JP2009301677A - Head gimbal assembly and information recording and reproducing device provided with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve both of propagation efficiency of light and floating characteristics of a slider in addition to the improvement of a layout property and manufacturing efficiency. <P>SOLUTION: The contact point of a projection part 19 and a slider 2 is made a load point F, a point at which the slider 2 and an optical waveguide 32 are fixed is made to a fixed point T, then the fixed point T is set to a point between the top of the end plane of the slider 2 in the plane direction or an outer periphery and the load point F, and also at an upper half part in the thickness direction of the slider 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a head gimbal assembly that records and reproduces various types of information on a magnetic recording medium using spot light that has collected light, and an information recording and reproducing apparatus that includes the head gimbal assembly.

  In recent years, the recording density of information within a single recording surface has increased as the capacity of hard disks and the like in computer equipment has increased. For example, in order to increase the recording capacity per unit area of the magnetic disk, it is necessary to increase the surface recording density. However, as the recording density increases, the recording area occupied by one bit on the recording medium decreases. When this bit size is reduced, the energy of 1-bit information is close to that of room temperature, and the recorded information is reversed or lost due to thermal fluctuation, etc. Will occur.

  In the in-plane recording method that has been generally used, the magnetism is recorded so that the direction of magnetization is in the in-plane direction of the recording medium. In this method, the recorded information is lost due to the thermal demagnetization described above. Is likely to occur. Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, a shift is being made to a perpendicular recording method in which a magnetization signal is recorded in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium. This method is a method for recording magnetic information on the principle of bringing a single magnetic pole closer to a recording medium. According to this method, the recording magnetic field is directed substantially perpendicular to the recording film. Information recorded by a perpendicular magnetic field is easy to maintain in energy stability because it is difficult for the N pole and the S pole to form a loop in the recording film surface. Therefore, this perpendicular recording method is more resistant to thermal demagnetization than the in-plane recording method.

  However, recent recording media are required to have a higher density in response to the need to record and reproduce a larger amount and higher density information. For this reason, in order to minimize the influence of adjacent magnetic domains and thermal fluctuations, those having a strong coercive force have begun to be adopted as recording media. For this reason, it is difficult to record information on a recording medium even in the above-described perpendicular recording system.

  Therefore, in order to solve this problem, the magnetic domain is locally heated using spot light that collects light or near-field light that collects light to temporarily reduce the coercive force, There is provided a hybrid magnetic recording system that performs writing on the disk. In particular, when near-field light is used, it is possible to handle optical information in a region that is less than or equal to the wavelength of light, which is a limit in conventional optical systems. Therefore, it is possible to achieve a higher recording bit density than conventional optical information recording / reproducing apparatuses.

  Various types of information recording / reproducing apparatuses based on the hybrid magnetic recording system described above are provided, and as one of them, by supplying light for generating near-field light to the near-field light head, There is known an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of generating sufficiently large near-field light from a minute aperture and achieving super-high resolution reproduction / recording, high-speed recording / reproduction, and high SN ratio. In this information recording / reproducing apparatus, a slider provided with a near-field optical head is scanned over the disk, and the slider is arranged at a desired position on the disk. Thereafter, information can be recorded on the disk by cooperating the near-field light emitted from the light source and the recording magnetic field generated from the slider.

Here, as a configuration for supplying a light beam to the near-field optical head, for example, as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, an optical waveguide such as an optical fiber is connected to the slider, and the light is emitted from the light source through this optical waveguide. Such a configuration is known that guides the luminous flux to the near-field optical head.
JP 2001-297463 A JP 2003-67901 A JP 2001-143316 A JP 2006-323908 A

  By the way, the slider of the information recording / reproducing apparatus described above is supported by a suspension that can be bent and deformed, and has an air bearing surface called ABS (Air Bearing Surface) on the surface facing the disk. The slider is supported in a state where a load is applied to the disk by the suspension, and when the wind pressure is applied to the slider due to the undulation of the disk, the slider fluctuates and follows the wind pressure. Is configured to do.

  However, in the case of the configuration in which the light beam emitted from the light source is introduced into the slider by the optical waveguide as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, there is a problem that the light propagation efficiency is high while the flying characteristics of the slider are low. is there. That is, since the optical waveguide is connected from the end face on the base end side of the slider, a large rotational moment is applied to the slider from the optical waveguide when wind pressure is applied to the slider. Therefore, when the slider floats (at the time of posture change), the optical waveguide hinders the posture change of the slider, and the stability of the slider decreases. As a result, the flying characteristics of the slider, tracking accuracy, and the like are lowered, and the slider may collide with the disk surface and the disk may be damaged.

On the other hand, as shown in Patent Document 3, a configuration in which a load is applied to the slider via an optical waveguide is also conceivable. In addition, as shown in Patent Document 4, it is conceivable to set the fixing portion for fixing the optical waveguide to the slider in the vicinity of a position extending in a direction in which a load is applied from the suspension in the slider.
However, in the configurations of Patent Documents 3 and 4 described above, there is a problem that the rotational moment acting on the slider from the optical waveguide is reduced, but the degree of freedom in design is low and the layout property is lowered. For example, in the configuration of Patent Document 3, since a load point is set on the optical path, the load point that applies the load to the slider and the near-field optical head provided on the slider must be matched. Don't be. Therefore, it is difficult to align the two, and the manufacturing efficiency is reduced. In the configuration of Patent Document 4, the optical waveguide is fixed by applying an adhesive only to the portion where the optical waveguide and the slider are bonded in the slider, that is, only in the vicinity of the position of the slider extending in the direction in which the load is applied. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to perform bonding at a desired site and manufacturing efficiency is poor.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the object thereof is to improve both the light propagation efficiency and the flying characteristics of the slider while improving the layout performance and the manufacturing efficiency. A head gimbal assembly and an information recording / reproducing apparatus including the head gimbal assembly are provided.

  As a result of diligent efforts to achieve the above object, the inventor of the present application has found that the flying characteristics of the slider include a load point at which a load is applied to the magnetic recording medium in the slider by the support portion, the slider, and the optical waveguide. Is related to the spatial distance between the fixed point and the fixed point.

