Patent · US Expired

Subambient pressure slider with partitioned subambient area

US6943989B2 · kind B2 · utility

4Cited by
8References
30Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 7, 2002
Grant dateSep 13, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 7, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11B5/6005
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A subambient pressure air bearing slider for disk drives and the like is presented where the subambient pressure area is divided into two or more areas. For example, a first area extending between the rails can have a depth (e.g., between 20 and 100 microinches) relative to the height of the rails, while the second area has a deeper depth (e.g., between 20 and 200 microinches). In one embodiment, the second area is placed in the outside rear quadrant relative to the rear edge of the slider and the rail closer to the outside diameter of the moving disk. By partitioning the subambient pressure area and properly selecting the depths of the partitioned areas, the slider can achieve a more uniform flying height over the range of diameters of the moving disk, at different rotational speed velocities for the disk and at different operation altitudes.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.