Magnetic recording head having a carbon overcoat array on slider air

Abstract

A magnetic head is described for use in a disk drive having a disk that is rotated during operation of the disk drive and stationary when the disk drive is non-operational. The disk includes a surface containing data tracks. The magnetic head compromises a slider including a forward edge, a trailing edge and an air bearing surface. A read/write transducer is mounted at the trailing edge of the slider. The slider and transducer are mounted within the disk drive, relative to the surface of the rotating disk, to fly above the surface of the disk during rotation of the disk, for reading and writing data from and to the data tracks, and to come to rest on the surface of the disk during non-operation of the disk drive. An array of overcoat protrusions is formed on and spaced across the slider to cover a predetermined and discrete area of the slider in a manner so that when the slider and transducer come to rest on the surface of the disk, contact with the surface of the disk occurs only at the array of overcoat protrusions.