Abstract: Disclosed herein are sliders with at least one notch-cut in the trailing pad, methods of making them, and data storage devices comprising them. In some embodiments, a slider comprises a leading-edge surface, a trailing-edge surface, and an air-bearing surface (ABS) that includes a trailing pad situated closer to the trailing-edge surface than to the leading-edge surface, wherein the trailing pad comprises at least one notch-cut (e.g., two notch-cuts) in a trailing side of the trailing pad. The at least one notch-cut provides higher pressure at the recording head situated in the trailing pad and higher thermal flight control efficiency without a commensurate increase in touch-down power. As a result, the temperature around the recording head is lower than without the at least one notch-cut, thereby improving the lifetime of the recording head and data storage device.

Abstract: Described herein are sliders and data storage devices that promote particle mobility to improve particle robustness. In some embodiments, a data storage device includes a recording medium and a slider. A surface of the slider air-bearing surface near the leading edge includes at least one roughening feature that causes the surface to be rougher than other surfaces of the slider to promote particle mobility. The roughening feature may include a regular or irregular pattern, and it may be created using a photoresist mask during the manufacturing process so that the surface is deliberately made rougher (e.g., has a higher friction coefficient) than the surface of a leading pad of the slider.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are sliders with deep holes, data storage devices including such sliders, and methods of manufacturing such sliders. The holes can be situated near the edges of the slider to improve the stability and/or damping of the slider. The holes may be created, for example, using ion milling. In some embodiments, a slider comprises a leading pad comprising a first medium-facing surface that includes at least a first hole and a second hole, a first side pad comprising a second medium-facing surface that includes at least a third hole, and a second side pad comprising a third medium-facing surface that includes at least a fourth hole. In some embodiments, a trailing pad of the slider comprises a fourth medium-facing surface that includes at least a fifth hole and a sixth hole.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are sliders that include segmented structures for trapping particles while providing adequate airflow to meet pitch stability objectives. A slider includes a vertical structure and a segmented structure disposed adjacent to the base of the vertical structure. The segmented structure comprises a plurality of particle-trapping segments and at least one gap, where each pair of two consecutive particle-trapping segments is separated by a gap. When the slider ABS faces upward, each gap is at a level that is higher than the floors of the particle-trapping segments on either side of the gap. In some embodiments, the segmented structure includes at least three particle-trapping segments and at least two gaps. In some embodiments, the lengths of the particle trapping segments account for at least eighty percent of the overall length of the segmented structure.

Abstract: A slider design for a hard disk drive (HDD) features an air-bearing surface (ABS) topography with arrays of micro-dots formed on bases of a multiplicity of cavities at different depths. The design eliminates the accumulation of hydrocarbons (e.g., spindle oil and disk lubricant) deposits in regions of air stagnation within the cavities where backflows and foreflows of air meet and cancel during HDD operation. The micro-dots are small raised regions of various shapes having sizes and spacings in the range between 2 and 100 microns and, in a preferred embodiment, heights of 0.15 microns above the cavity bases.

Abstract: A recording head that includes at least one protection feature that prevents at least one other feature of the recording head from directly colliding with a data storage medium with which the recording head communicates. The recording head includes a transducer element having a leading edge and a trailing edge. The recording head also includes a transducer element heater located closer to the leading edge of the transducer element than the trailing edge of the transducer element. A contact pad is interposed between the leading edge of the transducer element and the transducer element heater to prevent the transducer element from directly colliding with the data storage medium.

Abstract: A magnetic element may be generally configured with at least a write pole that has leading and trailing regions on an air bearing surface. The leading region may have a trailing width connected to a leading width of the trailing region via a transition feature to form a substantially T-shaped cross-section on the air bearing surface.

Abstract: A PMR writer is disclosed that includes a recessed center section in the write pole trailing edge and a center recessed trailing shield to improve the field gradient at track edge. In all embodiments, there is a non-uniform write gap between the trailing edge and the trailing shield. The recessed portion of the write pole trailing edge and/or center recess of the trailing shield has a thickness from 10 to 40 nm in a down-track direction and a width in a cross-track direction of 20 to 200 nm. The distance between the center recess and a corner of the trailing edge is from 20 to 80 nm. A sequence of steps is provided to fabricate the two embodiments of the present invention.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) head is fabricated with a multi-level tapered write pole. The write pole comprises a main pole with a tapered tip on a leading edge or a trailing edge, on which is formed at least one yoke that has a tapered edge. The edge of the yoke is recessed from the ABS of the main pole, giving the head a stepped profile. The yoke can be a single yoke formed on one side of the main pole or it can be two yokes formed on both the leading and trailing sides of the main pole. The write pole structure creates an efficient channeling of magnetic flux to the ABS surface of the pole tip which produces magnetic recording field at high area densities.

