Abstract: A recording head for a disk drive with a load/unload mechanism has an air bearing on one surface. The air bearing comprises a patterned set of three air bearing pads, at least five shallow pockets and one deep pocket. A narrow gap extends from the deep pocket and separates leading ones of the air bearing pads and shallow pockets from each other. The air bearing pads have unique, step-shaped geometry and the rear pad is virtually free of any shallow area. This configuration gives the air bearing superior performance characteristics over prior art designs with load/unload mechanisms.

Abstract: After a sacrifice layer 51 has been formed on a substrate 50, there are formed a protective layer 41, flying surface layer 42, head element layer 43 and actuator layer 44. Further, a slider body 45 is formed by means of plating, and then the sacrifice layer 51 is removed so that the slider body can be separated from the substrate 50. In the thus obtained magnetic head slider 40, when an actuator 40a is loaded or unloaded, a frictional force, generated when the head element 43 is made to come close to or contact with a recording medium, is reduced and the head element 43 can accurately follow a track on the recording medium. A portion of the head element layer 43 forms at least one protrusion 46 which protrudes from a surface opposed to the recording medium onto the recording medium side.

Abstract: An air bearing slider for a disc drive includes an air bearing surface defined on the disc opposing face at least in part by a first step or cavity. An additional corner step is defined in bar processing, deeper than the first cavity. With the corner step, the first cavity does not extend quite all the way to the corner of the slider. The corner of the slider, formed on one face by dicing of the bar into individual sliders, is at an additional depth due to the corner step. The corner steps are preferably narrow, such as nominally one to two times the tolerance value on the dice cut. If a shock event occurs which causes the air bearing slider to contact the disc at certain roll and pitch angles, the corner step edge will contact the disc rather than the dice cut corner. The corner step thus lessens the probability of contact between the disc and the corners of the air bearing slider, and contact with a dice cut edge of the slider is avoided.

Abstract: In order to provide a thin film magnetic head having a high performance as well as a method of manufacturing the same, in which throat height TH of a pole portion and MR height MRH can be formed accurately to have desired design values for improving a surface recording density and reducing a side fringe magnetic flux during a writing, an MR film 46 is formed such that the film is embedded in a shield gap layer formed on a substrate 41, 42, a first magnetic layer 47 is formed on the shield gap layer, a thin film coil 49, 51 is formed on the first magnetic layer such that the coil is isolated by an insulating layer 48, 50, 52, and a second magnetic layer 54 is formed in accordance with a given pattern. The gap layer 53 is selectively removed by an anisotropic etching in the vicinity of side walls of a pole portion 54a of the second magnetic layer 54, and then the first magnetic layer is partially removed by an ion milling to form a recess 55 having an inner side wall 54a which serves as a positional reference.

Abstract: A magnetic disk apparatus having excellent wear resistance and high reliability can be provided by arranging cylindrical or polygonal cylindrical protrusions or protrusions of honeycomb structure on at least one of a slider surface of the magnetic head and a surface of the magnetic disk and dispersing an additive 19 comprising spherical or polyhedral molecules or particles in the liquid lubricant 9 on the surface of the magnetic disk.

Abstract: A data storage system including a head supporting transducer elements relative to a disc surface for proximity recording. The head including a slider having debris collection cavities positioned relative to a contact interface between the slider and disc surface. The debris collection cavities being designed to collect debris loosed from the disc surface to reduce thermal asperities.

Abstract: A thin-film magnetic head in which the end face of a magnetic film protrudes beyond a substrate within the air bearing surface of the magnetic head. The magnetic film being made of a material containing a metallic element which is lap polished with abrasive grains containing the hydroxide of the metallic element. Because the air bearing surface is constructed according to the above procedure, the bit length of a magnetic disk can be decreased to ensure a higher record density.

Abstract: A magnetic head supporting mechanism includes a head positioning actuator having an arm, and a load beam connected to the arm. The load beam has a gimbal. The gimbal includes a magnetic head slider fixing portion on which a magnetic head slider having a magnetic head is mounted, a first pair of beams extending from opposite sides of the magnetic head slider fixing portion along a traverse direction of the load beam perpendicular to a longitudinal direction thereof, and a second pair of beams respectively connected to the first pair of beams and extending so as to face the opposite sides of the magnetic head slider fixing portion.

Abstract: A magnetic head slider in a magnetic disc drive system has a contact pad on a liquid bearing surface of the slider which bears on liquid applied on the magnetic disc. Each molecule of the liquid has at least two-polar groups for bridging the contact pad and the magnetic disc by intermolecular force. The bridging prevents the magnetic head slider from jumping over the magnetic disc.