Therefore, the present invention provides the following means.
A head gimbal assembly according to the present invention extends along the surface of a magnetic recording medium, and is configured to be able to bend and deform in the thickness direction. The head gimbal assembly is opposed to the surface of the magnetic recording medium on the front end side of the suspension. And a slider that directly or indirectly supports the slider on the opposite side of the magnetic recording medium across the slider, and is parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium and orthogonal to each other. A support portion that allows the slider to rotate about an axis; and an optical waveguide that is connected to a proximal end side of the slider and that introduces a light beam emitted from a light source into the slider. An optical system for condensing the light beam introduced from the waveguide, and a spot light generating element for generating spot light from the collected light beam. A head gimbal assembly that heats the magnetic recording medium with light and causes a magnetization reversal by applying a recording magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium to record information on the magnetic recording medium. When the supporting point of the slider is a load point and the portion where the slider and the optical waveguide are fixed is a fixing point, the fixing point is set at a position offset from the load point in the surface direction of the magnetic recording medium. And is set on the outer periphery of the slider in the plane direction or between the outer periphery and the load point, and the fixed point is an intermediate portion in the thickness direction of the slider perpendicular to the surface of the magnetic recording medium. Further, it is set on the support portion side.

In the head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, information can be recorded on a magnetic recording medium such as a rotating optical disk by a hybrid magnetic recording system in which a spot light and a recording magnetic field cooperate. First, the magnetic recording medium is scanned by moving the slider supported at the tip of the suspension in a direction parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium. As a result, the slider can be positioned at a desired position on the magnetic recording medium. Next, the light beam emitted from the light source is guided to the slider. The light beam guided to the slider is condensed by the optical system. Thereby, the spot light generating element can generate spot light from the condensed light flux. This spot light generating element is composed of an optical minute opening, a projection formed in a nanometer size, and the like.
The magnetic recording medium is locally heated by the spot light, and the coercive force temporarily decreases. As a result, various information can be recorded and reproduced on the recording medium using the slider.

In particular, according to the head gimbal assembly of the present invention, the support portion is on the outer periphery of the slider in the plane direction or between the outer periphery and the load point and is perpendicular to the surface of the magnetic recording medium in the thickness direction of the slider. By setting a fixed point on the side, the spatial distance between the load point and the fixed point can be shortened as much as possible. As a result, during the recording / reproducing operation of the slider, even if the slider changes its posture so as to follow surface irregularities and undulations on the surface of the magnetic recording medium and the surface shake caused by the rotation of the magnetic recording medium, it acts on the slider from the optical waveguide. The rotational moment is small. That is, even when the optical waveguide is fixed to the slider, the optical waveguide can be prevented from obstructing the attitude control of the slider. Therefore, stable flying of the slider can be maintained and the flying height can be made as small as possible, so that there is little influence on the flying characteristics of the slider, tracking accuracy, and the like.
Therefore, since both the light propagation efficiency and the flying characteristics of the slider can be compatible, the scanning performance of the slider can be improved, and information can be recorded and reproduced accurately and with high density.
In addition, by setting the fixed point between the slider and the optical waveguide on the outer periphery of the slider or between the outer periphery and the load point, the slider can be used only in the vicinity of the position where the load is applied from the suspension as in the conventional case. As compared with the case where the optical waveguide and the optical waveguide are fixed, the degree of freedom in design can be improved and the layout of the fixed points can be improved. In addition, the optical waveguide and the slider can be easily aligned and fixed with this, so that the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

  Further, in the head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the slider is formed with a receiving portion for receiving and holding the optical waveguide, and the optical waveguide is attached to the slider at least at an edge portion of the receiving portion in the surface direction. It is characterized by being fixed.

  In the head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, by fixing the slider and the optical waveguide at the end edge portion in the housing portion of the slider substrate, the end edge portion is set as a fixing point. In this case, the optical waveguide and the slider can be easily aligned and fixed as compared with the conventional case where the slider and the optical waveguide are fixed by applying an adhesive or the like only to a desired portion. Can be improved.

  In the head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the slider between the outer periphery of the slider in the surface direction and the edge of the housing portion to which the optical waveguide is fixed contacts the optical waveguide. It is characterized in that a cutout portion cut out so as not to be formed is formed.

  In the head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, a notched portion notched so as not to come into contact with the optical waveguide is formed between the outer periphery of the slider and the edge of the accommodating portion to which the optical waveguide is fixed. Thus, a clearance is provided between the optical waveguide and the notch in the slider. That is, the optical waveguide is loosely inserted in the notch. And the distance of the surface direction between a load point and a fixed point can be shortened more by fixing a slider board | substrate and an optical waveguide by the front end side of a notch part, ie, the edge part of an accommodating part. Therefore, the rotational moment acting on the slider from the optical waveguide during the recording / reproducing operation of the slider can be further reduced.

  The head gimbal assembly according to the present invention is characterized in that the fixed point and the load point coincide with each other in a width direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the slider.

  In the head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the distance in the width direction between the load point and the fixed point can be further shortened by matching the fixed point and the load point in the width direction. Therefore, the rotational moment acting on the slider from the optical waveguide during the recording / reproducing operation of the slider can be further reduced.

  In the head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the slider reflects the light beam guided into the optical waveguide toward the optical system, and a slider substrate including the optical system and the spot light generating element. And a mirror substrate having a mirror surface, wherein the accommodating portion is formed on the mirror substrate.

  In the head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the light beam propagated in the optical waveguide is made incident on the mirror surface of the mirror substrate, so that the light beam can be reflected by this mirror surface and guided to the optical system. Thus, the light propagation efficiency can be improved.

  In the head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the slider includes a slider substrate including the optical system and the spot light generating element, and the accommodating portion is formed on a surface of the slider substrate on the support portion side. The tip surface of the optical waveguide is characterized in that a mirror surface for reflecting the light beam guided into the optical waveguide toward the optical system is formed.

  In the head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, since the optical waveguide has a mirror surface, the light beam propagated in the optical waveguide is guided to the optical system by the mirror surface formed on the tip surface of the optical waveguide. Accordingly, since the slider can be configured by a single substrate, the slider can be reduced in thickness and size. Therefore, the distance from the load point to the fixed point in the thickness direction of the slider can also be shortened, and the rotational moment acting on the slider from the optical waveguide can be further reduced.

  On the other hand, an information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention includes the head gimbal assembly of the present invention, a magnetic recording medium rotating in a fixed direction, a light source that emits a light beam for heating the magnetic recording medium, and the magnetic recording medium. And a carriage having an arm portion which is formed so as to be rotatable around the pivot shaft and supports the head gimbal assembly. is there.

In the information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, after rotating the magnetic recording medium, the carriage is rotated around the pivot shaft to scan the slider supported by the arm portion. Then, the slider is arranged at a desired position on the magnetic recording medium. Thereafter, a light beam is caused to enter the optical waveguide from the light source. As a result, various information can be recorded on and reproduced from the magnetic recording medium using the slider of the head gimbal assembly.
In particular, since the head gimbal assembly of the present invention is provided, information can be recorded and reproduced accurately and with high density, and high quality can be achieved.

