JP2011008884A - Head gimbal assembly using near-field light, and information recording and reproducing device incorporating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a head gimbal assembly which can efficiently connect the near-field light element in the slider and the light source outside the slider and can make stabilized floating of the slider at the same time; and also to provide an information recording and reproducing device incorporating it.SOLUTION: The slider 2 is fixed to the pad 204b surrounded by the opening 204a of the flexure 204. The optical wave-guide 401 provided in the flexure 204 is connected straight to the slider 2 over the opening 204a.

Description

  The present invention relates to a near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly that records and reproduces various types of information on a recording medium using spot light that has collected light, and an information recording / reproducing apparatus including the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, information recording / reproducing apparatuses such as hard disk drives in computer equipment have been required to have higher density in response to the need for recording and reproducing larger amounts of high-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. Therefore, it has been difficult to record information on the recording medium.

  Therefore, in order to eliminate the above-described problems, the coercive force is temporarily reduced by locally heating the magnetic domain using spot light that has collected light, or near-field light that has collected light, In the meantime, an information recording / reproducing apparatus of a hybrid magnetic recording system for performing writing on a disk is provided. 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 method described above are provided, and as one of them, by supplying light for generating near-field light to the near-field light element, There is known an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of generating sufficiently large near-field light from a near-field light element to achieve ultra-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 light element is scanned over a recording medium, and the slider is arranged at a desired position on the recording medium. Thereafter, information can be recorded on the recording medium by cooperating the near-field light emitted from the light source and the recording magnetic field generated from the slider.

  Here, as a light supply method in the hybrid magnetic recording method, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a configuration of a head gimbal assembly in which an optical waveguide is provided on a suspension is known.

Japanese Patent No. 4162697

  However, the above-described conventional head gimbal assembly cannot sufficiently supply light. As shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, the optical waveguide is bent with a small radius of curvature so as not to hinder the operation of the suspension that controls the stable floating of the slider. However, the optical waveguide is bent with such a small radius of curvature. It is difficult to keep light in its core. As a result, when information is recorded on the recording medium, the magnetic domains cannot be sufficiently heated, and information recording may fail.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is to realize both efficient connection between the near-field light element in the slider and the light source outside the slider and stable floating of the slider. A near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly and an information recording / reproducing apparatus including the same are provided.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
A near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention includes a flexure that forms a part of a suspension, a slider that is disposed on the flexure so as to face the surface of a recording medium, and generates a near-field using a light beam, It is fixed on the flexure and is optically connected to the slider, and is composed of an optical waveguide that introduces a light beam into the slider. The flexure has an opening in the vicinity of the slider, and the optical waveguide spans the opening. The opening includes a base side opening portion provided on the base side rather than the tip side of the suspension, and the base side opening portion is provided to face the optical waveguide and is wider than the width of the optical waveguide. A longitudinal opening having a width and formed along the optical waveguide is provided.

  In the near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the flexure having the opening is elastically deformed so that the slider fixed to the flexure moves on the recording medium in response to the undulation of the surface of the recording medium. It is possible to surface stably. Accordingly, since the distance between the recording / reproducing element such as the magnetic pole, the near-field light element, and the reproducing element mounted on the slider and the recording medium can be kept constant, accurate and stable recording / reproducing can be realized.

  In addition, since the optical waveguide straddles the opening portion on the base side of the opening, the optical waveguide has a long free portion that straddles the opening. Therefore, the optical waveguide is likely to swing according to the movement of the slider, and the optical waveguide is Hindering stable levitation is reduced.

Moreover, since the expansion of the base side opening part for ensuring the length of the free part can be limited to the notch, the strength of the flexure can be ensured. Therefore, stable flying of the slider can be realized. Further, the durability of the flexure can be ensured.
Further, since the notch can be processed together with the opening, this head gimbal assembly can be realized at low cost.

  In the near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the opening is substantially U-shaped so as to surround the slider.

  In the near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, since the opening is substantially U-shaped, the slider fixed to the flexure is more responsive to waviness on the surface of the recording medium. It is possible to surface stably.

  The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention is characterized in that the optical waveguide is fixed to at least an edge of the opening.

  The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention can be manufactured easily because most of the optical waveguide can be fixed to the flexure.

  The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention is characterized in that the optical waveguide has a substantially linear trajectory for light propagation.

  In the near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, since there is no bending of the optical waveguide that causes a loss of light propagation, sufficient light can be given to the near-field light element. Therefore, stable information recording can be performed.

  An information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention comprises the near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly of the present invention and the recording medium.

In the information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, after rotating the recording medium, the carriage is rotated around the pivot shaft to scan the slider supported by the suspension. Then, the slider is arranged at a desired position on the 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 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. In addition, an information recording / reproducing apparatus having stable performance can be manufactured at low cost.

  According to the head gimbal assembly using near-field light according to the present invention, it is possible to realize both efficient connection between the near-field light element in the slider and the light source outside the slider and stable flying of the slider. Therefore, a high performance information recording / reproducing apparatus can be provided.

