Head with an air bearing surface having left and right leading pressurizing steps, each with short and long regions
View Patent ↗A head has an air bearing surface with left and right leading pressurizing steps. The left and right leading pressurizing steps are each partially surrounded by left and right leading pads, respectively. The left leading pressurizing step includes a left short region that extends for a first distance (measured parallel to the slider longitudinal axis) from the leading face of the slider to the left leading pad. The left leading pressurizing step also includes a left long region that extends for a second distance (measured parallel to the longitudinal axis) from the leading face to the left leading pad. The second distance is at least 25% greater than the first distance. The left short region is disposed closer to the left lateral face than is the left long region. The left long region is disposed closer to the longitudinal axis than is the left short region.
1. A head comprising:
a slider having a leading face, a trailing face opposite the leading face, a left lateral face, a right lateral face opposite the left lateral face, and an air bearing surface (ABS) adjacent the left lateral face, the right lateral face; the leading face, and the trailing face; and
a transducer disposed on the trailing face;
wherein the ABS includes:
a trailing pad adjacent the transducer and defining a primary ABS plane, the primary ABS plane defining a longitudinal axis that lies in the primary ABS plane and that is parallel to the left and right lateral faces and that lies midway between the left and right lateral faces;
a sub-ambient pressure cavity being recessed from the primary plane by a cavity depth in the range 0.8 to 2 microns;
left and right leading pads each lying in the primary ABS plane, the left leading pad being disposed next to the left lateral face, and the right leading pad being disposed next to the right lateral face;
left and right leading pressurizing steps each being recessed from the primary plane by a pressurizing step depth in the range 0.05 to 0.5 microns, the left leading pressurizing step being partially surrounded by the left leading pad and being disposed between the left leading pad and the leading face; and the right leading pressurizing step being partially surrounded by the right leading pad and being disposed between the right leading pad and the leading face;
wherein the left leading pressurizing step includes a left short region that extends for a first distance measured parallel to the longitudinal axis from the leading face to the left leading pad, and includes a left long region that extends for a second distance measured parallel to the longitudinal axis from the leading face to the left leading pad; and
wherein the left short region is disposed closer to the left lateral face than is the left long region, wherein the left long region is disposed closer to the longitudinal axis than is the left short region, and wherein the second distance is at least 25% greater than the first distance.
2. The head of claim 1 wherein the right leading pressurizing step includes a right short region that extends for the first distance measured parallel to the longitudinal axis from the leading face to the right leading pad, and includes a right long region that extends for the second distance measured parallel to the longitudinal axis from the leading face to the right leading pad, wherein the right short region is disposed closer to the right lateral face than is the right long region, and wherein the right long region is disposed closer to the longitudinal axis than is the right short region.
3. The head of claim 1 wherein left and right leading pads are connected by a leading dam that lies in the primary ABS plane.
4. The head of claim 1 wherein the air bearing surface further defines a lateral axis that lies in the primary ABS plane and is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, the slider having a total width measured along the lateral axis, and wherein each of the left and right leading pressurizing steps laterally spans at least 10% of the total width.
5. The head of claim 4 wherein the left and right leading pressurizing steps together laterally span at least 30% of the total width.
6. The head of claim 4 wherein each of the left and right short regions laterally spans at least 2% of the total width but no more than 15% of the total width.
7. The head of claim 4 wherein each of the left and right long regions laterally spans at least 2% of the total width but no more than 15% of the total width.
8. The head of claim 1 wherein the air bearing surface further comprises a deep cavity, the deep cavity being recessed from the primary plane by 2 to 4 microns.
9. The head of claim 1 wherein the slider has a total length measured along the longitudinal axis, and wherein each of the left and right long regions longitudinally spans at least 13% of the total length.
10. The head of claim 9 wherein each of the left and right short regions longitudinally spans no more than 10% of the total length.
11. The head of claim 1 wherein the transducer is a merged magnetic transducer that includes a read element and a writer.