operation. The wear pad can be a carbon overlay deposited near the trailing edge of the slider or it can be an un-etched strip of alumina within a recessed region of the slider. The wear pad is substantially worn away during the test period, so it does not affect subsequent operation of the drive.

Abstract: Embodiments include a slider having a silicon body and at least one carbide pad structure embedded therein. At least one head structure for reading and/or writing data is located on the silicon body. The silicon body includes an air bearing surface on which the head is located. The air bearing surface also includes at least a portion of the carbide pad structure thereon. In one aspect, the metal carbide structure may be made from a material such as titanium carbide, zirconium carbide, vanadium carbide, tungsten carbide, or molybdenum carbide. In another aspect, the head may be located on the air bearing surface between carbide pad structures.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a slider comprises the steps of: forming a slider material including a substrate, a thin-film magnetic head element and an insulating portion; forming a first surface in the slider material by etching a surface of the substrate facing toward a recording medium; forming a medium facing layer in the slider material so as to be adjacent to the first surface; and forming a medium facing surface in the slider material by lapping a surface of the medium facing layer facing toward the recording medium and a surface of the insulating portion facing toward the recording medium. The substrate has a hardness greater than that of the insulating portion. As the substrate and the medium facing layer are compared in hardness, the medium facing layer has a hardness closer to that of the insulating portion.

Abstract: A system for selectively sensing and removing asperities from hard disk drive disk is disclosed. The system includes a test stand supporting the disk, the test stand having at least one suspension for flying over a surface of the disk. The system also includes a glide pad coupled to the at least one suspension for flying over the surface and locating asperities. A PZT sensor is coupled to the glide pad for sensing and mapping asperities on the surface of the disk. A burnish pad is coupled to the at least one suspension for wearing-away sensed and mapped asperities on the surface of the disk and a thermal fly height controller is coupled to the burnish pad for protruding the burnish pad when it is proximate to one of the mapped asperities for facilitating the wearing-away of the mapped asperity.

Abstract: A method for selectively sensing and removing asperities from the surface of hard disk drive media is disclosed. A thermally controlled flying height burnish slider is flown on a test stand with its thermal flying height control deactivated. The burnish slider flies at a nominal flying height over the surface of the media to remove any existing loose particles from the surface. A glide slider coupled to a PZT sensor is then flown over the surface of the media, the PZT sensor head mapping locations of any asperities on the surface of the media. The thermal flying height controlled burnish slider is next flown over the surface of the media with the thermal flying height control activated. The thermal flying height control is actuated when a mapped location of an asperity on the surface is proximate to the burnish slider, causing the burnish slider to protrude, wearing off the asperity.

Abstract: A process for fabricating sliders where the sliders are held in place during processing by a solid matrix material is described. A thin coating of a release-layer material is applied on the sliders before encapsulation in the matrix material. The release-layer material is polyvinyl alcohol and more preferably high molecular weight polyvinyl alcohol which is highly hydrolyzed. Use of the release-layer of the invention maintains the process resistance while providing the advantage of allowing easier removal of the matrix material after it is no longer needed. The release-layer can be applied to encapsulant materials including epoxies, acrylates, polyimides, silsesquioxanes and others. After the selected fabrication process such as the formation of air-bearing features an appropriate solvent is applied to soften the polyvinyl alcohol film and allow clean debonding of the sliders.

Abstract: A slider design is presented including a first structure that extends between the rails of the slider body and over at least the first third of the slider body. A second structure having a depth lower than the depth of the first structure is disposed adjacent to the first structure and between the rails. The present slider design provides a stiff air bearing that has a near-constant flying height over various radii of the moving recording medium. The present slider design also provides exceptional lift-off in a ramp unloading operation.

Abstract: A slider maintains a uniform flying posture and a predetermined flying height by suppressing variations of roll angle and flying height. At an air bearing surface of the slider, an edge line on an air influx end side and an edge line at a disk outer circumference side end are connected by an edge line having a recess angle ? (rad) with respect to an abscissa. The edge line on the air influx end side and an edge line at the disk inner circumference side end are connected by an edge line having a recess angle ? (rad) with respect to the abscissa, thereby forming a concave part, and when a distance “x” from an air influx end to the concave part of the air bearing surface is standardized by a length L of the slider to make X=x/L, the recess angles ? and ? are as follows: 0.06×?/X<?<0.12×?/X, and 0.05×?/X<?<0.13×?/X.