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. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ′ of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the head gimbal assembly shown in FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing which follows the B-B 'line of FIG. It is a figure which shows another modification of the head gimbal assembly which concerns on this invention.

(First embodiment)
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. In addition, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an apparatus which writes with respect to the recording medium D which has a magnetic-recording layer with a heat-assisted magnetic recording system.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, a suspension 3 to which a slider 2 is fixed is fixed to a carriage 11. The slider 2 and the suspension 3 are collectively referred to as a head gimbal assembly 12. The disc-shaped recording medium D is rotated in a predetermined direction by the spindle motor 7. The carriage 11 is rotatable about the pivot 10 and is rotated by an actuator 6 controlled by a control signal from the control unit 5, so that the slider 2 can be disposed at a predetermined position on the surface of the recording medium D. The housing 9 is a box shape made of aluminum or the like (in FIG. 1, the peripheral wall surrounding the periphery of the housing 9 is omitted for easy understanding), and the above components are stored therein. The spindle motor 7 is fixed to the bottom surface of the housing 9. The slider 2 includes a magnetic pole (not shown) that generates a magnetic field toward the recording medium D, a near-field light element (not shown) that generates a near-field light spot, and a reproducing element that reproduces information recorded on the recording medium D. (Not shown). The magnetic pole and the reproducing element are connected to the control unit 5 via the suspension 3 and the photoelectric composite wiring 13 laid along the carriage 11, the terminal 14 provided on the side surface of the carriage 11, and the flat cable 4.

  One recording medium D may be provided, but a plurality of recording media may be provided as shown in FIG. As the number of recording media D increases, the number of head gimbal assemblies 12 also increases. Although FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which the head gimbal assembly 12 is provided only on one side of the recording medium D, it may be provided on both sides. Therefore, the number of head gimbal assemblies 12 is at most twice the number of recording media D. As a result, the recording capacity of the information recording / reproducing apparatus can be increased and the apparatus can be downsized.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the head gimbal assembly 12 according to the first embodiment. The suspension 3 includes a base plate 201, a hinge 202, a load beam 203, and a flexure 204, which are made of a thin stainless steel plate. The base plate 201 is fixed to the carriage 11 by mounting holes 201a provided in a part thereof. The hinge 202 connects the base plate 201 and the load beam 203. The hinge 202 is thinner than the base plate 201 and the load beam 203, and the suspension 3 is bent around the hinge 202. The flexure 204 is an elongate member fixed to the load beam 203 and the hinge 202, is thinner than the load beam 203 and the base plate 201, and is easily bent. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped slider 2 is fixed to the tip of the flexure 204.

  The surface opposite to the surface fixed to the flexure 204 in the surface of the slider 2 is a surface facing the recording medium D. This surface is a surface that generates a pressure for the slider 2 to rise from the viscosity of the air flow generated by the rotating recording medium D, and is called ABS (Air Bearing Surface). An uneven shape (not shown) is provided on the ABS, and a desired pressure distribution is generated between the slider 2 and the recording medium D. The slider 2 floats in a desired state due to a balance between the positive pressure for separating the slider 2 from the recording medium D, the negative pressure for attracting the slider 2 to the recording medium D, and the pressing force of the suspension 3. The minimum clearance between the recording medium D and the slider 2 is about 10 nm or less. The pressing force by the suspension 3 is mainly generated by the elasticity of the hinge 202. Further, since the hinge 202 and the flexure 204 are bent with respect to the undulation of the surface of the recording medium D, a desired floating state can be maintained.

  The photoelectric composite wiring 13 is provided on the flexure 204. A laser 205 is disposed on the photoelectric composite wiring 13 in the vicinity of the mounting hole 201a, and is electrically and optically connected to the photoelectric composite wiring 13. The laser 205 may be disposed in the vicinity of the carriage 11 or the control unit 5. The laser 205 and the slider 2 are optically connected via an optical waveguide in the photoelectric composite wiring 13. The laser 205 is driven by the electrical signal from the control unit 5, and the light from the laser 205 is guided to the near-field light element provided on the slider 2 by the optical waveguide in the photoelectric composite wiring 13.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the flexure 204 and the photoelectric composite wiring 13 along the line A-A ′ of FIG. 2. The photoelectric composite wiring 13 includes an insulating layer 301 formed on the flexure 204, a plurality of electric wirings 302 and a core 303 formed on the insulating layer 301, and a cover layer 304 covering these. The electric wiring 302 is made of a material such as copper, aluminum, or gold. The insulating layer 301 and the cover layer 304 serve to insulate the electric wiring 302 and have a function of a clad layer that covers the core 303 to constitute an optical waveguide. The refractive index of the insulating layer 301 and the cover layer 304 is equal and smaller than the refractive index of the core 303. All of the insulating layer 301, the cover layer 304, and the core 303 are made of resin such as polyimide.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the slider 2 according to the first embodiment. The flexure 204 has a substantially U-shaped opening 204a, and the slider 2 is fixed on a pad 204b that is surrounded by the opening 204a and has a tongue shape. Of the end portions of the slider 2, the root side (carriage 11 side) of the suspension 3 is called an inflow end 2a. The tip side of the opposite suspension 3 is called the outflow end 2 b of the slider 2. These are named based on the direction of the air flow by the recording medium D described above. A magnetic pole (not shown), a near-field light element (not shown), and a reproducing element (not shown) are provided on the side surface of the slider 2 on the outflow end 2b side. The photoelectric composite wiring 13 extending from the base of the suspension 3 branches into one optical waveguide 401 and two electrical wirings 402 from the middle. The two electric wirings 402 are connected to the magnetic pole and the reproducing element on the outflow end 2b side so as to go around the opening 204a and both sides of the slider 2. Conversely, the optical waveguide 401 is inserted from the inflow end 2a side. This is because the optical waveguide is generally weaker to bending than the electric wiring, and wiring that goes around the slider 2 cannot be performed.
The opening 204 a includes a notch 403 (a base-side opening portion) that is provided closer to the base side than the distal end side of the suspension 3. The notch 403 is provided facing the optical waveguide 401, has a width wider than the width of the optical waveguide 401, and includes a longitudinal opening formed along the optical waveguide 401. More specifically, a convex notch 403 is provided below the optical waveguide 401 to increase the area of the opening 204a.

  FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line B-B ′ of FIG. 4. A hemispherical protrusion 203 a is provided at the tip of the load beam 203. The hemispherical protrusion 203a is in point contact with the pad portion 204b. By tilting the pad portion 204b around the contact point, it is possible to cope with the undulation of the surface of the recording medium D as described above. One end of the optical waveguide 401 is fixed to the slider 2 and the pad portion 204b, and is further fixed on the flexure 204 across the opening 204a. At this time, since the flexure 204 has the cutout 403, the optical waveguide 401 on the cutout 403 cannot be fixed on the flexure 204, and the optical waveguide 401 straddles the opening 204a and the cutout 403. It will be. Since the optical waveguide 401 during this period becomes a free part that is not fixed, it is elastically deformed according to the inclination of the pad part 204b. When the notch 403 is not provided, the optical waveguide 401 is fixed to the flexure 204 up to the edge of the opening 204a. Therefore, the free part is shorter than that when the notch 403 is provided, and the inclination of the pad part 204b is prevented. End up. By having the notch 403, a free part becomes long and the inclination of the pad part 204b is not prevented. Although it is possible to lengthen the free part by making the opening 204a as a whole without using the notch 403, it is difficult to ensure the strength of the flexure 204.

With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the optical waveguide 401 from hindering the tilting operation of the pad portion 204b. Since the flexure 204 including the tilting operation of the pad portion 204b is indispensable for the stable floating of the slider 2 as described above, the stable floating of the slider 2 is realized by this configuration regardless of the optical waveguide 401. can do. Therefore, since the distance between the magnetic pole, the near-field light element, the reproducing element and the recording medium D can be kept constant, accurate and stable recording / reproducing can be realized.
Further, since the enlargement of the opening 204a can be limited to the notch 403, the strength of the flexure 204 can be ensured. Therefore, stable floating of the slider 2 can be realized. Further, the durability of the flexure can be ensured.
In addition, since the optical waveguide 401 is connected to the inflow end 2a side of the slider 2, the optical waveguide 401 can be connected to the slider 2 while keeping the optical waveguide 401 substantially in a straight line. , Light guiding efficiency can be maintained.
Moreover, since the notch 403 can be processed together with the opening 204a, the above-described effects can be realized at low cost.

  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, the optical waveguide 601 and the electrical wiring 602 can be configured separately as shown in FIG. 6 without using the photoelectric composite wiring 13. With this configuration, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.
The opening of the flexure 204 is not necessarily limited to a substantially U shape, and may be an opening that can realize the tilting operation of the pad portion that fixes the slider 2.
Moreover, it is also possible to employ | adopt combining each embodiment mentioned above suitably.

D recording medium 1 information recording / reproducing apparatus 2 slider 3 suspension 11 carriage 12 head gimbal assembly 13 optoelectronic composite wiring 204 flexure 401 optical waveguide positioning portion 403 notch

Claims (5)

A suspension extending along the surface of the recording medium;
A flexure that forms part of the suspension;
A slider that is arranged on the flexure so as to face the surface of the recording medium and generates a near field using a light beam;
It is fixed on the flexure and is optically connected to the slider, and is composed of an optical waveguide that introduces the luminous flux into the slider,
The flexure has an opening in the vicinity of the slider, and the optical waveguide is provided to straddle the opening.
The opening is
A base side opening portion provided on the base side rather than the tip side of the suspension,
The base side opening portion is
A near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly comprising a longitudinal opening provided opposite to the optical waveguide and having a width wider than the width of the optical waveguide and formed along the optical waveguide.   The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the opening is substantially U-shaped so as to surround the slider.   The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the optical waveguide is fixed to at least an edge of the opening.   2. The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the optical waveguide has a substantially linear trajectory for light propagation.   An information recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: the near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and the recording medium.

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