Patent ID: 6084743
Filing Date: 2000-07-04
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A magnetic disk storage system with increased reliability by the reduction of electrostatic charge accumulation on the magnetic disk storage system's slider head assembly due to tribological effects, the disk storage system comprising:a) an electrically conductive storage disk with a magnetic recording surface that is in contact with a slider/head assembly load-bearing conductive surface when at rest, the disk rotating and in contact with or in close proximity to a slider/head assembly magnetic transducer when writing data to or reading data from the disk;b) the slider/head assembly including:i) a slider with a load-bearing surface that is in contact with the magnetic recording surface at least when the disk is at rest;ii) the magnetic transducer mounted in the slider for writing and reading data to and from the magnetic recording surface of the electrically conductive storage disk; andiii) an electrically conductive coating applied to at least one surface of the slider for facilitating the discharge of electrostatic charge on the slider, wherein the electrically conductive coating is a conducting metallic coating that is applied to the load-bearing surface with a tapered thickness, beginning in the proximity of the transducer and increasing in thickness toward the leading edge facing into the direction of disk rotation; andc) an electrically conducting path connected to the slider/head assembly electrically conductive coating and to the electrically conductive storage disk for discharging triboelectrically generated charge on the slider/head assembly.