JP2011222109A - Head gimbal assembly, and manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of head gimbal assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a head gimbal assembly enabling highly-accurate positioning of a near-field generating element provided in a slider and a light supply part for supplying light to the element.SOLUTION: A light supply part and a slider are positioned by: using light supplied from the light supply part to form a positioning pad with a highly-translucent and conductive material at an outgoing end of the light on a surface of a flexible board; bringing the positioning pad into contact with a position detecting wire arranged in the vicinity excluding an incident end of a near-field light generating element mounted in the slider; and at least using a change in electrical characteristics of the position detecting wire.

Description

  The present invention relates to a head gimbal assembly that records various types of information on a recording medium using light, particularly near-field light, a method for manufacturing a head gimbal assembly, and an apparatus for manufacturing a head gimbal assembly.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, information recording / reproducing apparatuses in information processing equipment are exposed to a demand for recording and reproducing a larger amount of information while downsizing the apparatus itself. For this reason, the recording density of information recording media, such as magnetic media of hard disk drives, is increasing year by year. In order to meet such a high recording density, it is necessary to make a magnetic domain (a small magnet provided on the recording medium) smaller and close to one recording unit. Due to the influence and surrounding thermal energy, the recorded magnetic domain may unintentionally reverse. In order to suppress such a phenomenon, a material having a strong holding force has been adopted for the recording medium. A recording medium having a strong holding force cannot reverse the magnetic domain unless recording with a larger magnetic field at the time of recording instead of suppressing an unintended reversal phenomenon, which makes recording difficult.

  In order to solve such a problem, a method has been proposed in which only the magnetic domains to be recorded are heated and heated to reduce the coercive force to perform rewrite recording by irradiating light. As the recording density increases year by year, the magnetic domain itself to be recorded has become very small. Therefore, it is required to concentrate and heat the light to a size below the wavelength of light, which has been a limit in conventional optical systems. It is done. To realize this, by using near-field light, it is possible to collect light in a smaller area, and to realize a higher recording density than that of a conventional optical information recording / reproducing device or the like. It is said.

  Various information recording / reproducing apparatuses using such an optically assisted magnetic recording method have been proposed. As an example, the configuration shown in Patent Document 1 is known. In this configuration, a head slider provided with a recording element that generates near-field light is scanned on the recording medium, and the head slider is arranged at a desired position on the recording medium. Then, by controlling both the near-field light emitted from the recording element and the recording magnetic field generated from the recording coil mounted on the head slider, the magnetic domain on the recording medium can be changed and information can be rewritten and recorded. It is.

  It is necessary to supply light with sufficient intensity from the outside to the recording element mounted with the head slider as described above. As the light supply means, an optical fiber and a thin film optical waveguide disclosed in Patent Document 1 are known. In order to supply high-intensity light, it is necessary to position the emission end of the light supply means and the incident end of the recording element with high accuracy of submicron or less.

  On the other hand, a mark portion for alignment is provided on both the slider provided with the recording element and the light supply means, and either the slider or the light supply means is moved so that the respective mark portions are at the same position, A method of positioning the slider and the light supply means with high accuracy is disclosed in Patent Document 2.

  Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a method in which a mark portion is formed at the emission end of the light supply means using the emitted light of the light supply means, and the light supply portion and the slider are positioned using this mark portion. ing.

Japanese Patent No. 3903365 JP 2007-335028 A JP 2008-293580 A

  The most reliable method for positioning the light supply means and the recording element is to detect the energy of the near-field light generated from the recording element at a position where the highest energy can be obtained. However, near-field light is generated in a very small region with a diameter of several tens of nanometers, and near-field optical lens systems cannot detect near-field light. For this reason, there is a technique for detecting near-field light using a probe microscope such as a scanning near-field light microscope. However, since the recording element is measured while scanning with the tip of the probe one by one, it takes a long measurement time. For this reason, mass production cannot be performed by a method of positioning using such an apparatus.

  In the positioning method disclosed in Patent Document 2, positioning is performed by visually recognizing mark portions provided on both the light supply unit and the recording element. Accordingly, since it is necessary to visually recognize the mark part, the mark part must be fixed at a place where the light supply unit and the recording element are visible, and the mark part of the light supply unit and the recording element is limited. It is necessary to move the light supply means or the recording element while holding the portion. For this reason, the holding area of the light supply means or the recording element is limited, and there is a problem that it takes time to reliably hold any of them and high-precision positioning is difficult.