Abstract: A PMR writer is disclosed that includes at least one of a recessed center section in the write pole trailing edge and a center recessed trailing shield to improve the field gradient at track edge. In all embodiments, there is a non-uniform write gap between the trailing edge and the trailing shield. The recessed portion of the write pole trailing edge and/or center recess of the trailing shield has a thickness from 10 to 40 nm in a down-track direction and a width in a cross-track direction of 20 to 200 nm. The distance between the center recess and a corner of the trailing edge is from 20 to 80 nm. A sequence of steps is provided to fabricate the two embodiments of the present invention.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for a subambient pressure air bearing slider utilizing negative pressure grooves. In one embodiment, a groove extends from a slider's leading edge, splits, and terminates in two locations at the slider's trailing edge. In one embodiment, a groove is provided in a slider's compression pad near the trailing edge of the slider.

Abstract: A magnetic head that includes: a slider having a leading edge and a trailing edge; and a transducer, the transducer formed on the trailing edge of the slider and the transducer including: a substrate; a basecoat positioned adjacent the substrate, wherein the basecoat includes a material having a Young's modulus that is less than that of alumina and a coefficient of thermal expansion that is less than that of alumina; a reader; a writer; a heater; and an overcoat encasing at least a portion of the transducer, wherein the overcoat includes a material having a Young's modulus that is less than that of alumina and a coefficient of thermal expansion that is less than that of alumina.

Abstract: A slider having an air bearing surface and a leading face is described. The slider comprises a leading edge blend comprising a first curved surface formed at an intersection of the air bearing surface and the leading face. The slider further comprises at least one step feature having a second surface with a first portion recessed from the air bearing surface and a second portion recessed from and conformal to the first curved surface of the leading edge blend.

Abstract: An apparatus and associated method for a slider pad that allows for contact to be mitigated without plastic deformation. Various embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to a slider that presents a transducer and has at least one air bearing surface (ABS) feature. The ABS feature comprises a pair of sidewalls spaced a distance X apart. A pad is deposited on the ABS feature so that the pad comprises a hemispherical cross-section and has a circumferential diameter greater than X.

Abstract: A slider resistant to lubricant accumulation. The slider resistant to lubricant accumulation includes a positive-air-pressure portion of the slider configured to levitate the slider above a magnetic-recording disk and a negative-air-pressure portion of the slider configured to bring the slider into proximity with the magnetic-recording disk at a fly height sufficient for writing data to and reading data from the magnetic-recording disk. The slider resistant to lubricant accumulation also includes a lubricant-accumulation barrier disposed in proximity to a trailing edge of the slider. The lubricant-accumulation barrier is configured to reduce lubricant accumulation on the slider. The lubricant-accumulation barrier also includes a plurality of lubricant-accumulation-barrier portions disposed at a plurality of respective depths below an outer-most surface of a disk-facing side of the slider.

Abstract: A slider resistant to lubricant accumulation. The slider resistant to lubricant accumulation includes a positive-air-pressure portion of the slider configured to levitate the slider above a magnetic-recording disk and a negative-air-pressure portion of the slider configured to bring the slider into proximity with the magnetic-recording disk at a fly height sufficient for writing data to and reading data from the magnetic-recording disk. The slider resistant to lubricant accumulation also includes a lubricant-accumulation barrier disposed in proximity to a trailing edge of the slider. The lubricant-accumulation barrier is configured to reduce lubricant accumulation on the slider.

Abstract: A head slider for a disk drive storage device. In general, the head slider should fly at the target height above the disk without crashing onto the hard disk. The head slider has an outside flange that encloses a plateau and an inside flange that encloses a plateau. The two plateaus may have the same surface area or the outside plateau may have a greater surface area. Because of the design of the outside flange, the likelihood that the head slider will crash on the hard disk is reduced.

