Patent ID: 7495856
Filing Date: 2009-02-24
Classification: G11B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A disk drive comprising: a slider with at least one heater in an electrical circuit, the heater being disposed to heat a thermal protrusion pad, with dimensions from 5 to 50 microns, containing a read sensor located on a trailing edge of the air-bearing surface of the slider, the slider having a lift pad located in front of the thermal protrusion pad, the lift pad and the thermal protrusion pad being separated by a trench and the lift pad having a shape that creates lift, and the thermal protrusion pad creating a negligible amount of lift, whereby lift is not significantly increased when the heater heats the thermal protrusion pad causing the thermal protrusion pad to protrude; and a control system which selectively varies power to the heater to induce a variable protrusion of the thermal protrusion pad to adjust a fly height of the slider during read operations.