Abstract: A slider for carrying transducers for a data storage device including a stiction control trench. The stiction control trench includes a boundary dimension to reduce creep or interference of the pressurized profile of the raised bearing surface to provide stiction control while limiting interference with the hydrodynamic bearing design.

Abstract: A slider includes a slider body having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a first side edge, a second side edge and a center line extending between the leading edge and the trailing edge, which define a disc-facing surface having a bearing plane. A protrusion is positioned on the disc-facing surface along the first side edge and has a protrusion surface. The protrusion surface is tilted with respect to the bearing plane about the center line and towards the first side edge.

Abstract: A recording/reproduction element is mounted on a magnetic head slider via a piezoelectric element so that a displacement of the piezoelectric element performs fine control of the position of the recording/reproduction, thus enabling fine spacing and high track positioning accuracy. This improves linear recording density and track density. A pair of electrodes are formed on both sides of a piezoelectric element to constitute a piezoelectric actuator. One electrode is arranged opposite the rear surface (air flow out end) of a magnetic head slider 11. A recording/reproduction element is arranged on and electrically insulated from the other electrode. The piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric element displaced in a spacing direction, enabling fine spacing control, a piezoelectric element displaced in the track direction, enabling a fine track position control, and a piezoelectric element displaced in a magnetic disc rotation direction, enabling reduction of jitter of a reproduction signal.

Abstract: A disk drive (10) including one or more storage disks (12) and a head stack assembly (14) is provided herein. The head stack assembly (14) includes an actuator assembly (16) and a plurality of transducer assemblies (18). The actuator assembly (16) moves the transducer assemblies (18) relative to the storage disks (12). Each transducer assembly (18) includes a slider (22), a load beam (24) and a head suspension (26) that secures the slider (22) the load beam (24). Preferably, the slider (22) includes an air bearing surface (27) and one or more pads (28). Importantly, the head suspension (26) maintains the slider (22) at a negative pitch static attitude. As a result thereof, the slider (22) is less likely to tip during shutdown and/or after vibration.

Abstract: A magnetic recording disk drive achieves continuous contact recording with a head-suspension assembly that compensates for the moment generated from an adhesive force between the head carrier or slider and the disk. The slider pivot point, which is the point where the load force is applied to the flexure that supports the slider, is located closer to the front end of the slider than the net force applied by the air-bearing surface of the slider when the disk is rotating at its operational speed. This assures that the net air-bearing force generates a moment about the pivot point to partially counteract the flexure moment and the moment generated from the adhesive force between the disk and the slider's contact pad.

Abstract: An improved glide head has an air bearing surface with a flatness of less than about 1 ?inch. The air bearing surfaces are formed from the very smooth and flat surface of a wafer, preferably prior to slicing the glide heads from the wafer. Thus, a wafer is formed having a flat surface with a plurality of air bearing surface contoured onto the surface. To form a glide head, a transducer can be mounted on the air bearing surface or the surface opposite the air bearing surface, preferably at the wafer level before slicing.

Abstract: A device for accessing data stored on a medium includes a substrate that has a transducer on a back side, a bottom side facing the disc, and a surface that protrudes from the bottom side. An insulation layer is placed on top of the surface. An electrostatic actuator electrode is placed on top of the insulation layer. The electrostatic actuator electrode faces the medium across an electrostatically charged portion of an air layer. The electrostatic actuator electrode protrudes above the surface into the electrostatically charged portion of the air layer.

Abstract: A method of constructing an air bearing on a single slider used as a support for a magnetic recording head is described. A recessed surface of the air bearing is constructed by: applying a polymerization initiator (preferably azomonochlorsilane), forming a pattern in the initiator, forming a polymer brush, and ion milling. The application of the polymerization initiator may be from solution or by stamping.

