A process for fabricating a negative pressure slider is disclosed which briefly comprises the steps of: (a) applying a dry negative photoresist layer to the surface of the slider; (b) positioning a mask having alignment marks which are too narrow to be resolved during exposure and development to pattern the photoresist layer to expose the portions of the flying surface of the slider to be milled by an ion milling process; (c) ion milling the slider wherein the patterned photoresist layer protects the flying surface of the slider while the negative pressure cavities of the slider are being milled; and (d) removing the remaining portions of the photoresist layer once the negative pressure cavities have been milled.