JP2000339647A - Magnetic head and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a magnetic head wherein manufacturing costs of individual magnetic heads are reduced and, both optimizing the electromagnetic characteristic and outside dimension of a core and optimizing the fluid mechanic characteristic and mechanical durability of a slider are achieved. SOLUTION: The main part of this magnetic head is composed of a supporting body 1, a slider stuck to the tip end of the supporting body 1 so as to enclose the periphery of the core chip 12 as another body separated from the core chip 12 i.e., another component. The core chip 12 and the slider are respectively independently formed into the optimal shapes and dimension using the optimal material respectively by separating the core chip 12 from the slider.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a magnetic head having a magnetic recording element on a core chip supported by a slider and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A hard disk drive used as a storage device of a computer or the like (Hard Disc Driver,
In recent years, a magnetic recording device represented by an HDD has been required to cope with an increase in capacity and recording density,
The speed of the read / write function of magnetic recording has been increased, and the size of the entire apparatus has been reduced. Along with this, the sensitivity and miniaturization of magnetic heads used in magnetic recording devices and magnetic recording elements supported by sliders are also being promoted.

That is, in a magnetic head, in order to record a magnetic recording signal at a high density on a magnetic recording medium such as a large-capacity magnetic disk and to perform writing and reading accurately and at high speed, a magnetic recording element is used. It is necessary to increase the sensitivity and to miniaturize the outer shape and element structure of the magnetic recording element.

In order to realize such a magnetic head,
Conventionally, a slider including a magnetic recording element has been manufactured by an integrated circuit forming technique using an Altic substrate.
That is, a plurality of sliders including individual magnetic recording elements are formed on an Altic substrate, and the sliders are individually separated by machining to obtain individual sliders.

When a slider is formed using such an Altic substrate, the material itself, which is the Altic substrate, is relatively expensive, and the same fine processing technology as that used in the semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing process is used. Therefore, each of the sliders tends to be expensive. Therefore, there is a demand for forming as many sliders as possible on one Altic substrate to reduce the size of the slider and further downsize the entire magnetic head.

[0006]

However, in particular, H
In a magnetic head compatible with high-density recording such as that used for DD, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size and cost of the slider and the head as a whole, even if the magnetic recording element is reduced in size by fine processing technology. there were.

That is, a magnetic head for an HDD generally includes a flying slider having a shape having a hydrodynamic flying function, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-66517. In this flying slider, a hydrodynamic lift (positive or negative lift) is generated by utilizing the wake of air generated near the surface of the magnetic recording medium as the magnetic recording medium rotates (or moves). A predetermined distance from the surface of the magnetic recording medium is maintained. Therefore, a floating slider is required to have a shape for realizing such a hydrodynamic function and an external dimension suitable for the shape, and accordingly, miniaturization of the external dimension of the entire slider is restricted. . As a result, the number of sliders that can be formed on one Altic substrate cannot be increased, and it is difficult to reduce the manufacturing cost of the slider.

In addition to the above-mentioned floating function, the slider is used to protect a fine and highly sensitive magnetic recording element from dust, floating foreign matters such as chipping, particles, etc. Processing such as polishing (chamfering) is performed to assist mechanical strength against contact with the recording medium. These processes also limit the miniaturization of the external dimensions of the slider,
It is difficult to reduce the size and cost.

A magnetic recording element formed in a slider by using such an Altic substrate as a material includes:
Since it is fine and highly sensitive, it is desirable that after being once formed in the Altic substrate, it should not be exposed to other heating or heating processes as much as possible.

However, in the conventional magnetic head, polishing is performed to process the slider into a hydrodynamic shape as described above, or to remove chipping or the like at the end face or each side (ridge) of the slider. Is necessary. Since such a process generally uses a friction processing method, it inevitably involves generation of heat and static electricity. For this reason, there is a problem that due to such heat generation, there is a high probability that the magnetic recording element which is extremely fine and sensitive to heat is deteriorated and its characteristics are deteriorated or destroyed. In addition, there is a problem that a very small and highly sensitive magnetic recording element is likely to be electrostatically damaged due to static electricity.