  Further, in the positioning method of Patent Document 3, a mark portion is formed in the light supply means using the emitted light, and the recording element is positioned based on the position information of the mark portion. Although this mark portion is formed on the surface in contact with the recording element, it is hidden by the recording element during positioning, so the position of the mark portion cannot be detected during positioning. Therefore, it is necessary to detect in advance the position of the mark portion from the reference point, and a positional deviation occurs at this point. Therefore, there is a problem that positioning with high accuracy is difficult.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a head gimbal assembly capable of positioning the light supply means and the recording element with high accuracy and capable of mass production, a method for manufacturing the head gimbal assembly, and An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for manufacturing a head gimbal assembly.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
The present invention is provided with a light supply unit for supplying light and a slider-side incident end on which light from the light supply unit enters, and generates near-field light using the incident light. The slider is provided at the emission end of the light supply unit, has a translucency and conductivity positioning pad, and is provided on the surface of the slider on the light supply unit side, and the electrical characteristics change due to the contact of the positioning pad. And a position detection wiring used for positioning the positioning pad and the slider side incident end.
According to such a feature, the electrical characteristics of the position detection wiring change due to the contact of the positioning pad, and using the change, the positioning pad provided in the light supply unit and the slider side incident end of the slider can be positioned with high accuracy. Therefore, high intensity near-field light can be generated. Therefore, high-density and stable rewrite recording can be realized.

The present invention includes a flexible member extending along the surface of a recording medium, and a plate-like flexible substrate fixed to the flexible member. The slider is provided on the flexible substrate, and includes a light supply unit. Is composed of an optical waveguide and a semiconductor laser, and the optical waveguide is provided inside the flexible substrate.
According to this feature, since the light guide and the slider can be positioned without making the light incident on the light guide and confirming the light exit area, simple and high-speed positioning becomes possible. Thereby, a head gimbal assembly can be provided at low cost.

The present invention is an optical unit in which a light supply unit integrates at least a semiconductor laser and an optical component, and the optical component includes at least one of a reflecting mirror, a diffraction grating, a condensing element, a polarizing plate, and a transparent plate. It is an element.
According to this feature, the light emission position of the optical unit can be specified without setting the relative position between the semiconductor laser and the optical component constituting the optical unit with high accuracy. For this reason, the optical unit can be manufactured at low cost, and the positioning of the optical unit and the slider can be performed easily and at high speed.

In the present invention, the position detection wiring is provided on both sides of the slider-side incident end of the slider and includes a fine wiring portion having electrical resistance. The position detection wiring is positioned on the fine wiring portion and the slider side of the slider. It has a first resistance value when positioned beside the incident end, and has a second resistance value higher than the first resistance value when the positioning pad is positioned between each of the fine wiring portions. To do.
According to this feature, by using the change in the resistance value of the position detection wiring, the positioning pad is placed between each of the fine wiring portions, that is, the positioning pad is opposed to the slider side incident end. Since it is not necessary to adjust the position while visually recognizing, the positioning pad can be positioned easily and with high accuracy.

In the present invention, a plurality of position detection wirings are provided at the periphery of the slider-side incident end of the slider, and each of the position detection wirings is provided with one end of the position detection wiring spaced apart at the periphery. The positioning pad is provided to face the slider-side incident end of the slider when electrically connected to the positioning pad and one end of the position detection wiring.
According to this feature, since the positioning pad and each one end of the position detection wiring are electrically connected, the positioning pad can be opposed to the slider-side incident end of the slider. However, it is not necessary to adjust the position while positioning the positioning pad easily and with high accuracy.

The present invention is characterized in that the flexible substrate includes an electrical wiring connected to the position detection wiring.
Thereby, stable electrical signal communication and stable light supply to the slider can be performed, and at the same time, the overall height of the slider itself hardly changes. For this reason, high-intensity near-field light can be generated, and at the same time, the slider can be stably floated, and the recording medium and the slider can be brought close to each other. Therefore, high-density and stable rewrite recording can be realized.
Also, electrical information of the positioning pad can be obtained from the electrical wiring, and the mutual position of the positioning pad and the position detection wiring can be obtained with high accuracy based on this information. Therefore, positioning with high accuracy is possible, and high-intensity near-field light can be generated.

The present invention is provided with a light supply unit for supplying light and a slider-side incident end on which light from the light supply unit enters, and generates near-field light using the incident light. A method for manufacturing a head gimbal assembly having a slider for forming a positioning pad, which is provided at an emission end of a light supply unit and forms a light-transmitting and conductive positioning pad, and light supply for the slider And a wiring forming step for forming a position detection wiring used for positioning between the positioning pad and the slider-side incident end. And
According to this feature, the light supply unit and the slider can be positioned and manufactured with high accuracy without measuring the near-field light generated from the slider, so that mass production is possible. Further, since visual recognition is not required in the positioning step, the slider and the flexible substrate can be firmly held, and high-precision positioning is facilitated.