  According to the head gimbal assembly of the present invention, it is possible to achieve both the light propagation efficiency and the flying characteristics of the slider while improving the layout performance and the manufacturing efficiency. can do.

(First embodiment)
(Information recording / reproducing device)
A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. Note that the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is an apparatus for writing on a disk (magnetic recording medium) D having a perpendicular recording layer by a perpendicular recording method.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a carriage 11 and a laser light source that supplies a light beam (see an arrow in FIG. 4) from the base end side of the carriage 11 via a photoelectric composite wiring 33. 20, a head gimbal assembly (HGA) 12 supported on the front end side of the carriage 11, and an actuator 6 that scans and moves the head gimbal assembly 12 in the XY directions parallel to the disk surface D1 (the surface of the disk D); A spindle motor 7 that rotates the disk D in a predetermined direction, a control unit 5 that supplies a current modulated according to information to the slider 2 of the head gimbal assembly 12, and these components are housed inside. And a housing 9.

The housing 9 has a box shape having an upper opening made of a metal material such as aluminum, and has a bottom portion 9a having a quadrangular shape when viewed from above, and a peripheral wall (vertical wall standing upright with respect to the bottom portion 9a at the periphery of the bottom portion 9a). (Not shown). And the recessed part which accommodates each component mentioned above etc. is formed in the inner side enclosed by the surrounding wall. In FIG. 1, the peripheral wall surrounding the housing 9 is omitted for easy understanding.
Further, a lid (not shown) is detachably fixed to the housing 9 so as to close the opening of the housing 9. The spindle motor 7 is attached to substantially the center of the bottom portion 9a, and the disc D is detachably fixed by fitting the center hole into the spindle motor 7.

The actuator 6 is attached to the outside of the disk D, that is, the corner of the bottom 9a. A carriage 11 is attached to the actuator 6 so as to be rotatable about the pivot shaft 10 in the XY directions.
The carriage 11 has an arm portion 14 extending along the disk surface D1 from the base end portion toward the tip portion, and a base portion 15 that supports the arm portion 14 in a cantilever manner via the base end portion. It is integrally formed by machining or the like.
The base portion 15 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is supported so as to be rotatable around the pivot shaft 10. That is, the base portion 15 is connected to the actuator 6 via the pivot shaft 10, and the pivot shaft 10 is the rotation center of the carriage 11.

  The arm portion 14 extends in parallel to the surface direction (XY direction) of the upper surface of the base portion 15 on the side surface 15b opposite to the side surface 15a to which the actuator 6 is attached in the base portion 15 (side surface on the opposite side of the corner portion). 3 pieces extending along the height direction (Z direction) of the base portion 15. Specifically, the arm portion 14 is formed in a tapered shape that tapers from the proximal end portion toward the distal end portion, and is arranged so that the disk D is sandwiched between the arm portions 14. That is, the arm portion 14 and the disk D are arranged so as to alternate with each other, and the arm portion 14 can be moved in a direction parallel to the surface of the disk D (XY direction) by driving the actuator 6. The carriage 11 and the head gimbal assembly 12 are retracted from the disk D by driving the actuator 6 when the rotation of the disk D is stopped.

  The head gimbal assembly 12 guides the light beam from the laser light source 20 to the near field light head (spot light generation element) having a near field light generation element (spot light generation element) (not shown) to generate near field light (spot light). Various information is recorded on and reproduced from the disk D using the near-field light. Note that the near-field light generating element includes, for example, an optical minute aperture, a protrusion formed in a nanometer size, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the suspension 3 as seen from the slider 2 side with the slider 2 facing upward. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the gimbal 17 with the slider 2 facing upward. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB ′ in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the head gimbal assembly 12 of this embodiment has a function of floating the slider 2 from the disk D, and is formed in a thin plate shape by the slider 2 and a metallic material. The suspension 3 that can move in the XY directions parallel to the disk surface D1 and the slider 2 are rotatable about two axes (X axis, Y axis) that are parallel to the disk surface D1 and orthogonal to each other, that is, Gimbal means 16 is provided to be fixed to the lower surface of the suspension 3 so that it can be twisted about two axes.

  First, the slider 2 is supported between the disk D and the suspension 3 with a gimbal 17 (described later) sandwiched between the lower surface of the suspension 3. The slider 2 includes one slider substrate 60 made of a light transmissive material such as quartz glass, a ceramic such as AlTiC (AlTiC), and the like. A magnetic element 58 composed of a reproducing element and a recording element is fixed to the front end side of the slider substrate 60. Further, the slider 2 includes an in-head waveguide 59 that guides a light beam introduced from an optical waveguide 32 (described later) to the near-field light generating element on the tip side of the magnetic element 58, that is, on the tip surface of the slider 2. The in-head waveguide 59 collects a light beam emitted from the laser light source 20 (not shown) and collects near-field light from the light beam collected by the light collecting lens. It has a near-field light generating element and the like. That is, in the slider 2, the in-head waveguide 59 and the magnetic element 58 are arranged side by side on the distal end surface 2c side. In the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the slider 2, the tip surface 2c side is closest to the disk surface D1. Therefore, by disposing the in-head waveguide 59 and the magnetic element 58 on the front end surface 2c side, the in-head waveguide 59 and the magnetic element 58 can be as close to the disk surface D1 as possible.

The lower surface of the slider 2 is a floating surface 2a that faces the disk surface D1. The air bearing surface 2a is a surface that generates pressure for ascending from the viscosity of the air flow generated by the rotating disk D, and is called ABS. Specifically, the slider 2 is designed to float in an optimum state by adjusting the positive pressure for separating the slider 2 from the disk surface D1 and the negative pressure for attracting the slider 2 to the disk surface D1. Has been.
The slider 2 receives a force that rises from the disk surface D1 by the flying surface 2a, and also receives a force that is pressed against the disk D by the suspension 3. The slider 2 floats from the disk surface D1 due to the balance of both forces.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the suspension 3 includes a base plate 22 formed in a substantially square shape in a top view, and a load beam having a substantially triangular shape in a top view connected to a distal end side of the base plate 22 via a hinge plate 23. 24.