Abstract: A magnetic head exhibits a good traceability without damaging itself or a magnetic disk. The magnetic head includes a slider, and the slider includes a plurality of magnetic cores and an outrigger having a plurality of substantially rectangular slots. The magnetic cores have respective operating gaps for a standard recording density and a high recording density and are inserted into the respective substantially rectangular slots. One magnetic core for a high recording density having a spacer superposed thereon is inserted in one of the slots in such a manner as to touch a wall of the slot. The slider includes a rail surface which has a groove passing longitudinally through the spacer substantially at the center of its thickness and reaching both lengthwise ends of the slider, and the rail surface slides against a magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: A magnetic head is formed of materials having different hardnesses. The head includes a base coat formed on a substrate having a high hardness, for example alumina titanium carbide, upon which a base coat, for example alumina, is formed. The base coat typically had a thickness in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 &mgr;m. This structure provides an improved flying height for heads manufactured using a lapping process.

Abstract: A glide head for detecting asperities on a disc surface is provided. The glide head includes a glide slider which includes a glide slider body that has a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a bottom surface therebetween. The bottom surface is centered along a longitudinal axis that extends between the leading and trailing edges. An inside rail is disposed on the bottom surface on a first side of the longitudinal axis extends from the leading edge to the trailing edge. An outside rail is disposed on the bottom surface on a second side of the longitudinal axis. The outside rail also extends from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The inside and outside rails are substantially equidistant from the longitudinal axis at the bottom surface. The outside rail is positioned lower than the inside rail such that a bottom surface of the outside rail extends further from a point on the longitudinal axis on the trailing edge than does a bottom surface of the inside rail.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for constructing an ultra-low-flying-height slider for carrying a transducing head in a disc drive system including a rotatable disc. The method comprises removing material from an air bearing surface of the slider to create a channel at a likely location of contact with the rotatable disc and filling the channel with a low-friction, high-wear-resistance material. The channel is filled such that the air bearing surface is configured the same as the air bearing surface configuration prior to removing material.

Abstract: Methods of forming a head assembly, a head assembly, and a linear tape drive are provided. One aspect provides a method of forming a head assembly including providing a base member; forming a plurality of head components upon the base member individually adapted to communicate information relative to a tape; providing a plurality of component regions adjacent respective ones of the head components and a path of travel of the tape; and providing a support region intermediate adjacent ones of the head components and positioned to support the tape moving along the path of travel, the support region comprising a material different than a material of the component regions.

Abstract: Provided is a reactive ion etching (RIE) method for use in altering the flatness of a slider, whereby a slider or row of sliders is placed within a RIE apparatus. The apparatus comprises essentially an electrode within a chamber having an inlet and an outlet. The electrode is controlled by a bias power source. A source power is provided to the chamber to generate the plasma, wherein a gas or gas mixture is first introduced to the chamber and the source power is adjusted to maximize the plasma composition of ions and reactive neutral species. The ions and reactive neutral species are generated from reactive chemical species such as CHF3 and other F-containing species. An inert gas such as Argon may also be present. Typically, TiC within the Al2O3 matrix of the slider substrate surface is etched at a faster rate than other substrate species.

Abstract: A magnetic head with an air bearing surface to which an appropriate roughness, a method of manufacturing the same, and a magnetic disk apparatus are provided. A head core part is formed on a base body made of altic formed by dispersing grain titanium carbide into alumina, and then an air bearing surface is formed. Next, plasma oxidation is performed so that a number of protrusions with height of about 5 nm are selectively formed only on the base-body region of the air bearing surface. The protrusions are composed of titanium oxide formed by the exposed portion among titanium carbide grains on the air bearing surface being selectively oxidized. Growth of the protrusions is promoted by applying photoresist on the ABS and removing it before performing plasma oxidation. The magnetic head has no risk of adsorbing a recording medium so that it has excellent CSS.

Abstract: Several embodiments of a method for manufacturing an optical assembly for use in an optical flying head are provided. The optical assembly may include a solid immersion lens and a magnetic coil. Techniques are provided for fabricating the solid immersion lens and the magnetic coil. Techniques are also provided for installing the optical assembly into a slider for the optical flying head. Other embodiments are described in which a solid immersion lens is installed in or is integral with a transparent slider. A magnetic coil may also be installed in these embodiments.