  The present invention is provided with a light supply unit for supplying light and a slider-side incident end on which light from the light supply unit enters, and generates near-field light using the incident light. The slider is provided at the emission end of the light supply unit, has a translucency and conductivity positioning pad, and is provided on the surface of the slider on the light supply unit side, and the electrical characteristics change due to the contact of the positioning pad. A method for manufacturing a head gimbal assembly comprising a positioning pad and a position detection wiring used for positioning the slider-side incident end so that the electrical characteristics of the position detection wiring have a predetermined value. And a fine movement step for finely moving the relative position between the light supply unit and the slider, and the predetermined value is the electrical value of the position detection wiring when the positioning pad and the slider-side incident end are in contact with each other. Characterized in that it is a sexual value.

  The present invention is characterized in that the fine movement step stops the fine movement of the relative position between the light supply unit and the slider based on whether the resistance value, which is an electrical characteristic of the position detection wiring, is maximum or minimum.

  In the present invention, the position detection wiring is provided on both sides of the slider-side incident end of the slider and includes a fine wiring portion having electrical resistance. The position detection wiring is positioned on the fine wiring portion and the slider side of the slider. A fine resistance step has a first resistance value when positioned on the side of the incident end, and a second resistance value higher than the first resistance value when the positioning pad is positioned between the fine wiring portions. Is characterized in that the fine movement of the relative position between the light supply unit and the slider is stopped based on the fact that the resistance value of the position detection wiring is the second resistance value.

In the present invention, a plurality of position detection wirings are provided in the periphery of the slider-side incident end of the slider, and the position detection wiring is provided with one end of the position detection wiring spaced apart in the periphery. The fine movement step is characterized in that fine movement of the relative position between the light supply unit and the slider is stopped based on being electrically connected to each of the positioning pad and one end of the position detection wiring.
According to this feature, electrical characteristics, in particular, electrical resistance and conduction that are easy to use, can be used as a positioning index, and simple, high-speed, and high-precision positioning is possible. Therefore, mass production of a high-performance head gimbal assembly becomes possible, and the head gimbal assembly can be provided at low cost.

  The present invention is provided with a light supply unit for supplying light and a slider-side incident end on which light from the light supply unit enters, and generates near-field light using the incident light. An apparatus for manufacturing a head gimbal assembly having a slider for forming a positioning pad, which is provided at an emission end of a light supply unit and forms a positioning pad having translucency and conductivity, and light supply for the slider And a wiring forming portion that forms a position detection wiring used for positioning the positioning pad and the slider-side incident end.

  The present invention is provided with a light supply unit for supplying light and a slider-side incident end on which light from the light supply unit enters, and generates near-field light using the incident light. The slider is provided at the emission end of the light supply unit, has a translucency and conductivity positioning pad, and is provided on the surface of the slider on the light supply unit side, and the electrical characteristics change due to the contact of the positioning pad. An apparatus for manufacturing a head gimbal assembly comprising a positioning pad and a position detection wiring used for positioning the slider-side incident end, wherein the light supply unit is configured so that the electrical characteristics of the position detection wiring have a predetermined value. The specified value is the value of the electrical characteristics of the position detection wiring when the positioning pad and the slider-side incident end are in contact with each other. And features.

  According to the head gimbal assembly and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, the near-field light generating element mounted on the slider and the light supply unit can be fixed and positioned with high accuracy, so that the near-field light is generated with high efficiency. it can. In addition, since the relative position information between the near-field light generating element and the light supply unit can be easily detected, the head gimbal assembly can be mass-produced. Further, since the propagation loss between the light supply unit and the near-field light generating element can be reduced, the light supplied from the light supply unit requires low energy. For this reason, it can comprise with an inexpensive light source.

1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an information recording / reproducing apparatus using a head gimbal assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the head gimbal assembly which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the flexible substrate which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the slider which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the flexible substrate which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the positioning method of the flexible substrate and slider which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the slider which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the slider which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the flexible substrate which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the slider which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the optical unit which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the manufacturing method of the optical unit which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the optical unit which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the head gimbal assembly which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the head gimbal assembly which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the manufacturing apparatus of the head gimbal assembly which concerns on other embodiment of 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 information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 using a head gimbal assembly according to the present invention. The information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that performs writing on a recording medium D having a magnetic recording layer by a heat-assisted magnetic recording method.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1, 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 has 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 has a magnetic pole (not shown) that generates a magnetic field toward the recording medium D, a near-field light generating element (not shown) that generates a near-field light spot, and a reproduction that reproduces information recorded on the recording medium D. It has an element (not shown). The magnetic pole and the reproducing element are connected to the control unit 5 via the flexible substrate 13 laid along the suspension 3 and the carriage 11, the terminal 14 provided on the side surface of the carriage 11, and the flat cable 4. The control unit 5 includes an electronic circuit and a laser connected to the electronic circuit, the electrical wiring in the flexible substrate 13 and the electronic circuit of the control unit 5 are electrically connected, and the laser and the optical waveguide are optically connected. It is connected to the.