The base plate 22 is made of a thin metal material such as stainless steel, and an opening 22a penetrating in the thickness direction is formed on the base end side. The base plate 22 is fixed to the tip of the arm portion 14 through the opening 22a. A sheet-like hinge plate 23 made of a metal material such as stainless steel is disposed on the lower surface of the base plate 22. The hinge plate 23 is a flat plate formed over the entire lower surface of the base plate 22, and a tip portion of the hinge plate 23 extends from the tip of the base plate 22 along the longitudinal direction of the base plate 22. Is formed. Two extending portions 23a extend from both end portions in the width direction of the hinge plate 23, and an enlarged portion 23b whose width increases in the width direction inner side, that is, in the direction toward each extending portion 23a, is formed at the tip portion. Is formed. A load beam 24 is connected to the upper surface of the enlarged portion 23b.
The load beam 24 is made of a thin metal material such as stainless steel like the base plate 22, and the base end thereof is connected to the hinge plate 23 with a gap between the base plate 22 and the tip end of the base plate 22. . As a result, the suspension 3 is bent around the base plate 22 and the load beam 24, and is easily bent in the Z direction perpendicular to the disk surface D1.

  A flexure 25 is provided on the suspension 3. The flexure 25 is a sheet-shaped member made of a metal material such as stainless steel, and is configured to be able to bend and deform in the thickness direction by being formed in a sheet shape. The flexure 25 is fixed to the distal end side of the load beam 24 and has a gimbal 17 whose outer shape is formed in a substantially pentagonal shape when viewed from above, and a narrower width than the gimbal 17, and extends along the suspension 3 from the base end of the gimbal 17. It is comprised with the support body 18 extended.

The gimbal 17 is formed so as to slightly warp in the thickness direction from the vicinity of the middle to the tip toward the disk surface D1. Then, the warped end is fixed to the load beam 24 from the base end to substantially the middle so that the front end does not come into contact with the load beam 24.
In addition, a notch 26 is formed on the leading end side of the floating gimbal 17 so that the periphery of the gimbal 17 is pierced in a U-shape, and a portion surrounded by the notch 26 is connected by a connecting portion 17a. A pad portion (tongue piece portion) 17b supported in a cantilever shape is formed. That is, the pad portion 17b is formed so as to protrude from the distal end side to the proximal end side of the gimbal 17 by the connecting portion 17a, and is provided with a notch 26 around the periphery. Accordingly, the pad portion 17 b is easily bent in the thickness direction of the gimbal 17, and the angle is adjusted so that only the pad portion 17 b is parallel to the lower surface of the suspension 3. The slider 2 is placed and fixed on the pad portion 17b. That is, the slider 2 is bonded and fixed to the pad portion 17b and is suspended from the load beam 24 via the pad portion 17b.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a protrusion (support) 19 that protrudes toward the approximate center of the pad portion 17 b and the slider 2 is formed at the tip of the load beam 24. The tip of the projection 19 is rounded. The protrusion 19 comes into point contact with the surface (upper surface) of the pad portion 17b when the slider 2 floats to the load beam 24 side by the wind pressure received from the disk D. That is, the projecting portion 19 indirectly supports the slider 2 via the pad portion 17b of the gimbal 17 and applies a load to the slider 2 toward the disk surface D1 (in the Z direction). ing. A contact point (support point) between the protrusion 19 and the pad portion 17 b is a load point F of the slider 2 by the protrusion 19. The projections 19 and the gimbal 17 having the pad portions 17b constitute the gimbal means 16.

  The support 18 shown in FIG. 2 is in the form of a sheet integrally formed with the gimbal 17 and extends on the suspension 3 toward the arm portion 14. That is, the support 18 is configured to follow the deformation of the suspension 3 when the suspension 3 is deformed. The support 18 is drawn from the top of the arm portion 14 to the side surface until reaching the base portion 15 of the arm portion 14.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the terminal board 30 attached to the base portion 15 of the carriage 11.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, a terminal board 30 is disposed on a side surface 15 c of the base portion 15 of the carriage 11. The terminal board 30 serves as a relay point when the control unit 5 provided in the housing 9 and the slider 2 are electrically connected, and various control circuits (not shown) are formed on the surface thereof. ing. The control unit 5 and the terminal board 30 are electrically connected by a flexible flat cable 4, while the terminal board 30 and the slider 2 are connected by an electric wiring 31. Three sets of electrical wirings 31 are provided corresponding to the number of sliders 2 provided for each carriage 11, and signals output from the control unit 5 via the flat cable 4 are transmitted via the electrical wiring 31. It is output to the slider 2.

  On the terminal substrate 30, the laser light source 20 that supplies a light beam toward the in-head waveguide (condensing lens) 59 of the slider 2 is disposed. The laser light source 20 receives a signal output from the control unit 5 via the flat cable 4 and emits a light beam based on this signal, and corresponds to the number of sliders 2 provided in each arm unit 14. Then, three are arranged along the height direction (Z direction) of the base 15. An optical waveguide 32 that guides the light beam emitted from each laser light source 20 to the condenser lens of the slider 2 is connected to the emission side of each laser light source 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, one optical waveguide 32 and one set of electrical wiring 31 corresponding to each slider 2 reach from the base end side to the tip end between the laser light source 20 and the slider 2. It is comprised as the photoelectric composite wiring 33 formed integrally. The photoelectric composite wiring 33 is routed on the arm portion 14 from the surface of the terminal substrate 30 through the side surface of the arm portion 14. Specifically, the photoelectric composite wiring 33 is disposed on the above-described support 18 of the flexure 25 on the arm portion 14 and the suspension 3, and the tip of the suspension 3 is sandwiched between the support 18. Has been routed to. As described above, since the photoelectric composite wiring 33 is formed on the support 18 that can be bent and deformed, the photoelectric composite wiring 33 and the support 18 are used together with the movement of the slider 2 and the deformation of the suspension 3. Deform to follow. Thereby, disconnection etc. of the photoelectric composite wiring 33 can be prevented.
The electrical wiring 31 is made of aluminum, copper, or the like, and is confined together with the core 35 in the clad 34.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the optical waveguide 32 constituting the photoelectric composite wiring 33 is formed with an outer diameter of, for example, 3 to 10 μm, and guides a light beam emitted from the laser light source 20 under a total reflection condition. The outer diameter is, for example, several tens of μm, is made of a material having a refractive index lower than the refractive index of the core 35, and has a circular shape in sectional view having a clad 34 that is in close contact with the core 35 and seals the core 35. . The light beam emitted from the laser light source 20 is guided to the condenser lens of the slider 2 under total reflection conditions due to the difference in refractive index between the core 35 and the clad 34.