In order to avoid the above-mentioned generation of heat and static electricity, a chemical milling method such as etching or ion milling may be used.
In this case, there is a problem that the magnetic recording element is exposed to a chemical such as an etchant or a gaseous etchant to cause deterioration. In order to avoid such a problem, it is conceivable to cover the magnetic recording element with a resist or the like, but it is extremely complicated to add a resist step.

Particularly, in the step of polishing or cutting the slider surface to form a mechanical portion such as an air bearing surface or a rail structure thereof, a portion where the magnetic recording element is exposed is removed. It is necessary to avoid friction processing and cutting processing. This is because any polishing or cutting of the magnetic recording element when polishing or cutting the slider surface will cause fatal damage to a fine and highly sensitive magnetic recording element.

However, it is practically extremely difficult to polish the slider surface while precisely controlling so as to avoid only such a minute magnetic recording element.
Therefore, when the mechanical portion of the slider surface is formed by polishing or cutting, the probability of damaging the magnetic recording element becomes extremely high.

As described above, in the conventional magnetic head and its manufacturing method, it is difficult to reduce the size of the slider as a whole, so that the number of sliders that can be formed on one Altic substrate is increased. As a result, there has been a problem that the reduction of the manufacturing cost of each magnetic head is prevented. Also, in order to provide the slider with a mechanical or hydrodynamic function like a floating slider or to perform chamfering, the slider is passed through a cutting process, a polishing process, etc. There is a problem that the probability of causing fatal damage to a high-sensitivity magnetic recording element is high. As a result, the yield of the slider or the magnetic head is reduced, and the reliability of the magnetic head is deteriorated.

Incidentally, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-36254 discloses that
A floating magnetic head in which a core chip is inserted and fixed to a slider having a slit is disclosed. However, in this magnetic head, since a side portion of the core chip is exposed, the magnetic head is susceptible to mechanical damage in an assembly process. ,
There was a problem that the yield was low.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a first object of the present invention is to make it possible to further increase the number of units that can be formed from one Altic substrate, thereby reducing individual manufacturing costs. It is an object of the present invention to provide a magnetic head and a method for manufacturing the same, which can realize a reduction in cost.

Further, a second object of the present invention is to realize optimization of electromagnetic characteristics and external dimensions and optimization of hydrodynamic characteristics and mechanical durability without restricting each other. And a method for manufacturing the same.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable magnetic head which can be manufactured with a high yield even if the slider is subjected to a cutting step or a polishing step, and a method of manufacturing the same. It is in.

[0019]

A magnetic head according to the present invention has a support, and a medium facing surface supported by the support and facing a magnetic recording medium. A core chip formed so as to face a functional part of a magnetic recording element having at least one of the functions of reproduction, and separate from this core chip, exposing a region corresponding to at least the functional part of the core chip, The slider is formed in a shape surrounding the side surface of the core chip and includes a slider supported by a support.

In the magnetic head according to the present invention, the core chip may be formed by using an Altic substrate as a material. Further, when the slider is placed in an airflow, at least the slider itself exerts aerodynamic lift. The shape to be generated may be adopted.

Further, in the magnetic head according to the present invention, the support, the slider and the core chip supported by the support are incorporated in, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

According to the method of manufacturing a magnetic head of the present invention, a magnetic recording element having at least one of writing and reproducing functions is provided for a core chip having a medium facing surface facing a magnetic recording medium by using a functional unit of the magnetic recording element. Forming the slider so as to face the medium facing surface, supporting the core chip on a support, and forming the slider in a shape separate from the core chip and exposing at least the functional portion of the magnetic recording element of the core chip. And supporting the slider on a support so as to expose at least the functional portion of the magnetic recording element of the core chip.

