Magnetic recording disk drive with continuous contact air-bearing slider
View Patent ↗A magnetic recording disk drive achieves continuous contact recording with a head-suspension assembly that compensates for the moment generated from an adhesive force between the head carrier or slider and the disk. The slider pivot point, which is the point where the load force is applied to the flexure that supports the slider, is located closer to the front end of the slider than the net force applied by the air-bearing surface of the slider when the disk is rotating at its operational speed. This assures that the net air-bearing force generates a moment about the pivot point to partially counteract the flexure moment and the moment generated from the adhesive force between the disk and the slider's contact pad.
1. A disk drive having a rotatable disk with a magnetic recording layer and a head for reading data from or recording data to the magnetic recording layer on the disk, the disk drive comprising:
a carrier for the head and having a top side, a disk side, a front end and a trailing end, the carrier having an air-bearing surface on the disk side and a contact pad on the disk side near the trailing end;
an actuator for moving the carrier across the disk; and
a suspension connecting the carrier to the actuator and comprising a flexure attached to the top side of the carrier and a load beam attached to the flexure and having a tip contacting the top side of the carrier at a pivot point, the carrier having a positive pitch with its front end higher above the disk than its trailing end if the contact pad is not in contact with the disk, the load beam applying a force to urge the carrier contact pad to contact the disk and the flexure applying a flexure moment about the pivot point to urge the carrier contact pad to contact the disk, wherein the pivot point is located approximately at a midpoint between the carrier front end and the carrier trailing end and closer to the front end of the carrier than the net force applied by the air-bearing surface of the carrier when the disk is rotating at its operational speed, and wherein the major portion of the air-bearing surface is located closer to a midpoint between the carrier front end and the carrier trailing end than to the carrier front end; whereby said net air-bearing force generates a moment about the pivot point to partially counteract the flexure moment and the moment generated from the adhesive force between the disk and the carrier contact pad.
2. The disk drive of claim 1 further comprising an actuating element attached to the suspension for changing the angle of the carrier relative to the suspension.
3. The disk drive of claim 2 wherein the actuating element is located on the flexure.
4. The disk drive of claim 2 wherein the actuating element moves the load beam tip in a direction generally perpendicular to the carrier top side to thereby change said angle.
5. The disk drive of claim 2 wherein the actuating element is a piezoelectric element.
6. The disk drive of claim 2 wherein the actuating element is an electrostatic element.
7. The disk drive of claim 2 wherein the actuating element is a thermal element.
8. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the air-bearing surface comprises a plurality of air-bearing pads.
9. A disk drive head-suspension assembly comprising:
a slider having a top side, a disk side, a front end and a trailing end, the slider having an air-bearing surface on the disk side and a contact pad on the disk side near the trailing end, the major portion of the air-bearing surface of the slider being located between the slider trailing end and the slider midpoint; and
a suspension comprising a flexure attached to the top side of the slider and a load beam attached to the flexure, the slider being supported by the suspension with a positive pitch with its front end closer to the load beam than its trailing end, the load beam having a tip contacting the top side of the slider at a pivot point and the flexure applying a flexure moment about the pivot point to urge the slider contact pad toward the disk, the pivot point being located closer to the front end of the slider than the net force from the air-bearing surface of the slider.
10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the pivot point is located closer to the slider front end than to the slider trailing end.
11. The assembly of claim 9 further comprising an actuating element attached to the suspension for bending the suspension.
12. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the actuating element is located on the flexure.
13. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the actuating element moves the load beam tip in a direction generally perpendicular to the slider top side.
14. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the actuating element is a piezoelectric element.
15. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the actuating element is an electrostatic element.
16. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the actuating element is a thermal element.
17. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the air-bearing surface comprises a plurality of pads, one of said pads being a contact pad near the trailing end of the slider.
18. The assembly of claim 9 further comprising a read/write head located on the slider near the slider trailing end.
19. A disk drive having a rotatable disk with a magnetic recording layer and a head for reading data from or recording data to the magnetic recording layer on the disk, the disk drive comprising:
a carrier for the head and having a topside, a disk side, a front end and a trailing end, the carrier having an air-bearing surface on the disk side and a contact pad on the disk side near the trailing end, the contact pad contacting the disk during reading and recording of data;
an actuator for moving the carrier across the disk, and
a suspension connecting the carrier to the actuator and comprising a flexure attached to the top side of the carrier and a load beam attached to the flexure and having a tip contacting the top side of the carrier at a pivot point, the carrier having a positive pitch with its front end higher above the disk than its trailing end if the contact pad is not in contact with the disk, the load beam applying a force to urge the carrier contact pad to contact the disk and to maintain the contact pad in contact with the disk during reading and recording of data and the flexure applying a flexure moment about the pivot point to urge the carrier contact pad to contact the disk, wherein the pivot point is located closer to the front end of the carrier than the net force applied by the air- bearing surface of the carrier when the disk is rotating at its operational speed; whereby said net air-bearing force generates a moment about the pivot point to partially counteract the flexure moment and the moment generated from the adhesive force between the disk and the carrier contact pad.
20. The disk drive of claim 19 , wherein the pivot point is located closer to the carrier front end than to the carrier trailing end.