Method and apparatus for modifying a dynamic pitch of a slider to increase head to disk interface reliability for contact recording systems

An actuator having a modified slider to increase head to disk interface reliability for contact recording systems comprising:

• a suspension for reaching over a disk;
• a slider having a read/write head element on a trailing edge (TE) portion, said slider coupled with said suspension;
• an increased dynamic pitch of said slider, said increased dynamic pitch increasing the height of a leading edge (LE) portion of said slider with respect to said disk and reducing the height of said TE portion of said slider with respect to said disk, said TE portion of said slider in continuous contact with said disk when a read or a write is performed, wherein said continuous contact of said TE portion of said slider with respect to said disk does not collapse an air bearing provided by said LE portion of said slider flying above said disk;
• and
• an off-center gimbal device coupled with said slider and said suspension, said off-center gimbal device coupled with said suspension and said slider away from the center of said slider and closer to said TE portion of said slider such that when said TE portion of said slider contacts a disk a bouncing motion of said TE with respect to said disk is reduced wherein said off-center gimbal device is moved approximately 20 percent of the distance between the center of the slider and the TE of the slider toward the TE of the slider.

A hard disk drive comprising:

• a housing;
• a disk pack mounted to the housing and having a plurality of disks that are rotatable relative to the housing, the disk pack defining an axis of rotation and a radial direction relative to the axis, and the disk pack having a downstream side wherein air flows away from the disks, and an upstream side wherein air flows toward the disk;
• and
• an actuator mounted to the housing and being movable relative to the disk pack, the actuator having a plurality of heads for reading data from and writing data to the disks, said actuator having a modified slider to increase head to disk interface reliability for contact recording systems comprising:
• an actuator for reaching over a disk;
• a slider having a read/write head element on a trailing edge (TE) portion, said slider coupled with said suspension;
• an increased dynamic pitch of said slider, said increased dynamic pitch increasing the height of a leading edge (LE) portion of said slider with respect to said disk and reducing the height of said TE portion of said slider with respect to said disk, said TE portion of said slider in continuous contact with said disk when a read or a write is performed, wherein said continuous contact of said TE portion of said slider with respect to said disk does not collapse an air bearing provided by said LE portion of said slider flying above said disk;
• and
• an off-center gimbal device coupled with said slider and said suspension, said off-center gimbal device coupled with said suspension and said slider away from the center of said slider and closer to said TE portion of said slider such that when said TE portion of said slider contacts a disk a bouncing motion of said TE with respect to said disk is reduced wherein said off-center gimbal device is moved approximately 20 percent of the distance between the center of the slider and the TE of the slider toward the TE of the slider.