  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 present invention. 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 elongated 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 provided with a substantially U-shaped opening 205, so that the flexure 204 can be easily bent. A flexible substrate 13 made of a thin plate-like resin is provided on the opposite side of the flexure 204 facing the load beam 203 mounting surface. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped slider 2 is fixed to the tip end portion of the flexure 204 through the flexible substrate 13.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the structure of the flexible substrate 13 provided in the flexure 204.
An electric wiring 302 and an optical waveguide core 303 are provided inside the flexible substrate 13 made of resin on a thin plate. The core 303 of the optical waveguide is installed by bridging the opening 205 of the flexure 204, the end surface of the core 303 on the slider 2 side is provided with a 45-degree inclined surface 310, and a reflective film (not shown) made of a metal thin film on the inclined surface 310 surface. ) Is provided. The light propagating through the core 303 of the optical waveguide is reflected by the reflective film on the inclined surface 310 and is emitted to the surface fixed to the slider 2 (Z-axis positive side XY surface in FIG. 3). A light emitting region (light emitting end of the light supply unit) on the fixed surface with the slider 2 is provided with a positioning pad 220 having translucency and conductivity. It is desirable to provide a positioning pad 220 made of a material having high light transmittance and high conductivity with respect to the propagation light of the core 303.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the structure of the slider 2. In FIG. 4, it is connected and fixed to the flexible substrate 13 on the XY plane on the negative side of the Z axis.
The XY plane on the positive side of the Z axis of the slider 2 is a surface facing the recording medium D (FIG. 1). This surface is called ABS (Air Bearing Surface), and has a fine uneven shape.

  A near-field light generating element 210 is provided at the end on the X-axis negative side of the slider 2. Further, a position detection wiring 350 is provided on a surface fixed to the flexible substrate 13. The position detection wiring 350 is provided on the surface of the slider 2 on the side of the flexible substrate 13, and its electrical characteristics change due to the contact of the positioning pad 220, and the positioning pad 220 and the near-field light generating element 210 (slider side incident end). ) And positioning.

  The position detection wiring 350 is provided on both sides of the near-field light generating element 210 of the slider 2, and is connected to two fine wiring portions 351 formed by meandering one elongated wiring having electric resistance, and the fine wiring 351. And two energization wirings 352. The two fine wiring portions 351 are provided on both sides of the near-field light generating element 210, respectively. By bypassing the near-field light generating element 210, one end of the fine wiring portion 351 is connected to each other, and the other end is connected to the energization wiring 352. The other end of the energization wiring 352 extends to both sides of the XZ plane of the slider 2.

  The position detection wiring 350 has a first resistance value when the positioning pad 220 is located in one fine wiring portion 351 and at the side of the near-field light generating element 210, and the positioning pad 220 is disposed in the fine wiring portion 351. The second resistance value is higher than the first resistance value when positioned between the first resistance value and the second resistance value.

  In the configuration described above, when the recording medium D rotates, a desired pressure for the slider 2 to rise is generated from the viscosity of the air flow generated between the ABS provided on 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, the hinge 202 and the flexure 204 are bent with respect to the undulation of the surface of the recording medium D, so that the slider 2 can maintain a desired floating state.

  The electrical wiring 302 provided on the flexible substrate 13 is electrically connected to the slider 2. The light propagating through the core 303 is reflected by the inclined surface 310 and enters the near-field light generating element 210 provided on the slider 2, so that it is optically connected to the slider 2. Since the electrical wiring 302 and the core 303 of the flexible substrate 13 are electrically and optically connected to the control unit 5, respectively, the electronic circuit of the control unit 5 and the laser and the slider 2 are electrically and optically connected. Will be.

  Thereby, the magnetic pole and reproducing element provided on the slider 2 can be controlled by a signal from the electronic circuit of the control unit 5, and the near-field light of the near-field light generating element 210 provided near the magnetic pole can be controlled. Since a desired area of the recording medium D can be heated, information on the recording medium D can be recorded and reproduced.

Next, a manufacturing process of the head gimbal assembly of the present invention, particularly a manufacturing method of the flexible substrate 13 and a positioning method of the flexible substrate 13 and the slider 2 will be described.
FIG. 5 shows a method for manufacturing the flexible substrate 13. In addition, the cross section in the plane parallel to the YZ plane in FIG. 2 is shown.