Abstract: A head-slider. The head-slider includes a pair of leading-edge air-bearing surfaces formed on a leading-edge portion of a disk-facing slider-surface of the head-slider, a center air-bearing surface formed at a central portion of a trailing-edge portion of the disk-facing slider-surface, and a magnetic-recording head disposed at the central portion of the trailing-edge portion. At least one leading-edge air-bearing surface of the pair has a form of a partially truncated rectangle with a longitudinal axis of the partially truncated rectangle oriented substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the head-slider. The partially truncated rectangle is defined by a rectangle truncated so that a first corner portion on the inside-diameter side of the leading-edge air-bearing surface and a second corner portion on the outside-diameter side of the leading-edge air-bearing surface have been cut away to form a vertex of the partially truncated rectangle in proximity to the leading edge of the head-slider.

Abstract: A method for forming micro-texture on ABS of a slider, includes steps of: positioning sliders arranged in arrays on a tray, each slider having a pole tip facing upward; loading the tray into a processing chamber, and evacuating the processing chamber to a preset pressure; introducing a mixture gas of inert gas and hydrocarbon gas into the processing chamber, and ionizing the mixture gas to produce ion beams; exposing the sliders to the ion beam for etching so as to form micro-texture with two-step structure on the ABS of the slider. The invention also discloses a method of manufacturing a slider having micro-texture.

Abstract: A slider operating air bearing surface (ABS) to remove a front saturation water vapor pressure peak near a front bulwark and a bad flow pattern area the between front bulwark and a central island. The ABS implementing these operations. Alternatively, ABS includes a front bulwark channel in the front bulwark and a central fin between the front bulwark and the central island. Slider includes an embodiment of the ABS. Head gimbal assembly (HGA) includes the slider. Head stack assembly includes at least one HGA. Hard disk drive includes the head stack assembly. Manufacturing methods for the slider, the HGA, the head stack assembly, the hard disk drive, and these items as products of their manufacturing processes.

Abstract: When the flying height of a magnetic head slider lowers, there arises the problem that the magnetic head slider assumes a forwardly falling attitude and a front edge portion of a leading end of the magnetic head slider comes into contact with a magnetic disk surface, causing damage to the disk surface. To address the problem, one aspect of the invention is directed to a magnetic head slider which includes an air bearing surface, a leading end and a trailing end. Three flying pads are formed on the air bearing surface and a step bearing surface is formed around the first and second flying pads near the leading end and a negative pressure groove for producing a negative pressure is formed in such a manner that the leading side is surrounded by the step bearing surface. The third flying pad is formed near the trailing end and is provided with a magnetic head. A step bearing is formed on the leading side of the third flying pad.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a slider of a head includes a trailing step portion which protrudes from a facing surface of the slider, is situated on the downstream side of a negative-pressure cavity with respect to an airflow, and has a top surface, a trailing pad which protrudes from the top surface, and an adjustment recess which is formed in the top surface on the upstream side of the trailing pad with respect to the airflow and is shallower than the negative-pressure cavity. The adjustment recess defines a first step portion, which extends across a first direction and hangs from the top surface toward a bottom of the adjustment recess, and a second step portion, which extends across the first direction, is spaced in the first direction from the first step portion, and rises from the bottom of the adjustment recess toward the top surface.

Abstract: A head slider includes a parallelepiped-shaped slider base having a flat flying surface. A flat first step is formed at an air inlet end of the flying surface to be stepped from the flying surface. A flat second step is formed on the first step to be stepped from the flying surface. A vacuum area is formed at a downstream end of an air flow flowing from the first and second steps on the flying surface. At least one groove is formed on a portion of the first step for introducing air to the vacuum area. The width of the groove at the air inlet end and the width of the groove at an air outlet end can differ from each other. A trailing edge of the first step can be closer to a trailing edge of the slider base than a trailing edge of the second step.

Abstract: A head slider includes a parallelepiped-shaped slider base having a flat flying surface. A flat first step is formed at an air inlet end of the flying surface to be stepped from the flying surface. A flat second step is formed on the first step to be stepped from the flying surface. A vacuum area is formed at a downstream end of an air flow flowing from the first and second steps on the flying surface. At least one groove is formed on a portion of the first step for introducing air to the vacuum area. The width of the groove at the air inlet end and the width of the groove at an air outlet end can differ from each other. A trailing edge of the first step can be closer to a trailing edge of the slider base than a trailing edge of the second step.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for utilizing a small pad to increase a head to a disk interface reliability for a load/unload drive. The method provides a suspension for reaching over a disk. A slider having a read/write head element on a trailing edge (TE) portion is also provided, the slider coupled with the suspension. In addition, a low friction zone is provided proximal to a leading edge (LE) portion of the slider such that when the LE portion of the slider is aligned to contact a disk element during the load phase, the low friction zone contacts the disk element and provides a reduced contact area with respect to the LE portion of the slider such that a friction force is reduced and the slider can assume a proper flying attitude.

