Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Yong Hu

Weidong Huang

Taichi Nakamura

David E Fowler

Erhard Theodor Schreck

Barry C Stipe

Oscar Jaime Ruiz

Qing Dai

Kenji Kuroki

Lee K Dorius

Biao Sun

Nobuyuki Okunaga

Hung V Nguyen

Sripathi Vangipuram Canchi

Katsuhide Tanaka

Kenji Tasaka

Xiaojuan Ran

Yuichiro Sano

Ehsan Rismaniyazdi

A slider for a data storage device may include a trailing pad comprising a recording head, an outer surface, and an inner surface, wherein the outer surface is at the media-adjacent level and the inner surface is at the first recessed level. The slider may further include particle-blocking structure comprising a hole in the inner surface of the trailing pad, wherein a bottom surface of the hole is at the second recessed level, and an island blocker situated within the hole, wherein a media-facing surface of the island blocker is at the media-adjacent level, wherein the recording head is situated between the island blocker and a trailing edge of the slider. Also disclosed are data storage devices comprising sliders having particle-blocking structures comprising a hole and an island blocker. Also disclosed are methods of manufacturing sliders having particle-blocking structures comprising a hole and an island blocker.

Magnetic head air bearing design with island blocker for smear mitigation

A slider may include a first side-edge surface, a second side-edge surface, and an air-bearing surface (ABS) comprising: a first side cavity adjacent to the first side-edge surface, and a first island side blocker situated at a mouth of the first side cavity, wherein: a first outer surface of the first island side blocker forms a portion of the first side-edge surface, a second outer surface of the first island side blocker is recessed from the first side-edge surface, a first side opening is situated on a leading side of the first island side blocker, and a second side opening is situated on a trailing side of the first island side blocker.

Slider air bearing designs with side blocker for contamination robustness

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.

Slider air bearing design with roughened leading edge shallow step for enhanced particle robustness

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.

Slider air bearing design with ultra-low pressure for low power-consumption data storage devices

Disclosed herein are slider designs having improved trailing air flow dams, and data storage devices including such sliders. In some embodiments, a slider comprises a trailing edge and an air-bearing surface (ABS) comprising a trailing edge pad, and a trailing air flow dam coupled to the trailing edge pad, wherein, in an ABS view of the slider, the trailing air flow dam is recessed from and curves away from the trailing edge. In the ABS view, a shape of the trailing air flow dam may comprise two segments. The slider also has a leading edge and may at least one sub-ambient pressure cavity adjacent to the trailing air flow dam and disposed between the trailing air flow dam and the leading edge. A contact point of the trailing air flow dam may be at least 50 microns from a corner of the slider.

Air-bearing surface designs with a curved trailing air flow dam

Disclosed herein are sliders that include at least one leading-edge pocket, data storage devices comprising such sliders, and methods of manufacturing such sliders. The at least one leading-edge pocket increases the amount of gas flowing into the leading edge area of the ABS, which can improve the performance of the slider in low-pressure environments, such as sealed helium data storage devices. The at least one leading-edge pocket can have a variety of shapes, sizes, and features to achieve the desired slider performance (e.g., fly height, stability, etc.) in low-pressure environments.

Slider gas-bearing surface designs with leading-edge pockets

Disclosed herein is a magnetic storage device that comprises a housing defining an interior cavity. The magnetic storage device also comprises at least one magnetic disk in the interior cavity of the housing. The magnetic storage device further comprises at least one read-write head in the interior cavity and configured to read data from and write data to the magnetic disk. The read-write head comprises a heat-assisted magnetic storage (HAMR) head. The magnetic storage device additionally comprises a gas, comprising oxygen and helium, sealed in the interior cavity of the housing. A percent concentration of oxygen in the gas is greater than or equal to 3%. A pressure of the gas is between 10% and 70%, inclusive, of atmospheric pressure. A relative humidity within the interior cavity is less than 5%, inclusive. A percent concentration of helium in the gas is less than or equal to 90%.

Magnetic storage device with heat-assisted magnetic storage head and associated method of manufacture

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.

Slider air-bearing surface designs with segmented particle-trapping structures

Disclosed herein are sliders with particle-trapping structures for trapping particles that could otherwise adversely affect the performance of a data storage device, and data storage devices comprising such sliders. A slider includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a leading-edge structure located between the leading edge and the trailing edge, a vertical structure located between the leading-edge structure and the trailing edge, and a particle-trapping structure adjacent to the base of the vertical structure. The vertical structure has a leading-edge-facing surface, a side-edge-facing surface, and a base at a first level of an air-bearing surface (ABS) of the slider. The particle-trapping structure has a first portion adjacent to the leading-edge-facing surface and a second portion adjacent to the side-edge-facing surface. The particle-trapping structure comprises at least one cavity extending below the first level when the ABS is oriented upward.

Slider air-bearing surface designs with side particle-trapping structures

Disclosed herein are hard disk drive sliders having an air-bearing surface (ABS) with an efficiency-flattening hole (EFH). The sliders comprise a trailing edge pad that has a first surface at a first level with a first perimeter, a second surface at a second level, the second level being below the first level, the second surface being substantially parallel to the first surface, the second surface having a second perimeter, wherein the second perimeter is within the first perimeter, and a third surface at a third level, the third level being below the second level, the third surface being substantially parallel to the first and second surfaces, the third surface having a third perimeter, wherein the third perimeter is within the second perimeter.

Slider air-bearing surface designs with efficiency-flattening hole

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a head slider within disk drive data storage devices. A head slider comprises a head body having a leading portion on a leading edge and a trailing portion on a trailing edge. The leading portion includes a first leading pad disposed at the MFS and a second leading pad disposed between the first leading pad and the leading edge. The second leading pad is recessed a first vertical distance from the MFS. One or more particle trapping holes are disposed between the first leading pad and the second leading pad. The one or more particle trapping holes are recessed a second vertical distance from the MFS, the second vertical distance being greater than the first vertical distance. Particles encountered by the leading portion may be suctioned into the one or more particle trapping holes, preventing the particles from building-up onto the MFS.

Air bearing surface design with extreme particle trapping holes for improving HDD particle robustnes

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a head slider within disk drive data storage devices. A head slider comprises a head body having a leading edge, a trailing edge and an ABS. The ABS has a leading portion and a trailing portion, the trailing portion having a tail section disposed adjacent the trailing edge. The head body has three surfaces recessed from the ABS: a first surface disposed a first vertical distance, a second surface disposed a second vertical distance that is greater than the first vertical distance, and a third surface disposed a third vertical distance that is greater than the second vertical distance. A first plateau disposed at the third surface is bound between a second plateau at the first surface and a trailing pad of the tail section. Between the first plateau and the trailing pad are one or more notches disposed at the first surface.

Growing community of inventors

San Ramon, CA, United States of America

Yong Hu