An example of a combination of materials used as the clad 34 and the core 35 is described, for example, a combination in which the core 35 is formed of quartz (SiO ₂ ) and the clad 34 is formed of quartz doped with fluorine. In this case, when the wavelength of the light beam is 400 nm, the refractive index of the core 35 is 1.47, and the refractive index of the clad 34 is less than 1.47, which is a preferable combination. A combination in which the core 35 is formed of quartz doped with germanium and the clad 34 is formed of quartz (SiO ₂ ) is also conceivable. In this case, when the wavelength of the light beam is 400 nm, the refractive index of the core 35 is larger than 1.47, and the refractive index of the clad 34 is 1.47.
In particular, the greater the difference in refractive index between the core 35 and the clad 34, the greater the force confining the light beam in the core 35. Therefore, when the core 35 has tantalum oxide (Ta ₂ O ₅ : wavelength is 550 nm) 16) and quartz or the like for the clad 34 to increase the difference in refractive index between the two. In addition, when using a light beam in the infrared region, it is also effective to form the core 35 with silicon (Si: refractive index is about 4) which is a material transparent to infrared light.
Further, for example, a combination in which the core 35 is formed with a thickness of 3 to 10 μm by PMMA (methyl methacrylate resin) and the clad 34 is formed with a thickness of several tens of μm by a fluorine-containing polymer is conceivable. Further, both the core 35 and the clad 34 are made of epoxy resin (for example, core refractive index 1.522 to 1.523, clad refractive index 1.518 to 1.519), or made of fluorinated polyimide. Is also possible. In this case, it is preferable to increase the difference in refractive index between the cores 35 and the clad 34 by adjusting the composition of the resin material. For example, in the case of fluorinated polyimide, the refractive index can be controlled by adjusting the fluorine content or by irradiating energy such as radiated light. Thus, by using a resin material as the constituent material of the optical waveguide 32, the photoelectric composite wiring 33 can be manufactured by a semiconductor process.

  The photoelectric composite wiring 33 branches into an electrical wiring 31 and an optical waveguide 32 at the tip of the suspension 3, that is, at an intermediate position of the gimbal 17. Specifically, the optical waveguide 32 extends along the longitudinal direction of the gimbal 17 from a branch point on the tip side of the photoelectric composite wiring 33, and straddles the notch portion 26 of the gimbal 17. Connected directly to the end. The optical waveguide 32 is separated from the lower surface of the gimbal 17 at the branch point of the photoelectric composite wiring 33, and bridges between the pad portion 17 b and the gimbal 17 as it goes from the branch point toward the base end side of the slider 2. It extends in a slightly floating state. That is, on the lower surface of the gimbal 17, the optical waveguide 32 extends in a substantially linear manner (the radius of curvature is substantially infinite) from the center in the width direction (X direction) of the slider 2 to the base end face 2 b side of the slider 2. Has been routed (see FIG. 3). That is, a fixed point T and a load point F between the slider 2 and the optical waveguide 32 described later coincide in the width direction of the slider 2.

  On the other hand, the electrical wiring 31 is bent toward the outer peripheral portion of the gimbal 17 at the branch point, and is routed from the outer peripheral portion of the gimbal 17, that is, from the outside of the notch portion 26. The electrical wiring 31 routed from the outside of the notch portion 26 passes through the connecting portion 17a and is connected to the front end surface side of the slider 2. That is, the electrical wiring 31 is directly connected from the outside of the slider 2 to the magnetic element 58 provided on the tip end side of the slider 2.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the slider substrate 60 of the slider 2 described above is formed with a receiving portion 61 that holds the optical waveguide 32 in the slider 2 and guides it to the in-head waveguide 59. . The accommodating portion 61 is a V-shaped groove having a triangular shape when viewed from the side, and is an adhesive surface with the gimbal 17 on the slider substrate 60, that is, the upper surface of the slider substrate 60. Is formed. The optical waveguide 32 drawn from the base end surface 2 b side of the slider 2 is guided in the slider 2 while being held in the accommodating portion 61, and the in-head waveguide 59 on the tip end surface 2 c side of the slider 2. Connected to one end.

  By the way, the front end surface of the optical waveguide 32 is cut in a direction intersecting the axial direction (extending direction) of the optical waveguide 32, and the cut surface introduces the light beam propagated in the core 35. The mirror surface 32a for reflecting in a different direction from that is configured. The mirror surface 32a reflects the light beam introduced by the optical waveguide 32 so that the direction of the light beam changes by approximately 90 degrees. Thereby, the light beam reflected by the mirror surface 32 a is introduced into the in-head waveguide 59.

  The optical waveguide 32 and the slider 2 are bonded and fixed with an adhesive or the like in the end portion on the base end side in the accommodating portion 61, that is, in the vicinity of the base end surface 2 b of the slider 2. At this time, if a portion where the optical waveguide 32 and the slider substrate 60 are bonded and fixed is a fixing point T, the fixing point T is a surface of the disk surface D1 with respect to the protrusion 19 (load point F) of the suspension 3. It is bonded and fixed at a position offset in the direction (XY direction), specifically, the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the slider 2. Furthermore, the optical waveguide 32 is set in the upper half part in the thickness direction (Z direction) between the air bearing surface 2a of the slider 2 (the surface facing the disk D) and the upper surface (the contact surface with the gimbal 17). ing. Specifically, the fixed point T is set between the upper surface of the slider 2 and the inside of the accommodating portion 61, that is, the uppermost end in the thickness direction of the slider 2.

  In addition, even when it is a case where it fixes from the edge part of the base end side of the accommodating part 61 to the front end side of the accommodating part 61 with an adhesive agent, the fixing point T becomes an end edge part of the proximal end side of the accommodating part 61. That is, the fixed point T is a point farthest from the load point F in the region where the slider substrate 60 and the optical waveguide 32 are bonded and fixed. The optical waveguide 32 and the accommodating portion 61 may be bonded by injecting an adhesive from the gap between the optical waveguide 32 and the accommodating portion 61 after setting the optical waveguide 32 in the accommodating portion 61. Before setting the optical waveguide 32 in the housing part 61, an adhesive may be applied in the housing part 61.

  As described above, the fixed point T is set at the center in the width direction (X direction) of the slider 2, the base end in the longitudinal direction (Y direction), and the upper end in the thickness direction (Z direction). Therefore, the above-described load point F, that is, the spatial distance from the contact point between the protrusion 19 of the suspension 3 and the upper surface of the pad portion 17b to the fixed point T is set to the distance d1.