  Photosensitive polyimide is applied on a stainless steel sheet. Exposure and development are performed to form a base clad layer 301 (FIG. A). After the resist is applied, exposed and developed thereon, the core 303 is formed (FIG. B). After removing the resist, another resist is applied, exposed and developed, and then the electrical wiring 302 is formed of copper (FIG. C). After removing the resist, photosensitive polyimide is applied, exposed and developed to form a cover clad layer 305 (FIG. D). Next, the base clad layer 301, the core 303, and the cover clad layer 305 are cut out by using a slitter cutter having an inclination of 45 ° on one side, and an inclined surface 310 is formed at a predetermined position. After protecting portions other than the slope 310 with a resist, aluminum is deposited on the slope portion to form a reflective film. After the resist is removed, a resist capable of being exposed to visible light such as that used in LDI (Laser Direct Imaging) is applied, light is incident on the other end of the oblique end surface of the core 303, and the resist is exposed with the light emitted from the core 303. After the development, indium tin oxide is deposited to form the positioning pad 220 (FIG. E). Thereafter, the resist is removed.

  Thereafter, the stainless steel thin plate is etched to form a flexure. This and the suspension load beam are fixed by laser welding.

  Note that although indium tin oxide is used for the positioning pad 220 here, the positioning pad 220 can be implemented if it has a high transmittance with respect to light emitted from the core 303 and is a conductive material. As an example, tin oxide, zinc oxide, cadmium tin oxide, a transparent conductive film, a transparent conductive polymer, and the like can be given. Note that the fine wiring portion 351 and the energization wiring 352 can also be manufactured by the same method as the positioning pad 220. Although a resist that can be exposed to visible light is used here, it is necessary to select a resist depending on the wavelength of light supplied from the light supply unit.

Next, a method for positioning the flexible substrate 13 and the slider 2 will be described.
After applying the adhesive to a part of the planned joining surface of the suspension provided with the slider 2 and the flexible substrate 13, the joining planned surfaces are made to face each other. At that time, a current is passed from one end of the position detection wiring 350 to the other end. Since the position detection wiring 350 includes the fine wiring portion 351 in which the fine lines meander, it has a certain electric resistance. Here, when the positioning pad 220 provided on the flexible substrate 13 is in contact with the fine wiring portion 351, electricity flows in the positioning pad 220, not in the contacted fine wiring portion 351, and the electric resistance of the position detection wiring 350 is increased. descend. Therefore, when the positioning pad 220 is moved in the Y direction on the position detection wiring 350, the electric resistance of the position detection wiring 350 shows a W-shaped change as shown in FIG. The slider 2 and the flexible substrate 13 are positioned at the center of the W shape in the electrical resistance change, and the adhesive applied in advance is cured. For example, the minimum resistance value shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to the first resistance value, and the maximum resistance value corresponds to the second resistance value.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to using the electric resistance change shown in FIG. 6, and the relative position between the flexible substrate 13 and the slider 2 is finely moved so that the electric characteristics of the position detection wiring 350 become a predetermined value. May be. In this case, the predetermined value is, for example, a value of electrical characteristics of the position detection wiring 350 when the positioning pad 220 and the near-field light generating element 210 are in contact with each other.

Thereby, it can position so that the output end of the light which propagated the core 303 of the flexible substrate 13 and the incident end of the near-field light generating element of the slider 2 may correspond.
Thereafter, the electrical wiring of the flexible substrate 13 and the slider are electrically connected using ball bonding, solder bumps, conductive adhesive or the like.

  With such a configuration, the light emission position of the flexible substrate and the positioning pad can be configured without misalignment, and the flexible substrate and the slider can be positioned with high accuracy. Accordingly, light from the laser can be supplied to the near-field light generating element with almost no attenuation, and high-intensity near-field light can be emitted from the slider. Therefore, a high performance information recording / reproducing apparatus can be provided. Moreover, since it can manufacture without confirming the near-field light intensity | strength produced | generated, mass production of a head gimbal assembly is attained.

  Further, when the flexible substrate and the slider are positioned, the slider can be securely held by using an electrode-attached jig, so that highly accurate positioning is possible.

  Furthermore, since no large optical component is mounted on the slider, the overall height of the slider hardly changes. Therefore, the slider can be stably levitated and the slider and the recording medium can be brought close to each other. Therefore, since the distance between the magnetic pole, the near-field light generating element, the reproducing element and the recording medium D can be kept constant, accurate and stable recording / reproducing can be realized.