In the magnetic head and the method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention, a core chip on which a magnetic recording element is formed;
A slider having a shape surrounding the periphery of the core chip is formed separately. Here, the “separate body” of the slider and the core chip means that they are separate parts that are independent of each other, and that they can be formed into different materials, shapes, and dimensions by independent processes. It means that there is. Therefore, the core chip on which the magnetic recording element is formed, and the slider that performs a mechanical function such as a function of obtaining lift and reinforcing strength are independent of an optimum material, shape, and size by an optimum process. It becomes possible to form. In particular, the core chip provided with the magnetic recording element is not subject to mechanical restrictions on the shape and external dimensions of the slider.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Structure of Main Part of Magnetic Head] FIG. 1 shows a structure of a main part of a magnetic head according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the structure of the tip portion of the support in which the magnetic head, particularly the core chip and the slider are formed. FIG. 3 shows the structure of the core chip and the slider separately as FIGS. 3A and 3B, and FIG. 4 shows a state where the core chip and the slider are combined. In addition,
2 to 4 are partially drawn using a perspective view to show the structure of the magnetic head in more detail.

The magnetic head 1 according to the present embodiment includes a support 11, a core chip 12 provided at the tip end of the support 11, and a slider 13 formed as a separate component from the core chip 12, that is, as a separate component. , The main part is constituted.

The support 11 has an arm member 27 generally called an arm, and a support spring 14 called a suspension at the tip of the arm member 27. On the tip of the support 11, that is, on the support spring 14,
The core chip 12 and the slider 13 are bonded and supported.

A fitting hole 16 is formed in a root portion 15 of the support 11 opposite to the distal end. This fitting hole 16
Accordingly, when the support 11 is used by being incorporated into an HDD main body (not shown), the support 11 can be mechanically coupled to a rotation shaft of a servo mechanism on the HDD main body side. The base portion 15 of the support 11 is further provided with a plurality (here, four) of connection pads 17 for electrical connection with the HDD main body side.

The wiring 18 is provided between the root portion 15 of the support 11 and the portion of the tip portion where the core chip 12 is supported. The wiring 18 has one end connected to each of the plurality of connection pads 17, and the other end connected to a connection pad 19 provided on the side of the core chip 12. The connection pad 19 on the tip end side is electrically connected.

The arm member 27 of the support 11 and the support spring 14 at the tip thereof are formed of different materials and are separate parts. That is, in order to obtain more accurate positioning accuracy and to prevent vibration and torsion of the tip of the support 11, particularly, the arm member 27 of the support 11 is made of styrene resin or forged aluminum having a certain thickness. It is desirable to use a material having high mechanical rigidity, such as the above. On the other hand, the distal end of the support 1 needs to have appropriate elasticity in order to perform damping or the like against vibration and displacement of the position of the magnetic head. Therefore, the support spring 14 at the distal end of the support 1 is desirably formed using a metal material having appropriate elasticity, such as SUS301 to 304 (stainless steel). However, in addition to this, it is also possible to use a metal material having appropriate elasticity over the entire support 11 and to form the support 11 so as not to be twisted more than a predetermined allowable twist.

The core chip 12 is formed in a substantially cubic shape by cutting an Altic substrate, for example, as described later. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 4, the core chip 12 has a magnetic recording / reproducing function. A magnetic recording element 20 having a magnetic recording / writing function (that is, including both a reproducing element and a writing element) is provided. Note that the magnetic recording element 20 may have one of the functions of magnetic recording / reproducing and magnetic recording / writing, that is, may be a reproducing element or a writing element.

A plurality of (for example, four) connection pads 21 are arranged on the side surface of the core chip 12. These connection pads 21 have shapes and positions such that when the core chip 12 is mounted on the support 11, electrical connection is established between the connection pads 19 provided on the support 11 side. Is formed. The electrical connection between the connection pad 21 and the connection pad 19 is made by a so-called bonding wire method (a connection method using a bonding wire and a connection structure type), a ball bonding method, or another connection method.

