Patent ID: 8111482

Claim:
A head assembly comprising: a slider which has a facing surface opposed to a surface of a rotatable recording medium and is flown by an airflow which is generated between the recording medium surface and the facing surface as the recording medium rotates; and a head portion which is disposed on the slider and records and reproduces information to and from the recording medium, the facing surface of the slider having a first direction along the airflow and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the slider including a negative-pressure cavity which is defined by a recess formed in the facing surface and generates a negative pressure, a leading step portion which protrudes from the facing surface and is situated on the upstream side of the negative-pressure cavity with respect to the airflow, a pair of sidestep portions which individually protrude from the facing surface, extend from the leading step portion toward a downstream end of the slider in the first direction, and are opposed to each other with a space therebetween in the second direction, a trailing step portion which protrudes from the facing surface, is situated on the downstream side of the negative-pressure cavity with respect to the airflow, and has a top surface opposed to the recording medium, a trailing pad which protrudes from the top surface of the trailing step portion, and an adjustment recess which is formed in the top surface of the trailing step portion on the upstream side of the trailing pad with respect to the airflow and is shallower than the negative-pressure cavity, the adjustment recess forming a first step portion, which extends across the first direction and hangs from the top surface of the trailing step portion toward a bottom of the adjustment recess, and a second step portion, which extends across the first direction, is spaced in the first direction from the first step portion, and rises from the bottom of the adjustment recess toward the top surface of the trailing step portion.