Slider air-bearing surface designs with side particle-trapping structures
Disclosed herein are sliders with particle-trapping structures for trapping particles that could otherwise adversely affect the performance of a data storage device, and data storage devices comprising such sliders. A slider includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a leading-edge structure located between the leading edge and the trailing edge, a vertical structure located between the leading-edge structure and the trailing edge, and a particle-trapping structure adjacent to the base of the vertical structure. The vertical structure has a leading-edge-facing surface, a side-edge-facing surface, and a base at a first level of an air-bearing surface (ABS) of the slider. The particle-trapping structure has a first portion adjacent to the leading-edge-facing surface and a second portion adjacent to the side-edge-facing surface. The particle-trapping structure comprises at least one cavity extending below the first level when the ABS is oriented upward.
1. A slider, comprising:
a leading edge;
a trailing edge;
a leading-edge structure located between the leading edge and the trailing edge;
a vertical structure located between the leading-edge structure and the trailing edge, the vertical structure having a leading-edge-facing surface and a side-edge-facing surface, the vertical structure having a base at a first level of an air-bearing surface (ABS) of the slider; and
a particle-trapping structure adjacent to the base of the vertical structure, the particle-trapping structure having a first portion adjacent to the leading-edge-facing surface and a second portion adjacent to the side-edge-facing surface, wherein the particle-trapping structure comprises at least one cavity extending below the first level when the ABS is oriented upward.
2. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein the particle-trapping structure abuts the base of the vertical structure.
3. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein the first portion and the second portion intersect.
4. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein a footprint of the particle-trapping structure is L-shaped.
5. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein a depth of the first portion differs from a depth of the second portion.
6. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein a depth of the first portion is substantially the same as a depth of the second portion.
7. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein a floor of the particle-trapping structure is non-uniform.
8. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of a floor of the particle-trapping structure is substantially flat.
9. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein the vertical structure is a side pad.
10. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein the particle-trapping structure is a first particle-trapping structure, and the at least one cavity is a first at least one cavity, and further comprising a second particle-trapping structure adjacent to a base of the leading-edge structure, wherein the second particle-trapping structure comprises a second at least one cavity extending below the first level.
11. The slider recited in claim 10 , wherein a depth of the first particle-trapping structure and a depth of the second particle-trapping structure are substantially identical.
12. The slider recited in claim 10 , wherein a depth of the first particle-trapping structure differs from a depth of the second particle-trapping structure.
13. The slider recited in claim 10 , wherein the second particle-trapping structure comprises a segmented structure.
14. A data storage device comprising the slider recited in claim 13 .
15. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein the vertical structure is a first vertical structure, the leading-edge-facing surface is a first leading-edge-facing surface, the side-edge-facing surface is a first side-edge-facing surface, the particle-trapping structure is a first particle-trapping structure, and the at least one cavity is a first at least one cavity, and further comprising:
a second vertical structure with a second leading-edge-facing surface and a second side-edge-facing surface, the second vertical structure having a base at a second level of the ABS, wherein the second level is the same as or different from the first level; and
a second particle-trapping structure adjacent to a base of the second vertical structure, the second particle-trapping structure having a first portion adjacent to the second leading-edge-facing surface and a second portion adjacent to the second side-edge-facing surface, wherein the second particle-trapping structure comprises a second at least one cavity extending below the second level.
16. The slider recited in claim 15 , wherein the second vertical structure is located between the leading-edge structure and the trailing edge.
17. The slider recited in claim 15 , wherein a depth of the first particle-trapping structure and a depth of the second particle-trapping structure are substantially identical.
18. The slider recited in claim 15 , wherein a depth of the first particle-trapping structure differs from a depth of the second particle-trapping structure.
19. The slider recited in claim 15 , wherein a footprint of the first particle-trapping structure and a footprint of the second particle-trapping structure are substantially similar.
20. The slider recited in claim 15 , wherein a footprint of the first particle-trapping structure differs from a footprint of the second particle-trapping structure.
21. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein the particle-trapping structure comprises a segmented structure, the segmented structure comprising at least a first particle trapping segment, a second particle-trapping segment, and a gap disposed between the first and second particle-trapping segments, wherein, when the ABS of the slider is oriented upward:
a level of the first particle-trapping segment is below the first level;
a level of the second particle-trapping segment is below the first level;
a level of the gap is at or below the first level; and
the level of the first particle-trapping segment and the level of the second particle-trapping segment are below the level of the gap.
22. A data storage device comprising the slider recited in claim 1 .