Slider gas-bearing surface designs with leading-edge pockets
AssigneeWestern Digital Technologies, Inc.
InventorsYong Hu, Weidong Huang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
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.
Claims19
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.
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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.