A subambient pressure air bearing slider for disk drives and the like is presented
where the subambient pressure area is divided into two or more areas. For example,
a first area extending between the rails can have a depth (e.g., between 20 and
100 microinches) relative to the height of the rails, while the second area has
a deeper depth (e.g., between 20 and 200 microinches). In one embodiment, the second
area is placed in the outside rear quadrant relative to the rear edge of the slider
and the rail closer to the outside diameter of the moving disk. By partitioning
the subambient pressure area and properly selecting the depths of the partitioned
areas, the slider can achieve a more uniform flying height over the range of diameters
of the moving disk, at different rotational speed velocities for the disk and at
different operation altitudes.