Abstract: A slider having slider level fly height or dynamic control. The slider level fly height control includes a flow gate on a slider body interposed in a flow path along an air bearing surface of the slider body. The flow gate is operable to regulate flow along the air bearing surface to provide dynamic or fly height control for the slider.

Abstract: Three-dimensional positions on an ABS of a slider of a magnetic head are measured, and an interpolated surface 63 is generated by interpolating all the measured points. A processing center position of the magnetic head is calculated based on the interpolated surface, and a plurality of lines parallel with the processing center position are processed. It is also possible to process, by irradiating energy corresponding to a difference between a final target correction volume and a measured value, without forming an interpolated surface.

Abstract: A head slider apparatus, to be attached to a magnetic head in a magnetic disc drive, for preventing bimodal stiction by preventing tipping of the head slider on its rear edge by forcing tipping of the head slider towards one of the head slider's corners. Subsequently, the head slider also mitigates any resultant stiction related to the corner tipping of the head slider that may occur. The head slider apparatus has a diamond-shaped pattern of four pads. The diamond-shaped pattern of the pads directs tipping of the head slider towards its corners. The head slider also has pads positioned in each corner of the head slider to address any resultant stiction caused by the corner tipping.

Abstract: A head slider is assembled in a magnetic disk drive unit and is capable of floating from a surface of a rotating magnetic disk by an air stream, which is formed between the rotating magnetic disk rotating and a disk-side face of the head slider. The head slider has a float pattern formed on the disk-side face that forms the air stream on the surface of the rotating magnetic disk; and a pad formed on the disk-side face and separated from the float pattern. A top end of the pad is projected from the float pattern so as to contact the magnetic disk when rotation of the magnetic disk is stopped. The float pattern is located outside of a range of the air stream which is disturbed by the pad, which is on the downstream side of the air stream with respect to the pad.

Abstract: A method and system is presented for a slider positioned to control a flow of lubricant over the slider body. The slider can also include a raised rail. A pad can be positioned on the slider between the raised rail and a trailing edge of the slider. The pad can extend to the trailing edge of the slider. The pad can include at least two separated edges, which form a central channel. The pad can be made of carbon. The pads can be approximately 0.03 micron tall in a cavity that is approximately 2 micro deep. The pad can be angled in relation to an air flow across the slider to control lube.

Abstract: A head slider for recording and playing back signals on a medium while floating on the medium has a head slider body and a lubrication layer on a slider surface of the head slider body. A lubricant of the lubrication layer has a main chain structure the same as a main chain structure of a lubricant of a lubrication layer of the medium. However, a terminal group of the lubricant of the lubrication layer, which is applied on the head slider has different structure from a structure of a terminal group of the lubricant of the lubrication layer on the medium. Thus, the adhesion does not occur between the lubrication layers of the head slider and the medium. As a result, the glide height of the head slider from the medium can be reduced by a distance of sub-nano-orders. The floating height of the head slider from the medium is decreased so that a plurality of signals are recorded on the medium in a high density.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a slider includes the steps of forming an air bearing surface of a slider material including a thin-film magnetic head element; and etching a part of the air bearing surface, such that a portion of the air bearing surface corresponding to the head element and the rest of the air bearing surface are located in one plane, or such that this portion of the air bearing surface is located closer to a recording medium than the rest of the air bearing surface.

Abstract: A slider is provided that can implement a magnetic head reducing damage to a magnetic recording medium. The slider includes a body having a surface facing the magnetic recording medium and including at least one rail. The rail has at least one end that is chamfered into a concave curved surface.

Abstract: A slider in a disk drive is shock-protected with an overcoat layer of either metal or polymer directly on the areas of the slider that are prone to contact the disk when the slider is loaded off the platform, or when the slider is shocked while in operation over the data zone of the disk. The material used to form the layer absorbs shock and reduces wear, and is bonded or sputtered to the head in a region other than the pads of the air bearing surface. This region is typically the reactive ion etched (RIE) surface area and is slightly below the pads of the air bearing surface of the head. In an alternate version of the invention, the slider is protected by covering only the edges of the slider with a suitable material. Finally, the entire slider may be encased with the overcoating except for the pads of the air bearing surface.

