Patent ID: 6882505

Claim:
A slider of a thin-film magnetic head comprising: a slider body having: a medium facing surface that faces toward a rotating recording medium; an air inflow end; and an air outflow end; and a thin-film magnetic head element disposed near the air outflow end and near the medium facing surface of the slider body, wherein: the medium facing surface has: a first surface including a plurality of portions that extend in a direction of air passage; and a second surface including a portion that extends in the direction of air passage, the portion of the second surface being disposed between the plurality of portions of the first surface; the first surface and the second surface have such a difference in level that the second surface is located farther from the recording medium than the first surface is, the difference in level varying gradually so as to increase with decreasing distance from the air outflow end; the medium facing surface further has: a third surface that is located closer to the air outflow end than the first surface is; and a border part located between the first surface and the third surface, the first surface being slanted with respect to the third surface such that the first and third surfaces altogether make a convex shape bent at the border part; the slider body includes: a substrate portion that has a surface facing toward the recording medium and makes a base of the thin-film magnetic head element; and an insulating portion that has a surface facing toward the recording medium and surrounds the thin-film magnetic head element; and a length of a portion of the third surface in the direction of air passage, the portion belonging to the substrate portion, is equal to or less than 50% of a length of the entire substrate portion in the direction of air passage.