Furthermore, since the flexible substrate 13 can integrally form the optical connection parts with the electric wiring, the optical waveguide, and the near-field light generating element, a low-cost configuration is possible.
Further, by measuring the presence / absence, size, and shape of the positioning pad when the manufacture of the flexible substrate is completed, it is possible to easily inspect whether the emitted light is normally output. For this reason, it becomes possible to manufacture a flexible substrate stably.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a plurality of position detection wirings are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the number of position detection wirings 350 is not limited to one, and a plurality of position detection wirings 350 can be configured. In this case, the position detection wirings 350a and 350b are provided so as to sandwich the near-field light generating element 210. Each of the position detection wirings 350a and 350b has two fine wiring portions. As in the first embodiment, the position of the positioning pad in the Y direction can be detected from the change in electrical resistance of one position detection wiring. However, the position detection wiring having such a configuration can only perform positioning in one direction for each position detection wiring. Therefore, by providing a plurality of position detection wirings, it is possible to detect the electrical resistance of each position detection wiring and compare the respective electrical resistances to detect the position of the positioning pad in the X direction. As a result, the positioning pad can be positioned in both XY directions.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, it is also possible to configure the position detection wiring and the fine wiring portion on a one-to-one basis. In FIG. 8, fine wiring portions 351a, 351b, 351c, and 351d are provided around the near-field light generating element 210, and each constitutes a position detection wiring independently.
Thereby, the positioning pad and the near-field light generating element can be positioned in a plurality of directions.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that electrical wiring is connected to the positioning pad.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a plurality of position detection wires 350 a, 350 b, 350 c, and 350 d are provided on the side of the near-field light generating element 210. The position detection wirings 350 a, 350 b, 350 c, and 350 d are provided such that one end portions of the position detection wirings 350 a, 350 b, 350 c, and 350 d are separated from each other in the peripheral portion of the near-field light generating element 210. The positioning pad 220 is provided to face the near-field light generating element 210 when electrically connected to the positioning pad 220 and each of one end portions of the position detection wirings 350a, 350b, 350c, and 350d.

  The electrical wiring 302 is connected to the positioning pad 220 provided on the flexible substrate 13. At the time of positioning the slider 2 and the flexible substrate 13, electrical continuity between the position detection wirings 350a, 350b, 350c, and 350d and the positioning pad 220 is detected. The position of the positioning pad 220 can be detected based on the presence / absence of conduction with the position detection wiring 350. Thereby, the light emitting end of the flexible substrate 13 and the near-field light generating element are positioned by positioning the slider 2 and the flexible substrate 13 so that electrical connection between the predetermined position detection wiring and the positioning pad is obtained. The incident end of 210 can be positioned.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to perform highly accurate positioning only by detecting electrical continuity without measuring electrical resistance.

(Fourth embodiment)
The fourth embodiment according to the present invention will be described below. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the light supply unit is an optical unit mounted on a slider.

  The optical unit 14 shown in FIG. 11 includes a semiconductor laser 401, a reflecting mirror 404, and a package 407 installed on a transparent substrate 402. Further, a positioning pad 220 is provided on the back surface of the transparent substrate 402 on which the semiconductor laser 401 is installed.

The positioning of the optical unit 14 and the slider is the same as in the first embodiment.
The positioning pad 220 of the optical unit 14 and the position detection wiring provided on the slider are opposed to each other, and the optical unit 14 and the slider are bonded and fixed. Thereby, the slider and the optical unit can be positioned without confirming the near-field light from the near-field light generating element of the slider.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the optical unit 14 will be described with reference to FIG. First, a semiconductor laser electrode 406 is formed on one surface of a wafer-like glass substrate to be a transparent substrate 402 (FIG. 12B). Next, an LDI resist 408 that can be exposed with visible light is applied to the back surface of the transparent substrate 402 and baked (FIG. 12C). Next, the semiconductor laser 401 is mounted on the surface on which the semiconductor laser electrode 406 is formed, and the semiconductor laser 401 and the semiconductor laser electrode 406 are wire-bonded (FIG. 12D). Thereafter, the transparent substrate 402 and the package 407 with the reflecting mirror 404 are bonded so as to cover the semiconductor laser 401 (FIG. 12E). At this time, the inside of the package 407 is hermetically sealed by reducing the pressure or filling with an inert gas. The semiconductor laser electrode 406 on the transparent substrate 402 is energized to oscillate the semiconductor laser 401. The light from the semiconductor laser 401 is reflected by the reflecting mirror 404 and enters the transparent substrate 402. Using this light, the resist provided on the back surface of the transparent substrate 402 is exposed and then developed (FIG. 12F). Thereafter, a transparent conductive polymer (for example, SEPLEGYDA manufactured by Shin-Etsu Polymer Co., Ltd.) is applied to the back surface of the transparent substrate 401 and cured, and then the resist is removed. And the positioning pad 220 can be formed (FIG. 12G). Thereafter, the transparent substrate 402 is diced into individual pieces.

  By adopting such a manufacturing method, the light emission region of the optical unit 14 can be specified without manufacturing the semiconductor laser 401 and the reflecting mirror 404 by positioning the relative position with high accuracy. For this reason, the optical unit 14 can be manufactured at low cost.

  Here, a transparent conductive polymer that can be applied is used to form the positioning pad 220, but other transparent and highly conductive materials can be used. The order of the hermetic sealing process of the semiconductor laser 401 and the dicing process of the transparent substrate 402 can be changed. Furthermore, if stable oscillation of the semiconductor laser in the atmosphere is possible, the hermetic sealing process by the package 407 is unnecessary, and only the reflector 404 needs to be mounted.

