Flying negative pressure air bearing slider with dual negative pressure pockets and side transducer

Abstract

An air bearing slider that flies above a surface of a recording disk during relative rotation of the recording disk. A plurality of projections extend along the side of the slider body, and a plurality of negative pressure air cavities are formed between the projections. The projections act as pneumatic bearings, creating supporting positive forces for supporting the slider. The negative pressure air cavities create negative forces for pulling the slider down. The positive and negative forces on the center of mass of the slider are balanced to provide a more stable, static, and dynamic flying attitude for the slider. The resulting pressure profile of the slider has high pressure near the leading end, relatively low pressure in the middle, and relatively high pressure near the trailing end. This ensures minimum spacing between the slider and the disk that is very insensitive to roll parameters.