Patent ID: 6667855
Filing Date: 2003-12-23
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A disk drive comprising:a housing having a base; a disk rotatably mounted in said housing and having a plurality of tracks; a negative pressure type head slider having a transducer for reading/writing data from/to said disk, an air inlet end, an air outlet end, and a disk opposing surface; an actuator for moving said head slider across said tracks of said disk; means for controlling said actuator to load/unload said head slider with respect to said disk; and a ramp member fixed to said base for supporting said head slider unloaded; said actuator comprising: an actuator arm rotatably mounted to said base; a suspension having a base end portion fixed to a front end portion of said actuator arm; and said head slider mounted on a front end portion of said suspension; said head slider comprising: a single front pad formed on said disk opposing surface near said air inlet end, said front pad having a first raised surface and a first step surface lower in level than said first raised surface; a pair of rear pads formed on said disk opposing surface near said air outlet end, each of said rear pads having a second raised surface and a second step surface lower in level than said second raised surface; a groove for generating a negative pressure by expanding air once compressed by said front pad; and a taper formed adjacent to said air inlet end so as to continue to said step surface, said taper having a given taper angle.