On the medium facing surface 12a of the core chip 2 facing the magnetic recording medium, a portion (hereinafter, referred to as a functional portion 22) that performs the function of reproducing and writing the magnetic recording element 20 is formed. Here, the functional unit 22 means that the magnetic recording element 20 is an MR (Magneto Resistive) or GMR
(Giant Magneto Resistive)
This portion corresponds to a magnetoresistive film whose electric resistance changes due to an external magnetic field. When the magnetic recording element 20 is a writing element, it is a part corresponding to a magnetic pole part. I do. Core chip 12
Is the medium facing surface 12a on which the functional unit 22 is formed.
It is bonded to the tip of the support spring 14 so that the side faces upward in FIG.

For bonding the core chip 12 to the support spring 14, it is desirable to use an adhesive having high electrical and magnetic insulation such as a polyimide adhesive. That is, the support spring 14 is generally formed of a metal material, and electric and magnetic noise is transmitted along the support spring 14 to the core chip 1.
2 has a high probability of infiltrating into the insulating layer 2, and an electromagnetic insulating effect is obtained by an adhesive having high electrical and magnetic insulating properties. However, the bonding means is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that another bonding agent or another bonding method such as a ball bonding method may be used.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 3 (B) and 4, the slider 13 is formed as a completely separate body, that is, as a separate part from the core chip 12, and has a box-like shape as a whole. ing. At a substantially central portion of the slider 13, a rectangular opening 23 penetrating vertically is provided, and the core chip 12 can be accommodated in the opening 23. That is, the core chip 12 is in a state in which the periphery of the side surface is surrounded by the slider 13 similarly bonded to the tip of the support spring 14.

A notch 25 is provided on the lower surface side (opposite to the medium facing surface) of the slider 13 so as to communicate with one wall surface 24 of the opening 23.
5, the connection pads 21 of the internal core chip 12 are exposed. The size and shape of the opening 23 may appropriately correspond to the shape and size of the core chip 12. The size and shape of the notch 25 may be appropriately adapted to the shape, size and position of the connection pad 21 provided on the core chip 12 side.

The slider 13 is provided with an air introduction section 26 formed of an inclined surface at the tip of the medium facing surface 13a (that is, the flying surface) facing the magnetic recording medium. The air introduction portion 26 allows the slider 13 to function hydrodynamically as a floating slider.

The slider 13 has a high mechanical durability such as abrasion resistance and a relatively good workability. The slider 13 has a high mechanical durability such as abrasion resistance and a high surface smoothness. It can be formed by using various alloys that can obtain a high degree of workability and have good workability.

In the magnetic head 1 according to the present embodiment, the core chip 12 and the slider 13 are separated from each other, and the slider 13 is provided with an opening 13.
Since the core chip 12 is accommodated in the slider 3, the shape and dimensions of the slider 13 can be freely formed completely independently of the core chip 12.
Can be freely formed completely independently of the slider 13 as well. By separately forming the core chip 12 and the slider 13 in this manner, it is possible to independently form the core chip 12 and the slider 13 into optimal shapes and dimensions using the optimal materials. This makes it possible to optimize the electromagnetic characteristics and external dimensions of the core chip 12 and optimize the hydrodynamic characteristics and mechanical durability of the slider 13 without any restrictions. Become. Further, since the slider 13 has a shape surrounding the entire periphery of the core chip 12, it also plays a role of assisting the mechanical strength of the core chip 12, such as abrasion resistance and impact resistance.

[Method of Manufacturing Main Parts of Magnetic Head]
The method of manufacturing the magnetic head according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show the Altic substrate 1.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a step of forming a core chip 12 using No. 01. First, as shown in FIG.
A plurality of magnetic recording elements 20 such as transducers are arranged in rows on a single Altic substrate 101. In manufacturing the magnetic recording element 20, a general method of manufacturing a magnetic recording element for performing magnetic writing / reading can be suitably used.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), the Altic substrate 101 is cut vertically and horizontally by, for example, a diamond cutter, and the core chips 1 individually cut off.
Get 2. A magnetic recording element 20 is formed on each of the core chips 12. If necessary, the sides (ridges) and corners of the chip-shaped core chip 12 are chamfered, that is, polished. However, if each side or corner has already been sufficiently smoothed at the time of cutting and no chipping or chipping has occurred, chamfering or the like may be omitted. In the present embodiment, chamfering is performed.