Next, a procedure for recording and reproducing various types of information on the disk D by the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described below.
First, the spindle motor 7 is driven to rotate the disk D in a predetermined direction. Next, the actuator 6 is operated to rotate the carriage 11 about the pivot shaft 10 as a rotation center, and the head gimbal assembly 12 is scanned in the XY directions via the carriage 11. As a result, the slider 2 can be positioned at a desired position on the disk D.

  Next, the light beam from the laser light source 20 is incident on the optical waveguide 32 (photoelectric composite wiring 33), and the light beam is guided to the slider 2. The light beam emitted from the laser light source 20 is introduced into the core 35 from one end side of the core 35 in the photoelectric composite wiring 33 and propagates toward the slider 2 while repeating total reflection at the interface between the core 35 and the clad 34. The When the light beam reaches the tip surface of the optical waveguide 32, it is reflected toward the in-head waveguide 59 by the mirror surface 32 a formed on the tip surface of the optical waveguide 32. The light beam introduced into the in-head waveguide 59 is condensed by the condenser lens in the in-head waveguide 59, and the spot size is gradually narrowed down. As a result, near-field light is generated around the near-field light generating element so as to ooze out. Further, since the core 35 is sealed with the clad 34 in close contact, the propagating light beam does not leak to the outside of the core 35 in the middle. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently make near-field light without wasting the introduced light flux.

The disk D on which the near-field light is incident is locally heated by the near-field light, and the coercive force is temporarily reduced. On the other hand, when a current is supplied to the recording element of the slider 2 by the control unit 5, a recording magnetic field perpendicular to the disk D can be generated by the principle of an electromagnet. As a result, information can be recorded by a hybrid magnetic recording method in which near-field light and a recording magnetic field generated by a recording element cooperate.
On the other hand, when reproducing the information recorded on the disk D, the reproducing element fixed adjacent to the recording element receives the magnetic field leaking from the disk D and depends on its magnitude. The electrical resistance changes. Therefore, the voltage of the reproducing element changes. Thereby, the control unit 5 can detect a change in the magnetic field leaking from the disk D as a change in voltage. And the control part 5 can reproduce | regenerate information by reproducing | regenerating a signal from the change of this voltage.
In this way, various information can be recorded and reproduced on the disk D using the slider 2.

Here, the slider 2 is supported by the suspension 3 and pressed against the disk D side with a predetermined force. At the same time, since the air bearing surface 2a faces the disk D, the slider 2 receives a force that rises under the influence of wind pressure generated by the rotating disk D. Due to the balance between the two forces, the slider 2 is in a floating state at a position separated from the disk D.
At this time, since the slider 2 receives the wind pressure and is pushed toward the suspension 3, the pad portion 17 b of the gimbal 17 that fixes the slider 2 and the protrusion 19 formed on the suspension 3 are in point contact. The floating force is transmitted to the suspension 3 through the protrusions 19 and acts to bend the suspension 3 in the Z direction perpendicular to the disk surface D1. Thereby, the slider 2 floats as described above. Further, when wind pressure in the XY direction is applied to the slider 2 due to unevenness or undulation of the disk D, the slider 2 and the pad portion 17b are twisted about the two axes of the X axis and the Y axis around the protrusion 19. It has become so. As a result, displacement in the Z direction (displacement in a direction substantially perpendicular to the disk surface D1) due to waviness of the disk D can be absorbed, and the posture of the slider 2 is stabilized.

  Even if the slider 2 receives wind pressure (wind pressure in the XY direction) generated due to the undulation of the disk D, the slider 2 passes through the gimbal means 16, that is, the pad portion 17 b that is in point contact with the tip of the projection portion 19. It can be twisted around the XY axis. Therefore, the displacement in the Z direction due to the swell can be absorbed, and the posture of the slider 2 when flying can be stabilized.

As described above, in the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the load point F to which the load is applied toward the disk surface D1 in the slider 2 and the fixed point T to which the optical waveguide 32 in the slider 2 is fixed are defined as the load point. The distance d1 from F to the fixed point T is set.
According to this configuration, it is between the base end surface 2b of the slider 2 in the surface direction and the load point F, and in the thickness direction between the flying surface 2a of the slider 2 and the contact surface with the pad portion 17b. By setting the fixed point T in the upper half, the spatial distance between the load point F and the fixed point T can be shortened as much as possible. Thus, during the recording / reproducing operation of the slider 2, even when the slider 2 changes its posture so as to follow the unevenness of the disk surface D <b> 1 or the surface shake accompanying the rotation of the disk D, it acts on the slider 2 from the optical waveguide 32. The rotational moment is small. That is, even when the optical waveguide 32 is fixed to the slider 2, it is possible to prevent the optical waveguide 32 from hindering the posture control of the slider 2. Therefore, the stable flying of the slider 2 can be maintained and the flying height can be made as small as possible, so that there is little influence on the flying characteristics, tracking accuracy, etc. of the slider 2.
Accordingly, both the light propagation efficiency and the flying characteristics of the slider can be compatible, so that the scanning performance of the slider 2 can be improved, and information can be recorded and reproduced accurately and with high density.

Further, since the optical waveguide 32 has a mirror surface 32 a at the tip surface, the light beam propagated in the core 35 of the optical waveguide 32 is directed to the in-head waveguide 59 by the mirror surface 32 a formed on the tip surface of the optical waveguide 32. It is guided. Since the slider 2 can be configured by a single substrate (slider substrate 60), the slider 2 can be reduced in thickness and size.
Therefore, the distance in the thickness direction (Z direction) from the load point F to the fixed point T can also be shortened.
Further, by making the fixed point T and the load point F between the slider 2 and the optical waveguide 32 coincide with each other in the width direction of the slider 2, the distance in the width direction (X direction) from the load point F to the fixed point T is also shortened. The rotational moment acting on the slider 2 from the optical waveguide 21 can be further reduced.

