Slider with transverse ridge sections supporting air-bearing pads and

Abstract

A data recording disk drive has an improved head-disk interface provided by a transducer carrier which is essentially a low-flying air-bearing slider that is also able to be in contact and near contact with the lubricant film on the disk. The slider has a front air-bearing surface in the form of a pair of equally-spaced air-bearing pads, a rear air-bearing pad, and a central nonair-bearing recessed surface which separates the front and rear air-bearing pads. The two front pads have a surface area greater than that of the rear pad and thus provide a positive pitch up of the slider. This causes the rear pad to also be pitched up so that air can flow beneath the rear pad to generate an air bearing in the rear portion of the slider. The presence of the central nonair-bearing region eliminates any lift in the central part of the slider, which allows for the low-flying height. The flying height of the rear pad of the slider above the disk is controlled by the width of the rear air-bearing pad. The rear pad has its leading edge wider than its trailing edge so that it is able to withstand contact with the lubricant film on the disk, typically at the lower disk velocities near the disk inside diameter, without generating unacceptable drag forces or depleting the lubricant from the disk. The rear pad also has a skewed leading edge which compensates for skew of the slider to minimize the flying height variation from the disk inside diameter to outside diameter.