In the present embodiment, the core chip 12
Can freely select and use the most suitable material corresponding to the use of the magnetic head and its processing method without considering the relation with the slider 13.

As described above, it is strongly demanded that the shape and dimensions of the core chip be formed so as to be as small as possible and easily formed as many as possible on one Altic substrate. The core chip 12 of the present embodiment can sufficiently respond to such a demand for miniaturization.

That is, in the present embodiment, the magnetic recording element 2 can be used without any restrictions on the outer dimensions of the slider 13 such as a conventional slider with a built-in magnetic recording element.
0 can be formed in an optimum shape and a minimum outer dimension as the core chip 12 having the built-in 0. As a result, the outer dimensions of the core chip 12 can be reduced to the necessary minimum, and the maximum number of core chips 12 that can be formed on one Altic substrate can be maximized. As a result, the manufacturing cost of each core chip 12 can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the magnetic head can be reduced.

In this embodiment, while the core chip 12 is formed as described above, separately from this, FIGS.
As shown in (A), a part of the arm member 27 of the support 11 and the support spring 14 to be assembled to the tip of the arm member 27 are manufactured. Alternatively, unlike the present embodiment, when the support member 11 is of a type in which the arm member 27 and the support spring 14 are integrally formed using the same material, the support member 11 from the root portion to the distal end portion is formed. 11
Are integrally formed.

Subsequently, the wiring 18 is formed on the support 11. The wiring 18 may be formed on the surface of the support 11 using a so-called printed wiring technique (printed wiring technique), or may be formed using a wiring member such as a lead wiring. However, in consideration of the recent miniaturization of the entire magnetic head and the support 11 and the further miniaturization of the magnetic recording element 20, the wiring 18 is formed on the surface of the support 11 by using a printed wiring technology that can cope with the above. It is more desirable to form.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), the core chip 12 is bonded onto the support spring 14 at the tip of the support 11 thus formed. As described above, it is desirable to use an adhesive having a high electrical insulation property such as a polyimide adhesive for the adhesion. After bonding the core chip 12, the connection pads 21 arranged on one surface of the core chip 12 and the connection pads 19 provided on the support 11 are connected by a bonding wire method or the like.

The core chip 12 and the support 11 are formed as described above, and the core chip 12 is adhered to the support 11, while the slider 13 is formed separately from the above-mentioned ceramic material or the like. Further, a square opening 23 for exposing the core chip 12 is formed at the center of the slider 13. The size and shape of the opening 23 correspond to the shape and size of the core chip 12. A notch 25 for exposing the connection pad 21 of the core chip 12 is formed below one wall surface 24 of the opening 23 of the slider 13. The size and shape of the notch 25 also correspond to the shape, size and position of the connection pad 21 provided on the core chip 12 as appropriate. A slope-shaped air introduction portion 26 is formed at the tip of the flying surface 13a of the slider 13.

When the slider 13 is manufactured by stamping such as a ceramic material or injection molding such as engineering plastic or metal die casting, the slider 13 is formed by using a mold having the above shape. Good.
On the other hand, when the slider 13 is formed by using an alloy material or the like, the alloy material is cut out once into a chip shape such as a rectangular parallelepiped, and the opening 23, the cutout portion 25, the air introduction portion 26, etc. May be formed by forging or cutting.

In any of these cases, the material most suitable for the slider 13 corresponding to the use of the magnetic head and the processing method thereof can be freely selected and used without considering the relation with the core chip 12. Is as described above.