In addition, the slider 2 and the optical waveguide 32 are fixed at the base end side edge portion of the accommodating portion 61 of the slider substrate 60, and the end edge portion is set as the fixing point T.
According to this configuration, the degree of freedom in design is improved and fixed as compared with the conventional case where the slider 2 and the optical waveguide 32 are fixed only in the vicinity of the position extending in the direction in which the load is applied from the suspension 3. The layout of the point T can be improved. In addition, the optical waveguide 32 and the slider 2 can be easily aligned and fixed with this, so that the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

  Thus, since the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present invention includes the head gimbal assembly 12 described above, information can be recorded / reproduced accurately and with high density, and high quality can be achieved.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the head gimbal assembly in the second embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC ′ of FIG. FIG. 8 is a view taken in the direction of arrow D in FIG. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the head gimbal assembly 112 of this embodiment has a notch 117 c formed on the lower surface (the surface facing the slider 102) of the pad portion 117 b of the gimbal 117. The notch 117c is formed in a rectangular shape in a side view in the middle in the thickness direction in the center in the width direction (X direction) of the pad 117b. That is, the thickness of the pad portion 117b at the formation site of the notch portion 117b is formed thinner than the thickness around the notch portion 117c. Further, the notch 117c is formed from the front end side to the base end side in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the pad portion 117b, and is formed up to the vicinity of the load point F in the XY plane direction. A stepped portion 117d is formed between the notched portion 117c and the lower surface of the pad portion 117b on the leading end side of the notched portion 117b. In addition, the notch part 117c may be configured to penetrate in the thickness direction of the pad part 117b.

  The slider substrate 160 is also formed with a notch 163 along the longitudinal direction from the base end surface 2b toward the front end side. The notch 163 is a V-shaped groove formed in a triangular shape in a side view, and is formed to be larger than the outer shape of the accommodating portion 61. That is, it is formed larger than the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axial direction of the optical waveguide 32, and the outer peripheral surface of the optical waveguide 32 and the inner surface of the notch 163 are not in contact with each other. The notch 163 is a central portion in the width direction (X direction) of the slider substrate 160 and is in the vicinity of the load point F in the XY plane direction in the longitudinal direction, similar to the stepped portion 117d of the notch 117c of the pad portion 117b. It has been formed until. A stepped portion 164 is formed between the notched portion 163 and the accommodating portion 61 on the front end side of the notched portion 163. The stepped portion 164 is formed flush with the stepped portion 117d of the pad portion 117b.

  And the accommodating part 61 similar to 1st Embodiment mentioned above is formed in the front-end | tip of the notch part 163 via the level | step-difference part 164. As shown in FIG. That is, in the present embodiment, a notch portion 163 having an outer shape larger than the outer shape of the housing portion 61 is formed between the housing portion 61 and the base end surface 2 b of the slider 102. The upper surface of the slider substrate 160 has a V-shaped outer shape that becomes smaller (shallow) from the proximal end side toward the distal end side due to the notch portion 163 and the accommodating portion 61. The optical waveguide 32 is an in-head waveguide disposed on the distal end side of the slider 102 while being accommodated between the slider 102 and the pad portion 117b, that is, in the accommodating portion 61 and the notch 163 of the slider 102. 59.

  Here, a clearance is provided around the optical waveguide 32 on the proximal end side of the slider 102. That is, there is a clearance between the notch 163 of the slider 102 and the notch 117c of the pad portion 117b and the optical waveguide 32, and the optical waveguide 32 is loosely inserted in the clearance. . In this case, the optical waveguide 32 is bonded and fixed with an adhesive or the like in the vicinity of the base end side edge portion of the accommodating portion 61, that is, in the vicinity of the stepped portions 117 d and 164. As described above, the optical waveguide 32 of the present embodiment is bonded and fixed at a portion closer to the distal end side than the base end surface 2 b of the slider 102. Therefore, the stepped portion 164 of the slider 102 becomes an end surface of a portion farthest from the load point F in the region where the optical waveguide 32 and the slider 102 are bonded and fixed. If the end surface of the stepped portion 164 is a fixed point T of the optical waveguide 32, the distance between the load point F and the fixed point T is set to a distance d2. That is, the distance d2 between the fixed point and the load point is shorter than when the base end surface 2b of the slider 102 is the fixed point.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above, the outer peripheral surface of the optical waveguide 32 is not in contact with the base end side of the housing portion 61 in the slider substrate 160. By forming the notch 163, a clearance is provided between the optical waveguide 32 and the notch 163 in the slider 102. That is, the optical waveguide 32 is loosely inserted into the notch 163. And the spatial distance d2 between the load point F and the fixed point T is fixed by fixing the slider board | substrate 160 and the optical waveguide 32 in the front end side of the notch part 163, ie, the edge part of the accommodating part 61. FIG. It can be shortened more. Specifically, the distance in the width direction (X direction) and the thickness direction (Z direction) is the same as in the first embodiment described above, but the distance in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the slider 2 is shortened. can do. Therefore, the rotational moment acting on the slider 102 from the optical waveguide 32 during the recording / reproducing operation of the slider 102 can be further reduced.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the head gimbal assembly in the third embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE ′ of FIG. FIG. 10 is a view taken in the direction of arrow G in FIG. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the slider 202 of the head gimbal assembly 212 of this embodiment is configured by superposing a slider substrate 260 and a mirror substrate 270.
Similar to the first embodiment, the slider substrate 260 is made of a light-transmitting material such as quartz glass, and a concave portion 261 whose upper surface is cut out in the thickness direction is formed on the tip side thereof. A condensing lens 262 that protrudes in a hemispherical shape in the thickness direction of the slider substrate 260 is formed at the center of the bottom surface of the recess 261. On the air bearing surface 260a of the slider substrate 260, a near-field light generating element 263 projecting downward from the air bearing surface 260a is provided immediately below the condenser lens 262 in the thickness direction. The near-field light generating element 263 is configured by an optical minute aperture, a projection formed in a nanometer size, and the like, and generates near-field light from a light beam condensed by the condenser lens 262. is there. An in-head waveguide (not shown) for guiding the light beam condensed by the condensing lens 262 to the near-field light generating element 263 is provided between the condensing lens 262 and the near-field light generating element 263. Yes. A magnetic element 258 including a reproducing element and a recording element is provided adjacent to the near-field light generating element 263.

  The mirror substrate 270 is made of silicon or the like, and its upper surface 270b is bonded and fixed to the lower surface of the pad portion 17b, and the lower surface 270a is bonded and fixed to the upper surface 260b of the slider substrate 260. A receiving portion 271 of the optical waveguide 32 is formed at the center in the width direction on the lower surface 270a of the mirror substrate 270 from the proximal end surface in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) toward the distal end side. The accommodating portion 271 is a V-groove cut out from the lower surface 270a of the mirror substrate 270 in the thickness direction. At the front end side of the housing portion 271, the depth of the V-groove gradually decreases and reaches the lower surface 270 a of the mirror substrate 270, and a mirror surface 272 inclined with respect to the lower surface 270 a of the mirror substrate 270 is formed. . The mirror surface 272 is formed with an Al film or the like on the surface thereof, and reflects the light beam introduced from the optical waveguide 32 and guides it to the condenser lens 262 of the slider substrate 260.

