Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Fluid bearing head support – Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-22
2002-12-31
Heinz, A. J. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Fluid bearing head support
Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
active
06501621
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to air bearing sliders that support transducers over moving recording media and, more particularly, to an air bearing slider which exhibits an improved takeoff velocity.
2. Background Description
Conventional magnetic disk drives are information storage devices which utilize at least one rotatable magnetic media disk with concentric data tracks, a read/write transducer for reading and writing data on the various tracks, an air bearing slider for holding the transducer adjacent to the track generally in a flying mode above the media, a suspension for resiliently holding the slider and the transducer over the data tracks, and a positioning actuator connected to the suspension for moving the transducer across the media to the desired data track and maintaining the transducer over the data track during a read or a write operation.
During operation of the magnetic disk drive, the slider is suspended (i.e., “flies”) above the magnetic media disk. The separation between the slider and the magnetic media disk is referred to as the “fly height.” The goal of air bearing slider design is to achieve a minimal fly height without having the slider physically impact the magnetic media disk. Smaller fly heights are desired so that the transducer can distinguish between the magnetic fields emanating from the closely spaced tracks of the magnetic disk media, thereby making possible an increased recording density for the magnetic disk drive.
In so-called “contact start-stop” (“CSS”) magnetic disk drive designs, it is common for a region on the surface of the magnetic media disk to be textured. This textured region, which is found at the inner diameter of the disk and is referred to in this specification as the “landing zone”, is the region from which the slider lifts off when the magnetic media disk begins moving and is the region to which the slider returns when the magnetic media disk ceases moving.
When used with disks that include a landing zone, a slider must achieve lift quickly once the disk has begun moving to clear the height of the texturing provided on the surface of the disk in the landing zone. The longer the slider takes to lift off the surface of the landing zone (i.e., the slower the slider's take-off velocity), the longer the time (or the number of rotations) that the slider is in contact with the magnetic media disk. The result is increased wear at the interface of the slider and the magnetic media disk. Furthermore, a slider that has a slow take-off velocity also has the added drawback that any collisions between it and the magnetic media disk that occur at the late stages of the take-off process occur at a high velocity. Such high velocity collisions also increase the wear at the interface of the slider and the magnetic media disk.
The prior art has addressed the problem of achieving a desired take-off, or clearance between the slider and the magnetic media disk. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,667 to Best et al. entitled SLIDER WITH TRANSVERSE RIDGE SECTIONS SUPPORTING AIR-BEARING PADS AND DISK DRIVE INCORPORATING THE SLIDER (“the Best '667 Patent”) discloses an air bearing slider pad which rests on a step surface and which is angled to provide extra air bearing lift to the slider at the inner diameter of the magnetic media disk. U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,250 to Bolasna et al. entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IMPROVING FILE CAPACITY USING DIFFERENT FLYING HEIGHT PROFILES discloses different embodiments of air bearing sliders which use angled rails to create desired air pressure distributions at predetermined radii of a recording medium. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,550 to O'Sullivan et al. entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING DIVERGING RAIL EDGE GEOMETRY FOR AIR BEARING SLIDER discloses a slider having air bearing pads or rails that have at least one edge diverging from the side edges of the pad's or rail's support structure to reduce the slider's sensitivity to skew and roll.
The prior art has also addressed the problem of the altitude sensitivity of the fly height air bearing sliders. U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,825 to Dorius entitled NEGATIVE PRESSURE STEP PAD AIR BEARING DESIGN AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME (“the Dorius '825 Patent”) discloses several embodiments of an air bearing slider which use front and back air bearing surface pads that rest on leading and trailing step surfaces. According to the Dorius '825 Patent, prior art air bearing slider designs exhibit sensitivity to changes in altitude. This sensitivity poses a reliability problem for magnetic disk drives in that a decrease in a slider's fly height caused by an increase in altitude results in more interactions between the slider and the magnetic media disk of the magnetic disk drive. Consequently, the incidence of magnetic disk drive failures increases with increases in altitude. The Dorius '825 Patent is directed to providing an air bearing slider which possesses a reduced sensitivity to changes in altitude. The air bearing slider design described in the Dorius '825 Patent takes a step-pad (i.e., bobsled) design and adds a negative pressure (i.e., subambient pressure) pocket between the leading-edge and trailing edge pads of the slider. The slider is described as requiring only two etch depths to manufacture, and the negative pressure pocket is described as being etched to a specific depth to achieve the desired reduction in altitude sensitivity.
The prior art has not, however, addressed the problem of improving the take-off velocity of an air bearing slider. The Best '667 Patent, for example, is directed to achieving a clearance between the slider and the magnetic media disk, but it does not address the problem of achieving a faster take-off velocity for the slider. The Dorius '825 Patent, by way of another example, is strictly directed to improving the altitude sensitivity of sliders, and does not recognize the need to improve the take-off velocity of air bearing sliders. Nor does the Dorius '825 Patent recognize the need to balance the altitude sensitivity of a slider with its take-off velocity. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an air bearing slider that has an improved take-off velocity.
SUMMARY
The present invention is directed to an apparatus that satisfies the need for an air bearing slider that has an improved take-off velocity. According to the embodiments of the present invention, the time (or the number of rotations) during which the slider is in contact with the magnetic media disk is reduced.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an air bearing slider for supporting a transducer over a moving recording medium comprises: a first pad formed near a leading edge of the slider and defining a negative pressure region of the slider; a second pad formed at a trailing edge of the slider and having an air bearing surface with a leading edge which is contoured such that air flow incident upon the second pad creates a predetermined positive pressure underneath the second pad at a first skew angle of the slider; and a third pad formed at the trailing edge of the slider and having an air bearing surface with a leading edge which is contoured such that air flow incident upon the third pad creates a predetermined positive pressure underneath the third pad at a second skew angle of the slider.
The air bearing slider may further comprise a first ramp surface contiguous with a leading edge of the air bearing surface of the first pad. The first pad may further comprise first and second legs connected by a bridge section to form a generally horseshoe shape.
The air bearing slider may further comprise a second ramp surface contiguous with a leading edge of the air bearing surface of the second pad.
The air bearing slider may further comprise a third ramp surface contiguous with a leading edge of the air bearing surface of the third pad.
The first skew angle may comprise a skew angle of the slider at an inner diameter of the recording me
Griffin Peter T.
Heminway Tebor
Spiridigliozzi Luciano
Takagi Susumu
Amster Rothstein & Ebenstein
Heinz A. J.
Matsushita Kotobuki Electronics Peripherals of America, Inc.
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