Slider with temperature responsive transducer positioning

A magnetic data reading and recording apparatus, including:

• a magnetic transducing slider having an air bearing surface, and a transducer positioned near the air bearing surface, and mounted for movement toward and away from the air bearing surface;
• a slider support means for aerodynamically supporting the slider proximate a data surface of a magnetic data reading and recording medium wiLth the air bearing surface confronting the data surface and spaced apart from the data surface by a nominal distance;
• a temperature sensing means for sensing an operating temperature of the slider and generating a sensor output based on the operating temperature;
• and
• a transducer positioning means, operably coupled to the sensing means, for controlling a position of the transducer with respect to the air bearing surface responsive to the sensor output.

In a magnetic data reading and recording apparatus including means for aerodynamically supporting a magnetic transducing slider in spaced apart relation to a data surface of a magnetic data reading and recording medium, a process for determining a transducer spacing, including:

• supporting a magnetic transducing slider aerodynamically in spaced apart relation to a data surface of a magnetic data reading and recording medium, with an air bearing surface of the slider confronting the data surface and spaced apart from the data surface by a nominal distance;
• while so supporting the slider, measuring a transducer spacing between a transducer supported by the slider and the data surface;
• comparing the measured transducer spacing with a desired transducer spacing;
• and
• responsive to a difference between the measured transducer spacing and the desired transducer spacing, changing an operating temperature of the slider to change a distance between the transducer and the air bearing surface while maintaining the slider at said nominal spacing, thereby to displace the transducer toward the desired transducer spacing.

A process for adjusting a flying height of a transducer mounted to a magnetic head slider while aerodynamically supporting the slider with a reference surface of the slider spaced apart from a data recording surface by a nominal distance, including:

• aerodynamically supporting a magnetic transducing slider with respect to a data surface of a magnetic reading and recording medium with a reference surface of the slider spaced apart from the data surface by a nominal distance, and with a magnetic data transducer carried by the slider exposed to confront the data surface while being spaced apart from the data surface;
• sensing an operating temperature of the slider and generating temperature values based on the sensed operating temperature;
• and
• responsive to the temperature values, displacing the transducer relative to the reference surface to control a transducer spacing between the transducer and the data surface.

A magnetic data reading and recording apparatus including:

• a magnetic transducing slider including a slider body having a reference surface, and a transducer mounted with respect to the slider body near the reference surface for movement toward and away from the reference surface responsive to changes in an operating temperature of the slider;
• a means for aerodynamically supporting the slider in an operating position with the reference surface spaced a nominal distance from a data surface of magnetic data reading and recording medium;
• and
• a transducer spacing control means operatively associated with the slider, for adjusting said operating temperature to displace the transducer with respect to the reference surface, thereby to adjust a spacing between the transducer and the data surface independently of said nominal distance.

A process for establishing a transducer flying height for a magnetic transducer carried by an aerodynamic slider body in a magnetic data reading and recording apparatus, including:

• while maintaining a magnetic transducing slider aerodynamically supported over a moving magnetic recording medium, measuring a transducer flying height of a magnetic transducer carried by the slider while maintaining the slider at a first temperature, to obtain a first transducer flying height corresponding to the first temperature;
• comparing the first flying height to a predetermined desired flying height;
• while aerodynamically supporting the slider, changing the temperature of the slider to a second temperature selected to change a distance between the magnetic transducer and a reference surface of the slider thereby to change the transducer flying height to a second flying height nearer to the predetermined desired flying height;
• and
• storing an indication of the second temperature to a memory in the data reading and recording apparatus, for use in cooperation with a temperature control means to maintain the slider temperature at said second temperature during data and reading recording operations.

An air bearing slider including:

• a slider body supportable aerodynamically relative to a magnetic data reading and recording medium in an operating position in which a reference surface of the slider body is spaced apart from a data surface of the magnetic data reading and recording medium by a nominal distance, said slider body including a transducing region near the reference surface;
• a magnetic transducing means supported by the slider body at the transducing region and displaceable relative to the slider body toward and away from the reference surface in response to changes in an operating temperature of the slider near the transducing region;
• and
• a temperature control means for changing said operating temperature to displace the transducing means with respect to the reference surface, and thereby change a spacing between the transducer and the data surface without substantially altering the nominal distance.