Techniques for mitigation of carbonaceous smear in heat-assisted magnetic recording

Abstract

Disclosed are sliders, data storage devices comprising them, and methods of making them. A slider may include a trailing-edge surface, a trailing pad, and a trailing horizontal surface. The trailing pad may comprise an air-bearing surface (ABS) and a trailing pad rear surface, wherein the trailing pad rear surface is substantially perpendicular to the ABS and substantially parallel to the trailing-edge surface, and wherein the trailing pad rear surface is recessed from the trailing-edge surface by a down-track distance. The trailing horizontal surface may be situated between a base of the trailing pad rear surface and the trailing-edge surface. A width of the trailing horizontal surface in a down-track direction may be the down-track distance, which is greater than zero and less than or equal to about 12 microns. In some embodiments, the trailing horizontal surface is eliminated, and the trailing pad rear surface is coincident with the trailing-edge surface.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.