Patent ID: 8184401

Claim:
A head configured to perform information processing for a rotatable recording medium, the head comprising: a slider comprising a facing surface opposite to a surface of the recording medium, and configured to fly by an airflow between the recording medium surface and the facing surface as the recording medium rotates; and a head portion on the slider configured to record to the recording medium and to reproduce information from the recording medium, wherein the facing surface of the slider comprises: an inflow-side end and an outflow-side end for the airflow, a first axis extending between the inflow end and the outflow-side end in the direction of the airflow, and a second axis extending at right angles to the first axis, the slider comprises: a negative-pressure cavity defined by a recess in the facing surface and configured to produce a negative pressure, a leading step portion on an upstream side of the negative-pressure cavity with respect to the airflow projecting from a bottom surface of the negative-pressure cavity as a first portion of the facing surface, a trailing step portion on the outflow-side end portion and on the first axis of the facing surface on an downstream side of the negative-pressure cavity with respect to the airflow projecting from the bottom surface of the negative-pressure cavity as a second portion of the facing surface, a maximum-positive-pressure producing step portion on the first axis of the facing surface, spaced upstream from the trailing step portion with respect to the airflow by a distance equal to 2 to 50% of a length of the slider along the first axis, projecting from the bottom surface of the negative-pressure cavity configured to produce a maximum positive pressure, a groove between the trailing step portion and the maximum-positive-pressure producing step portion, and a connecting step portion between the trailing step portion and the maximum-positive-pressure producing step portion extending along the first axis and projecting from the bottom surface of the negative-pressure chamber, configured to connect central portions of the trailing step portion and the maximum-positive-pressure producing step portion, and the head portion is on the trailing step portion.