Slider gas-bearing surface designs with leading-edge pockets
Disclosed herein are sliders that include at least one leading-edge pocket, data storage devices comprising such sliders, and methods of manufacturing such sliders. The at least one leading-edge pocket increases the amount of gas flowing into the leading edge area of the ABS, which can improve the performance of the slider in low-pressure environments, such as sealed helium data storage devices. The at least one leading-edge pocket can have a variety of shapes, sizes, and features to achieve the desired slider performance (e.g., fly height, stability, etc.) in low-pressure environments.
1. A slider for a data storage device, the slider comprising:
an air-bearing surface (ABS);
a leading-edge surface; and
at least one leading-edge pocket in the leading-edge surface, wherein the at least one leading-edge pocket includes an interior surface that is substantially parallel to the leading-edge surface, and wherein a cross-section of the slider taken parallel to the leading-edge surface and intersecting the at least one leading-edge pocket has at least one nonlinear side with an arc or curved region.
2. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one leading-edge pocket comprises a first pocket and a second pocket, and wherein the first and second pockets are substantially identical.
3. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein, in an orientation in which the ABS is oriented upward, a depth of the at least one leading-edge pocket relative to a highest level of the ABS is greater than about 2.5 μm.
4. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the cross-section of the slider taken parallel to the leading-edge surface and intersecting the at least one leading-edge pocket has a shape of at least a portion of a parabola.
5. The slider recited in claim 1 , wherein a maximum width of the at least one leading-edge pocket is between approximately 1 μm and approximately 300 μm.
6. A data storage device comprising the slider recited in claim 1 .
7. A slider for a data storage device, the slider comprising:
a first side-edge surface;
a second side-edge surface;
a leading-edge surface extending between a front edge of the first side-edge surface and a front edge of the second side-edge surface;
a back-edge surface;
an air-bearing surface (ABS) having at least a first level, a second level, and a third level, wherein, in an orientation in which the ABS is oriented upward, the first level is above the second level, and the second level is above the third level, and the third level is above the back-edge surface; and
at least one leading-edge pocket in the leading edge surface, the at least one leading-edge pocket not intersecting either the first side-edge surface or the second side-edge surface, wherein, in the orientation in which the ABS is oriented upward, a maximum depth of the at least one leading-edge pocket is at or below the third level,
wherein a cross-section of the slider intersecting the at least one leading-edge pocket and taken between the first side-edge surface and the second side-edge surface and parallel to the leading-edge surface comprises an arc or a curve in a region of the cross-section intersecting the at least one leading-edge pocket.
8. The slider recited in claim 7 , wherein a shape of the at least one leading-edge pocket in the cross-section of the slider is substantially parabolic.
9. The slider recited in claim 7 , wherein a shape of the at least one leading-edge pocket in the cross-section of the slider is symmetric about an axis extending from the maximum depth of the at least one leading-edge pocket to the second level, the axis being parallel to the leading-edge surface.
10. The slider recited in claim 7 , wherein the cross-section of the slider further comprises a flat portion in a region of the cross-section intersecting the at least one leading-edge pocket.
11. The slider recited in claim 7 , wherein a distance between the first level and the third level is between approximately 0.35 μm and approximately 5.2 μm.
12. The slider recited in claim 7 , wherein a distance between the first level and the third level is greater than about 2.5 μm.
13. The slider recited in claim 7 , wherein a maximum width of the at least one leading-edge pocket is between approximately 1 μm and approximately 300 μm.
14. The slider recited in claim 7 , wherein the at least one leading-edge pocket comprises a first leading-edge pocket and a second leading-edge pocket, and wherein a midpoint of a width of the first leading-edge pocket at the second level is a first distance from the first side-edge surface, and a midpoint of a width of the second leading-edge pocket at the second level is a second distance from the second side-edge surface, wherein the first distance is substantially equal to the second distance.
15. The slider recited in claim 14 , wherein the first and second leading-edge pockets are substantially identical.
16. The slider recited in claim 7 , wherein the at least one leading-edge pocket comprises a first leading-edge pocket and a second leading-edge pocket, and wherein a maximum width of the first leading-edge pocket is substantially equal to a maximum width of the second leading-edge pocket.
17. The slider recited in claim 7 , wherein the at least one leading-edge pocket comprises a first leading-edge pocket and a second leading-edge pocket, wherein the first and second leading-edge pockets are substantially identical, and wherein a distance between the first level and the third level is greater than about 2.5 μm.
18. The slider recited in claim 17 , wherein a maximum width of each of the first and second leading-edge pockets is between approximately 100 μm and approximately 300 μm.
19. A data storage device comprising the slider recited in claim 7 .