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 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: An air bearing burnish slider burnishes very small asperities and cleans the loose particles that adhere to the magnetic recording media. The slider applies a controllable contact force to effectively burnish disk asperities or partially attached particles. In addition, the slider cleans the loose particles effectively while flying in a stable fashion. In a low pitch design, diagonal rails push particles away from the disk surface and trailing edge pads contact the disk at lower linear velocities. Rail pads retain loose contamination and debris in their pockets and burnish asperities. Another design provides a milder burnish force and flies in a high pitch configuration. The trailing edge pads provide stable contacts and the rails help in sweeping away debris. In both designs, the contact forces can be controlled by adjusting linear velocities. A step taper at the leading edge provides a pitch-producing lift force.

Abstract: A converter that records or reproduces information to or from a recording medium while making a movement relative to the recording medium is mounted on a slider. The slider has at least a pair of openings on a side face thereof, and airflow generated by the movement relative to the recording medium flows in via one of the paired openings, passes in a vicinity of a surface of the converter other than a surface thereof facing the recording medium, and thereafter flows out via the other one of the paired openings. With this, the ability to cool the converter is improved.

Abstract: A flying head slider includes a slider body. The upstream or leading end of a bottom surface on the slider body is defined along a first datum line extending in the lateral direction of the slider body. The first datum line may be set perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline of the slider body. The upstream or leading end of the front air bearing surface is defined along a second datum line intersecting the first datum line at a predetermined inclined angle. As the incidence angle of an airflow colliding against a step defined at the leading end of the front air bearing surface gets decreased, the pitch angle of the slider body also gets decreased in the flying head slider during flight.

Abstract: The invention includes head gimbal assemblies, actuators, and disk drives containing at least one airfoil boundary reducing air flow turbulence about a slider induced by said head gimbal assembly accessing a rotating disk surface.

Abstract: With a view to providing a head slider which can suppress the adhesion of dust particles to a flying surface of the head slider when the head slider flies and a disk drive employing the same head slider, a head slider in which at least an air bearing portion and a land portion for forming a vacuum area on the flying surface are provided on the flying surface of the head slider, the land portion being formed in such a manner as to have a difference in level so as to be closer by a step to a disk medium than an end surface of the slider base, wherein the water repellency of an end surface of the land portion and the water repellency of the end surface of the slider base are made higher than the water repellency of the air bearing portion.

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 magnetic data transducing head slider is provided with a transversely extended crossbar or other barrier near the leading edge. The barrier is deposited onto the air bearing surface of the slider using photolithographic techniques that enable precise determination of the barrier dimensions and the barrier set-back from the leading edge. The barrier set-back, width and thickness can be selected to control the transducer flying height and the pitch of the slider relative to the data recording surface of a magnetic disk when the slider is aerodynamically supported relative to the disk. The barrier also acts as a shield to minimize particulate contamination.

Abstract: In a magnetic head, a head element and bumps connected thereto are formed on one end face of a slider substrate, and an insulating film is formed on the other end face opposite from the one end face. Therefore, even when the slider is electrically charged, the other end face thereof does not contact bumps formed in another slider substrate, and charges of the slider substrate will not move into the bumps. This prevents the slider substrate from electrostatic damage.

Abstract: An angle &thgr;1 made between a supporting surface S of a slider and an imaginary plane C in which a first border line and a second border line of a tapered surface lie, and an angle &thgr;2 made between the supporting surface S of the slider and an imaginary plane D in which a first border line and a second border line of a tapered surface lie, respectively fall within a range of not less than 5 degrees but not more than 14 degrees.

Abstract: An air bearing slider includes an asymmetric taper for control of pressurization and suction force formation. The asymmetric taper is disposed on an edge of a slider to accommodate for the speed differential across the disc radial direction, thereby improving take-off performance, reducing sensitivity to skew angle and altitude variation, and reducing the severity of impacts during ramp loading and unloading. A leading taper intersecting a leading surface and air bearing surface of the slider is asymmetric about a longitudinal, bisecting plane of the slider. In another embodiment, side taper intersecting a side surface and air bearing surface of the slider is asymmetric about a latitudinal, bisecting plane of the slider. In another embodiment, rail taper intersecting a rail recess surface and air bearing surface of the slider is asymmetric about a longitudinal, rail-bisecting plane.