After the slider 13 is formed in this way, as shown in FIG. 7C, the slider 13 is placed on the support spring 14 at the tip of the support 11 so as to surround the core chip 12 with an adhesive. To adhere. In this way, the main part of the magnetic head can be manufactured.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the core chip 12 having the magnetic recording element 20 and the slider 13
Since the slider 13 can be manufactured independently, even if the slider 13 is passed through a cutting step, a polishing step, or the like, the magnetic recording element 20 is not affected by heat or static electricity generated in the step at all. Moreover, there is no complicated restriction such as cutting and polishing the slider while precisely avoiding the magnetic recording element as in the conventional manufacturing method, and the slider 13 can be freely processed in a short time. Therefore, the magnetic head can be manufactured with a high yield, and the reliability of the magnetic head obtained thereby can be increased.

In the above embodiment, the slider 13
Has a structure surrounding the core chip 12, but the shape of the slider 13 and the positional relationship with the core chip 12 are not limited thereto. In addition, the planar shape of the slider 13 may be formed in a U-shape, and the core chip 12 may be positioned in a space at the center of the U-shape. In any case, the slider 13 only needs to be separate from the core chip 12.
It is desirable that the slider 13 be formed in a shape capable of sufficiently fulfilling a function of assisting mechanical strength such as wear resistance and a function of hydrodynamic flying characteristics.

[0055]

As described above, according to the magnetic head according to any one of claims 1 to 4 or the method of manufacturing a magnetic head according to claim 5, the core chip and the slider are separated from each other. The side surface of the core chip is surrounded by the slider, so that the number of magnetic heads that can be formed from one Altic substrate can be further increased, and as a result, the manufacturing cost of each magnetic head can be reduced. Can be realized. Further, the optimization of the electromagnetic characteristics and external dimensions of the core chip and the optimization of the hydrodynamic characteristics and mechanical durability of the slider can be realized without any restrictions.

Also, since the magnetic recording element is formed on the core chip separate from the slider, even if the slider is passed through a cutting step, a polishing step, or the like, the magnetic recording element is not affected by heat or static electricity generated in the step. The recording element will not be affected. Alternatively, there is no complicated restriction such as cutting or polishing the slider while precisely avoiding the magnetic recording element, and the slider can be freely processed in a short time. As a result, the magnetic head can be manufactured with a high yield, and the reliability of the magnetic head obtained thereby can be increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a main part of a configuration of a magnetic head according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a structure of a tip portion of a support body on which a magnetic chip, particularly a core chip and a slider are formed.

FIG. 3 shows the structure of a core chip and a slider in FIG.
It is a perspective view shown separately as (A) and FIG. 3 (B).

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a structure in which the core chip and the slider shown in FIG. 3 are combined.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of a main part of the magnetic head shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process following FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a manufacturing step following FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Magnetic head, 11 ... Support body, 12 ... Core chip, 1
3 slider, 14 support spring, 18 wiring, 20 magnetic recording element, 22 functional part

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A recording medium comprising: a support; and a medium facing surface supported by the support and facing a magnetic recording medium. The medium facing surface has at least one of writing and reproducing functions. A core chip formed so as to face a functional part of a magnetic recording element having the same, separately from the core chip, formed in a shape exposing at least a region corresponding to the functional part of the core chip and surrounding a side surface of the core chip And a slider supported by the support. 2. The magnetic head according to claim 1, wherein the core chip is formed using an Altic substrate as a material. 3. The slider according to claim 1, wherein the slider has an air introduction portion for generating aerodynamic lift at least in the slider itself when placed in an airflow. Magnetic head. 4. The hard disk drive according to claim 1, wherein the support, the slider supported by the support, and the core chip are incorporated in a hard disk drive. Magnetic head. 5. A magnetic recording element having at least one of writing and reproducing functions on a core chip having a medium facing surface facing a magnetic recording medium, such that a functional part thereof faces the medium facing surface. Forming the slider on a support; supporting the core chip on a support; forming a slider separately from the core chip so as to expose at least a functional portion of the magnetic recording element of the core chip; and A step of causing the support to expose at least a functional part of the magnetic recording element of the core chip.