  Here, the optical waveguide 32 is held in the accommodating portion 271 of the mirror substrate 270, and is bonded and fixed with an adhesive or the like at the base end side edge portion of the accommodating portion 271. Then, assuming that the portion where the optical waveguide 32 and the mirror substrate 270 are bonded and fixed is a fixing point T, this fixing point T is the surface of the optical waveguide 32 that faces the protrusion 19 (load point F) of the suspension 3 on the disk surface. It is bonded and fixed at a position offset in the surface direction (XY direction) of D1. Further, the upper half portion in the thickness direction (Z direction) between the air bearing surface 260a of the slider 202 (the air bearing surface 260a of the slider substrate 260) and the upper surface (the upper surface of the mirror substrate 270) is set.

Thus, the fixed point T is set at the center in the width direction (X direction) of the slider 202, the base end in the longitudinal direction (Y direction), and the upper half in the thickness direction (Z direction). Therefore, the above-described load point F, that is, the spatial distance from the contact point between the protrusion 19 of the suspension 3 and the upper surface of the pad portion 17b to the fixed point T is set to the distance d3.
Therefore, even when the slider 202 is composed of the slider substrate 260 and the mirror substrate 270 as in the present embodiment, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, since the optical waveguide 32 can be held only by forming the accommodating portion 271 on the mirror substrate 270, the slider substrate 260 is not processed, and the processing can be facilitated.

It should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes those in which various modifications are made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In other words, the configuration described in the above-described embodiment is merely an example, and can be changed as appropriate.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the fixing point is set to the end edge portion of the housing portion has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the slider and the optical waveguide are fixed only by the end surface of the slider, It is also possible to set as That is, the fixed point can be arbitrarily set as long as the optical waveguide is held in the accommodating portion and is on the outer periphery of the slider or between the outer periphery and the load point.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a housing part (not shown) formed on the slider substrate 60 may be formed near one end in the width direction of the slider 2, and the optical waveguide 32 may be held in the housing part. is there. According to this configuration, the load point F and the fixed point T are also offset with respect to the width direction (XY direction) of the slider 2. In this case, the distance between the load point and the fixed point is the distance d '. That is, as in the above-described embodiment, the distance between the load point F and the fixed point T in the width direction (X direction) is compared with the case where the load point F and the fixed point T are aligned in the width direction (X direction). Becomes longer.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the air floating type information recording / reproducing apparatus in which the slider is levitated has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this case. You may be in contact. That is, the slider of the present invention may be a contact slider type slider. Even in this case, the same effects can be achieved.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the head gimbal assembly is provided only on one side of the arm unit has been described. However, the heads are respectively provided on both sides of the arm unit inserted between the disks so as to face each disk. A configuration in which a gimbal assembly is provided is also possible. In this case, information on the disk surface facing each slider can be recorded and reproduced by each slider of the head gimbal assembly provided on both sides of the arm portion. That is, since information on two discs can be recorded and reproduced by one arm portion, the recording capacity of the information recording / reproducing apparatus can be increased and the apparatus can be downsized.

It is a block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the information recording / reproducing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view of the head gimbal assembly shown in FIG. It is a top view of the gimbal shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the A-A 'line of FIG. 3 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which follows the B-B 'line of FIG. 3 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a top view of the terminal board shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the C-C 'line of FIG. 8 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a D arrow line view of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the E-E 'line of FIG. 10 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a G arrow line view of FIG. It is a top view of the slider which shows other embodiment of the information recording / reproducing apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

D disk (magnetic recording medium) D1 disk surface (surface of magnetic recording medium) F load point T fixed point 1 information recording / reproducing device 2 slider 3 suspension 10 pivot shaft 11 carriage 12 head gimbal assembly 14 arm part 17 gimbal 19 projection part ( Support unit) 20 laser light source (light source) 32 optical waveguide 32a mirror surface 60, 160, 260 slider substrate 61, 271 housing unit 163 notch 262 condensing lens (optical system) 263 near-field light generating element (spot light generating element) 270 Mirror substrate

Claims (7)

A suspension that extends along the surface of the magnetic recording medium and is configured to be able to bend and deform in the thickness direction; and a slider that is disposed on the leading end side of the suspension so as to face the surface of the magnetic recording medium; The slider is point-supported directly or indirectly on the opposite side of the magnetic recording medium across the slider, and the slider is rotatable about two axes parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium and perpendicular to each other. And a light guide connected to the proximal end side of the slider and introducing a light beam emitted from a light source into the slider,
The slider includes an optical system that collects the light beam introduced from the optical waveguide, and a spot light generation element that generates spot light from the collected light beam,
A head gimbal assembly that heats the magnetic recording medium with the spot light, causes a magnetization reversal by applying a recording magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium, and records information on the magnetic recording medium;
When the supporting point of the slider by the supporting portion is a load point, and the portion where the slider and the optical waveguide are fixed is a fixing point,
The fixed point is set at a position offset from the load point in the surface direction of the magnetic recording medium, and is set on the outer periphery of the slider in the surface direction or between the outer periphery and the load point.
The head gimbal assembly, wherein the fixed point is set on the support portion side from an intermediate portion in the thickness direction of the slider perpendicular to the surface of the magnetic recording medium.   The housing includes a housing portion that houses and holds the optical waveguide, and the optical waveguide is fixed to the slider at least at an edge of the housing portion in the surface direction. The head gimbal assembly according to claim 1.   The slider between the outer periphery of the slider in the surface direction and the edge of the housing portion to which the optical waveguide is fixed has a notch that is cut out so as not to contact the optical waveguide. 3. The head gimbal assembly according to claim 2, wherein the head gimbal assembly is formed.   4. The head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the fixed point and the load point coincide with each other in a width direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the slider. 5. The slider includes a slider substrate including the optical system and the spot light generating element;
A mirror substrate having a mirror surface that reflects the light beam guided into the optical waveguide toward the optical system;
The head gimbal assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the housing portion is formed on the mirror substrate. The slider includes a slider substrate including the optical system and the spot light generating element, and the accommodating portion is formed on a surface of the slider substrate on the support portion side.
The tip surface of the optical waveguide is configured as a mirror surface that reflects the light beam guided into the optical waveguide toward the optical system. The head gimbal assembly according to item. The head gimbal assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A magnetic recording medium rotating in a certain direction;
A light source that emits a light beam to heat the magnetic recording medium;
A pivot shaft disposed outside the magnetic recording medium;
An information recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: a carriage formed to be rotatable around the pivot shaft and having an arm portion for supporting the head gimbal assembly.

Images