Slider with air bearing surface with selected distances between recording/reproducing element and rear-rail for reducing variation in flying height

Abstract

There are provided a slider and a magnetic disk unit that can significantly reduce a variation in flying height caused by an air pressure change even if the size of the magnetic disk unit or the slider is small. An air bearing surface () which faces a disk medium includes, in the order from the air-inflow end () to the air-outflow end () of the air bearing surface: a front step bearing surface (), a front-rail surfacewhich generates a positive pressure on the disk medium to float the slider, a negative-pressure cavity () which generates a negative pressure to reduce the flying height of the slider, a rear step bearing surface (), a rear-rail surface () which generates a positive pressure, and a recording/reproducing element having surface () on which the recording/reproducing element () is provided, wherein a separating plane () which separates the recording/reproducing element having surface () from the rear-rail surface () is provided and the distance between the air-outflow end of the rear-rail surface () and the recording/reproducing element () is 5 to 10% of the slider length from the air-inflow end to the air-outflow end.