Read Rite Corporation

Yiao-Tee Hsia

Ciuter Chang

Pablo G Levi

Kevin Patrick Hanrahan

Amanullah Khan

Daniel A Nepela

Mark J Donovan

Christopher A Lee

Rajendra Bhadra

An air bearing slider is designed with two rails and a central pad that provide positive air bearing regions to the air bearing surface of the slider, and three recess regions that are etched to a constant depth. The rails are identical and are symmetrically disposed relative to a central longitudinal axis. Each rail includes three sections: a pitch adjustment pad, a leg, and a roll adjustment pad. The pitch adjustment pad provides a balanced pressure distribution at the leading edge and optimizes the overall pitch angle of the slider. The leg extends from the pitch adjustment pad and generates counter-pressure that partially opposes the load applied by the suspension. The roll adjustment pad extends from the leg and generates an air bearing force that compensates for roll generated during slider operation. This air bearing slider design achieves constant flying height and less vertical and pitch stiffness, which will result in low contact force for pseudo-contact applications.

Air bearing magnetic head slider

The air bearing surface of an air bearing slider is formed with first and second leading end tapers that are spaced from the sides of the slider. Air bearing pads are formed with transverse sections and longitudinal legs which define a major recessed central region. The leading end tapers and the transverse sections delineate a narrow recessed channel extending from the slider leading end to the recessed central region. Angled recessed areas are formed between the legs and sides of the slider. A third pad is located at the trailing end of the slider. As a result, the slider has virtually no roll and improved stiffness for pitch and vertical characteristics of the slider over a large range of altitudes, including sea level to about 10,000 feet above sea level.

Reduced-altitude-sensitive subambient pressure air bearing slider

A magnetic head suspension assembly for transducing data from and onto a surface of a rotating magnetic disk includes a load beam for supplying a directed force to a slider, so as to maintain the slider at a desired height above the disk surface. A flexure is secured to the load beam, and is formed of a flexible dielectric layer on which a pattern of conductive traces are formed. These conductive traces are patterned for providing sufficient flexibility in various degrees of movement and stiffness to resist physical deformation, for imparting optimal mechanical and structural support to the slider and to the load beam, and for electrically connecting the slider to read/write electronic circuitry. In the preferred embodiment, the dielectric layer is made of a polymeric resinous material, such as polyimide, and the conductive traces are made of copper.

Conductive trace flexure for a magnetic head suspension assembly

The air bearing surface of an air bearing slider is configured with a taper formed at the slider leading end and a rail that is formed with a base and two legs. One leg extends from the base partially toward the trailing end. The other leg extends from the base to the trailing end and is integrally formed of a rectangularly shaped section and one or more polygon-shaped sections. Inner and outer recesses are defined and separated by the rail, such that the slider is effectively insensitive to changes in ambient pressure, particularly from variations in altitude, so that a substantially constant flying height can be maintained.

Altitude insensitive air bearing slider

The air bearing surface of an air bearing slider is formed with first and second side rails and a central recess. The rails are configured to have an inverted U-shaped section and a connecting partial trapezoidal-type section. The U-shaped section has a base joined to two spaced legs, wherein one leg is preferably longer than the other. A continuous recess is provided between the legs of each side rail and extends from the base towards the trailing end of the slider and adjacent to the trapezoidal-type section. The slider is effectively insensitive to changes in air pressure, particularly in variations in altitude, so that a substantially constant flying height can be maintained.

A negative pressure air bearing slider is provided with side rails, a central negative pressure cavity between the side rails and one or more relief vents at the leading edge of the slider. The side rails extend fully or partially from tapered regions at the leading edge of the slider to the trailing edge of the slider. Air bearing pads disposed adjacent to the front tapered regions and/or the slider trailing edge may be configured with the side rails. By virtue of the slider design, variations in flying height and roll are minimized.

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Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

Yiao-Tee Hsia