  The optical unit 14 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, a configuration including a semiconductor laser 401 fixed to a semiconductor laser substrate 403 and a diffraction grating element 405 on which a positioning pad 220 is formed is also possible. In this configuration, one surface of the diffraction grating element 405 on which the positioning pad 220 is formed and one surface of the slider on which the position detection wiring is formed are opposed to each other. Here, although a diffraction grating is used as an optical element for forming the positioning pad 220, other optical elements (for example, a microlens, a polarizing plate, etc.) or a transparent substrate can be used. Further, it is desirable that the exit surface of the optical element is a plane.

  The structure of the head gimbal assembly 12 using the slider 2 on which the optical unit 14 is mounted will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The slider 2 on which the optical unit 14 is mounted is fixed to the flexible substrate 13 provided in the flexure 204 and constitutes the head gimbal assembly 12. The slider 2 on which the optical unit 14 is mounted has a configuration in which the optical unit 14 protrudes with respect to a surface fixed to the flexible substrate 13. For this reason, in order to make the fixing surfaces of both the slider 2 and the flexible substrate 13 face each other and fix them, the optical unit 14 protruding from the slider 2 structurally interferes. In order to avoid this, it is necessary to devise a structure.

  As an example, a configuration in which a substantially U-shaped notch 409 or a through hole 410 is formed in the flexible substrate 13, a configuration in which the slider 2 and the flexible substrate 13 are fixed via a substantially U-shaped fixed substrate 411, slider 2 is provided with a recess 412 and the optical unit 14 is stored inside the recess 412. With such a structure, the head gimbal assembly 12 can be realized.

  With such a configuration, the optical unit that is the light supply unit and the near-field light generating element can be positioned with high accuracy, so that near-field light can be generated with high efficiency. This makes it possible to perform a stable information writing operation.

  Furthermore, the light emission area of the optical unit can be automatically specified when the manufacture of the optical unit is completed. Thereby, since it is not necessary to position the relative position of a semiconductor laser and an optical element with high precision, it becomes possible to manufacture an optical unit cheaply and in large quantities.

  Further, when the optical unit is completely manufactured, the optical output state of the optical unit can be checked by measuring the size and shape of the positioning pad. Since the output state can be checked without measuring the output light, the optical unit can be checked quickly and easily.

(Other embodiments)
The head gimbal assembly manufacturing method according to each embodiment can be applied to a head gimbal assembly manufacturing apparatus. Specifically, the head gimbal assembly manufacturing apparatus includes a positioning pad forming part (not shown) for forming the positioning pad 220 and a wiring forming part (not shown) for forming the position detection wiring 350.

  An outline of the head gimbal assembly manufacturing apparatus 1000 is shown in FIG. The head gimbal assembly manufacturing apparatus includes a fine movement unit (not shown) that finely moves the relative position between the light supply unit and the slider 2 so that the electrical characteristics of the position detection wiring have a predetermined value. This is a value of electrical characteristics of the position detection wiring 350 when 220 and the near-field light generating element 210 are in contact with each other. The fine movement portion finely moves while holding the slider fixing portion 501 that holds the slider 2 while electrically conducting the position detection wiring and the light supply portion (the flexible substrate 13 or the optical unit 14 including the optical waveguide). And a control unit 503 for controlling the fine movement operation of the slider fixing unit 501 and the light supply unit fine movement unit 502 while measuring the electrical characteristics of the position detection wiring. Further, the control unit 503 is connected to the slider fixing unit 501 and the light supply unit fine movement unit 502.

In the configuration of the manufacturing method described above, only the light supply unit is moved. However, only the slider or a configuration in which both the slider and the light supply unit are finely moved may be used.
In the fine movement step, the fine movement of the relative position between the light supply unit and the slider 2 may be stopped based on whether the resistance value, which is an electrical characteristic of the position detection wiring 350, is maximum or minimum.

In the fine movement step, the fine movement of the relative position between the light supply unit and the slider 2 may be stopped based on the resistance value of the position detection wiring 350 being the second resistance value.
In the fine movement step, the fine movement of the relative position between the light supply unit and the slider 2 may be stopped based on the electrical connection between the positioning pad 220 and one end of the position detection wiring 350.