Abstract: An improved head assembly having a leading edge step scheme for tuned air entrainment for improved head performance in higher capacity disk drives. The head assembly having a tuned leading edge step scheme improves the performance of the heads by controlling the entrainment of air thereby forming a desired air bearing between a disk surface and the longitudinal rails of each slider of the head assembly thereby forcing the storage media to comply in an advantageous way (e.g., conform) to cause intimacy at the sensor. The improved head assembly having a leading edge step scheme allows the flying characteristics of the head to be controlled by providing a first rail including a sensor for interfacing with the disk media and having a bleed leading edge step that does not entrain air well and a second rail not having a sensor and having a structured leading edge step that entrains air better than the bleed leading edge step of the first rail.

Abstract: A slider for improved head-disc interface. The slider includes a slider body, an air bearing and edge surfaces. Edge surfaces of the slider include a rounded edge surface having a deposited edge covering for head-disc interface.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a slider which can maintain a uniform flying posture and a predetermined flying height by suppressing variations of roll angle and flying height of the slider.

Abstract: A slider 1 is provided with a magnetic head element for recording or reading signals from a magnetic disk. On this slider, a chamfer is formed by polishing between a rear end of a ramp edge and a front end edge of a rail's principal plane. This construction can sufficiently suppress slider abrasion due to a contact between the disk and the slider, prevent the generation of dust due to the abrasion, and permit satisfactory recording and reproduction of information signals on the magnetic disk.

Abstract: An improved head assembly having a leading edge step scheme for tuned air entrainment for improved head performance in higher capacity disk drives. The head assembly having a tuned leading edge step scheme improves the performance of the heads by controlling the entrainment of air thereby forming a desired air bearing between a disk surface and the longitudinal rails of each slider of the head assembly thereby forcing the storage media to comply in an advantageous way (e.g., conform) to cause intimacy at the sensor. The improved head assembly having a leading edge step scheme allows the flying characteristics of the head to be controlled by providing a first rail including a sensor for interfacing with the disk media and having a bleed leading edge step that does not entrain air well and a second rail not having a sensor and having a structured leading edge step that entrains air better than the bleed leading edge step of the first rail.

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 portion is provided with protrusion portions having a spherical surface, contacting a recording medium. A center of a magnetic pole is arranged on the line C1 connecting the vertices of the protrusion portions. Line C1 is more or less aligned with the gliding direction of the protrusion portions. Thereby, positional variations between the magnetic pole and the surface of the recording medium can be minimized even when the head slider is tilted with respect to the surface of the recording medium. Thus, a gliding converter support structure is provided whose conversion efficiency does not decrease when it is tilted with respect to the surface of the recording medium, which is easy to manufacture, has little gliding resistance, and does not easily accumulate dust.

Abstract: A rail is formed on a medium-opposed surface of a slider body in a flying head slider. An air bearing surface is defined on the upper surface of the rail, which faces the medium. Projections are formed on the medium-opposed surface. The projections serve to space the air bearing surface from a medium such as a recording disk when the slider body contacts the recording disk. A trailing end of the rail is narrowed laterally along the trailing end of the medium-opposed surface. Even when the slider body contacts the recording disk at the trailing end, in addition to the projections, the contact area between the slider body and the recording disk is reduced because of the narrowed trailing end. Since the rail is narrowed without changing its original thickness or height from the bottom base of the medium-opposed surface, no additional processing is required to form the air bearing surface.

Abstract: A head slider comprising a slider body provided with an air bearing surface arranged in one surface of the slider body and a tapered surface arranged adjacent to an air introducing end of the air bearing surface. The head slider is provided with an adhesion-free slider structure, and includes at least one first pad formed on and projecting from the air bearing surface. The first pad is located close to a joint portion between the air bearing surface and the tapered surface. The head slider is also provided with at least one second pad formed on and projecting from the tapered surface, which is located close to the joint portion and away from the first pad. A distance between the first pad and the second pad in an air flow direction may preferably be determined to be at least twice a dimensional tolerance, in the air flow direction, of the tapered surface.