Head slider having a flat first step and a second flat step with a groove therein, and disk drive employing the head slider
View Patent ↗A head slider includes a parallelepiped-shaped slider base having a flat flying surface. A flat first step is formed at an air inlet end of the flying surface to be stepped from the flying surface. A flat second step is formed on the first step to be stepped from the flying surface. A vacuum area is formed at a downstream end of an air flow flowing from the first and second steps on the flying surface. At least one groove is formed on a portion of the first step for introducing air to the vacuum area. The width of the groove at the air inlet end and the width of the groove at an air outlet end can differ from each other. A trailing edge of the first step can be closer to a trailing edge of the slider base than a trailing edge of the second step.
1. A head slider accessing a disk medium comprising:
a parallelepiped-shaped slider base having a flat flying surface facing said disk medium;
a flat first step formed at an air inlet end of said flying surface in such a manner as to be stepped from said flying surface;
a flat second step formed only on said flat first step in such a manner as to be stepped from said flying surface;
a vacuum area formed at a downstream end of an air flow flowing from said first and second steps on said flying surface;
at least a groove formed on only a portion of said flat first step for introducing air to said vacuum area formed in said second step;
wherein the width of said groove continuously expands between the air inlet end and the air outlet end of said groove, and
a trailing edge of said flat first step is closer to a trailing edge of said slider base than a trailing edge of said flat second step.
2. A head slider as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the direction of a side wall surface of said groove is made to match a direction in which the air enters when said head slider is situated on an innermost circumferential side of said disk medium, and wherein the direction of the other side wall surface of said groove is made to match a direction in which the air enters when said head slider is situated on an outermost circumferential side of said disk medium.
3. A disk drive including a head slider accessing a disk medium, the head slider comprising:
a parallelepiped-shaped slider base having a flat flying surface facing said disk medium;
a flat first step formed at an air inlet end of said flying surface in such a manner as to be stepped from said flying surface;
a flat second step only formed on said flat first step in such a manner as to be stepped from said flying surface;
a vacuum area formed at a downstream end of an air flow flowing from said first and second steps on said flying surface;
at least a groove formed on only a portion of said flat first step for introducing air to said vacuum area formed in said second step;
wherein the width of said groove continuously expands between the air inlet end and the air outlet end of said groove;
the direction of a side wall surface of said groove is made to match a direction in which air enters when said head slider is situated on an innermost circumferential side of said disk medium, and the direction of the other side wall surface of said groove is made to match a direction in which air enters when said head slider is situated on an outermost circumferential side of said disk medium; and
a trailing edge of said flat first step is closer to a trailing edge of said slider base than a trailing edge of second flat step.
4. A disk drive including a head slider accessing a disk medium, the head slider comprising:
a parallelepiped-shaped slider base having a flat flying surface facing said disk medium;
a flat first step formed at an air inlet end of said flying surface in such a manner as to be stepped from said flying surface;
a flat second step formed only on said flat first step in such a manner as to be stepped from said flying surface;
a vacuum area formed at a downstream end of an air flow flowing from said first and second steps on said flying surface;
at least a groove formed on only a portion of said flat first step for introducing air to said vacuum area formed in said second step;
wherein the width of said groove continuously expands between the air inlet end and the air outlet end of said groove, and
a trailing edge of said flat first step is closer to a trailing edge of said slider base than a trailing edge of said flat second step.