Abstract: A disk drive system includes a base, a disk stack rotatably attached to the base, and an actuator assembly movably attached to the base. A ramp assembly includes a set of ramps for loading and unloading the sliders and transducing elements carried by the sliders to and from the disks in the disk stack. The ramp assembly is attached to the base. An actuator assembly is movably attached to the base of the disk drive. The actuator assembly includes one or more arms. A load spring is attached to the arm of the actuator. In some instances two load springs are attached to the arm of the actuator. A slider is attached to the load spring. Sliders have a backside surface and an air bearing surface. The air bearing surface includes an arrangement of rails and cavities which form high pressure areas and low pressure areas. An opening or passage connects the air bearing surface the backside surface of the slider. A ring of compliant material is attached to the backside surface of the slider.

Abstract: A slider includes an air bearing surface (ABS) including a plurality of separate coplanar pads, a cavity recessed to a certain depth beneath the level of the ABS, and a plurality of steps in which each step is disposed at a level between that of the ABS and that of the cavity. The plurality of steps include a trailing edge step and a leading edge step, and in some embodiments a first side step and a second side step. The leading edge step is provided at a level deeper than that of the trailing edge step. The first side step and the second side step may be provided at the same or different levels to tailor the flight characteristics of the slider. A process is also disclosed for the fabrication of a slider of the present invention. The process includes at least three cycles of masking, etching, and stripping in order to form at least three successively deeper levels, the deepest level being the cavity.

Abstract: An information handling system, such as a disc drive, including a base, a disc stack rotatably attached to the base, and an actuator assembly movably attached to the base. The actuator assembly also includes a load spring and a slider attached to said load spring. The slider for a disc drive includes a block of material having a leading edge, a trailing edge and an air-bearing surface. The air-bearing surface has at least one contact surface. Attached to the slider is at least one post for controlling the pitch of the slider. The post is movable between a first position and a second position. The post is attached to a piezoelectric element for moving the post between a first position and a second position. The post is actuated between the first position and the second position. In one embodiment of the invention, one post is attached to the trailing edge of the slider.

Abstract: Plural carbon-containing overcoats are formed on a media-facing surface of an information storage system head. The plural carbon-containing overcoats can mitigate corrosion without increasing head-media spacing. A first of the overcoats may be formed prior to creation of contact or air bearing features on the media-facing surface, with a second overcoat formed after creation of air bearing features. The first overcoat may be etched back substantially or completely prior to formation of the second overcoat. Laminated carbon-containing overcoats may have greater strength and/or coverage than non-laminated overcoats of the same thickness. The overcoats may be formed of several forms of diamond-like carbon (DLC) or silicon-carbide (SiC).

Abstract: In the lapping of a magnetic head formed of materials of different hardness levels, the film thickness of a base coat formed on a substrate having a high hardness is made to be in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 &mgr;m, and the lapping for producing the magnetic head is performed by use of a lapping plate made of a material of relatively low hardness, whereby it becomes possible to reduce a pole-tip recession into a range not more than 1 nm and to suppress the average surface roughness of a lapped surface into another range not less than 10 nm.

Abstract: A slider burnishing method is introduced, in which the slider is brought into a predetermined surface contact with the rotating disk for a specified period. The predetermined surface contact and the specified time period are selected together with the surface condition of the rotating hard disk, such that smoothened slider surface is abrasively formed. The smoothened slider surface is substantially parallel to the disk surface and thus provides reduced contact pressure during eventual operational contacting. In addition, the smoothened slider surface creates a constant gap together with the disk surface, which enhances the aerodynamic properties of the air bearing surface and stabilizes a small fly height.

Abstract: A magnetic head including first and second magnetic head units for recording to and reproducing from a first and second flexible rotating recording medium; the second flexible rotating recording medium having a coercive force lower than a coercive force of the first flexible rotating recording medium; a slider, supporting the first magnetic head unit, and having a central groove separating first and second air bearing surfaces, at which the first and second magnetic heads, respectively, are provided. The slider generates an elevating force from air currents generated in a space between the first and second air bearing surfaces and the flexible rotating recording media.