The present invention is embodied in an air bearing slider. The slider contains a magnetic head for writing and reading data to and from the magnetic medium of a hard disk. The slider is attached to an actuator arm which reciprocates over the disk surface to position the slider over the surface of the disk. When placed in the airflow existing just above the surface of a rotating disk the slider flies above the disk. The slider which has a leading edge, a trailing edge and two sides defined between the leading and trailing edges comprises a pair of leading pads positioned near the leading edge, a channel defined between the leading pads, a side pad positioned adjacent to each of the sides respectively, a center pad positioned near the trailing edge and a cavity disposed between the pads. With the side pads being separate from the leading pads as well as the inclusion of the channel providing a reduction in stiction. Further, the present invention's configuration of elements provides a slider with a nearly constant flying height over the entire disk surface, even during changes in airflow velocity, skew angles and loading. Also, the slider possess high pitch and roll stiffness, which contributes to it ability to maintain a near constant flying height.

A rail is formed on a medium-opposed surface of a slider body in a flying head slider. An air bearing surface is defined on the upper surface of the rail, which faces the medium. Projections are formed on the medium-opposed surface. The projections serve to space the air bearing surface from a medium such as a recording disk when the slider body contacts the recording disk. A trailing end of the rail is narrowed laterally along the trailing end of the medium-opposed surface. Even when the slider body contacts the recording disk at the trailing end, in addition to the projections, the contact area between the slider body and the recording disk is reduced because of the narrowed trailing end. Since the rail is narrowed without changing its original thickness or height from the bottom base of the medium-opposed surface, no additional processing is required to form the air bearing surface.

A disc head slider includes a slider body having a disc-facing surface, a recessed area positioned on the disc-facing surface, and a raised rail positioned on the disc-facing surface adjacent the recessed area. The raised rail includes a bearing surface and a recessed step surface which is recessed from the bearing surface and is raised from the recessed area. A plurality of bearing pads are formed on the recessed step surface and have upper surfaces that together define the bearing surface. A non-bearing pad is formed on the recessed step surface and has an upper surface, which is generally coplanar with the bearing surface, and a pointed leading pad edge.

A magnetic head has first and second magnetic head units for recording to and reproducing from first and second flexible rotating recording media; a slider supporting the first magnetic head unit, the slider having a central groove separating a first air bearing surface at which the first magnetic head unit is provided and a second air bearing surface at which the second magnetic head unit is provided, the slider generating an elevating force from an air flow generated in a space between the first and second air bearing surfaces and the flexible rotating recording media; an elevating force control slot formed on at least the first air bearing surface so as to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction from which the first or second flexible rotating recording medium approaches the magnetic head; the first air bearing surface having a width dimension A1 located on a leading edge side of the magnetic head, and a width dimension A2 located on a trailing edge side, the width dimension A1 being larger than the width dimension A2; and an incision formed on the slider so as to penetrate in a direction of a height of the slider and determine the width dimension A2 of the trailing edge side of the first air bearing surface, the incision, elevating force control slot and central groove forming a single continuous structure, a leading edge of the incision positioned within a formation region of the elevating force control slot.

A magnetic head slider in which a leading pad is projected in a thicknesswise direction of the slider, in comparison with a trailing pad so as to reduce vibration caused by contact between a flat medium surface of a disc and the slider carrying thereon a magnetic head, to reduce variation in flying height caused by wavy unevenness of the medium surface, and to reduce variation in atmospheric pressure around the slider, thereby it is possible to enhance the recording density and the reliability of the magnetic head slider while reducing the costs thereof. Further, a magnetic disc unit using the above-mentioned magnetic head slider.