  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. 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 flexible substrate 14 optical unit 204 flexure 210 near-field light generating element 220 positioning pad 302 electrical wiring 303 core 310 slope 350 position detection wiring 351 fine wiring Numeral 401 Semiconductor laser 402 Transparent substrate 403 Semiconductor laser substrate 404 Reflector 405 Diffraction grating element 406 Semiconductor laser electrode 407 Package 408 Resist 409 Notch 410 Through hole 411 Fixed substrate 412 Recess 501 Slider fixed portion 502 Light moving portion fine moving portion 503 control unit 1000 manufacturing equipment

Claims (13)

A light supply unit for supplying light;
A slider that is provided facing a recording medium and has a slider-side incident end on which the light from the light supply unit is incident; and a slider that generates near-field light using the incident light;
A positioning pad that is provided at the emission end of the light supply unit, has translucency and has conductivity,
Provided on the surface of the slider on the light supply unit side, the electrical characteristics of which change due to the contact of the positioning pad, and a position detection wiring used for positioning the positioning pad and the slider-side incident end. A head gimbal assembly characterized by that. A deflecting member extending along the surface of the recording medium;
A plate-like flexible substrate fixed to the bending member,
The slider is provided on the flexible substrate;
The head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the light supply unit includes an optical waveguide and a semiconductor laser, and the optical waveguide is provided inside the flexible substrate. The light supply unit is an optical unit in which at least a semiconductor laser and an optical component are integrated;
The head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the optical component is an optical element including at least one of a reflecting mirror, a diffraction grating, a condensing element, a polarizing plate, and a transparent plate. The position detection wiring is
Provided on both sides of the slider side incident end of the slider, comprising a fine wiring portion having electrical resistance,
The position detection wiring is
The positioning pad has a first resistance value when positioned in the fine wiring portion and at a side of the slider-side incident end of the slider, and the positioning pad is positioned between the fine wiring portions. 2. The head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the second gimbal assembly has a second resistance value higher than the first resistance value. A plurality of the position detection wires are provided on the side of the slider side incident end of the slider,
Each of the position detection wirings is provided such that each one end of the position detection wiring is separated from one end of the other position detection wiring at the periphery of the slider side incident end,
The positioning pad is provided to face the slider-side incident end of the slider when electrically connected to each of the positioning pad and one end of the position detection wiring. Head gimbal assembly as described.   The head gimbal assembly according to claim 2, wherein the flexible substrate includes an electrical wiring connected to the position detection wiring. A light supply unit for supplying light;
A head gimbal assembly having a slider side incident end that is provided facing a recording medium and that receives the light from the light supply unit and that generates near-field light using the incident light. A method,
A positioning pad forming step for forming a positioning pad which is provided at an emission end of the light supply unit and has translucency and conductivity;
Provided on the surface of the slider on the light supply unit side, the electrical characteristics of which change due to the contact of the positioning pad, and form a position detection wiring used for positioning the positioning pad and the slider-side incident end. A method for manufacturing a head gimbal assembly, comprising: a wiring formation step. A light supply unit for supplying light;
A slider that is provided facing a recording medium and has a slider-side incident end on which the light from the light supply unit is incident; and a slider that generates near-field light using the incident light;
A positioning pad that is provided at the emission end of the light supply unit, has translucency and has conductivity,
Provided on the surface of the slider on the light supply unit side, the electrical characteristics of which change due to the contact of the positioning pad, and a position detection wiring used for positioning the positioning pad and the slider-side incident end. A method for manufacturing a head gimbal assembly comprising:
A fine movement step of finely moving the relative position between the light supply unit and the slider so that the electrical characteristics of the position detection wiring have a predetermined value;
The method of manufacturing a head gimbal assembly, wherein the predetermined value is a value of an electrical characteristic of the position detection wiring when the positioning pad and the slider-side incident end are in contact with each other. The fine movement step stops fine movement of the relative position between the light supply unit and the slider based on whether a resistance value, which is an electrical characteristic of the position detection wiring, is maximum or minimum. A method for manufacturing the head gimbal assembly according to claim 8. The position detection wiring is
Provided on both sides of the slider side incident end of the slider, comprising a fine wiring portion having electrical resistance,
The position detection wiring is
The positioning pad has a first resistance value when positioned in the fine wiring portion and at a side of the slider-side incident end of the slider, and the positioning pad is positioned between the fine wiring portions. Having a second resistance value higher than the first resistance value,
The fine movement step includes
The head gimbal assembly according to claim 8, wherein fine movement of the relative position between the light supply unit and the slider is stopped based on the resistance value of the position detection wiring being the second resistance value. Manufacturing method. A plurality of the position detection wires are provided on the side of the slider side incident end of the slider,
Each of the position detection wirings is provided such that each one end of the position detection wiring is provided apart from one end of the other position detection wiring in the periphery of the slider side incident end,
The fine movement step stops fine movement of the relative position between the light supply unit and the slider based on being electrically connected to each of the positioning pad and one end of the position detection wiring. A method of manufacturing a head gimbal assembly according to claim 8. A light supply unit for supplying light;
A head gimbal assembly having a slider side incident end that is provided facing a recording medium and that receives the light from the light supply unit and that generates near-field light using the incident light. A device,
A positioning pad forming portion that is provided at an emission end of the light supply portion and has a translucency and forms a positioning pad having conductivity;
Provided on the surface of the slider on the light supply unit side, the electrical characteristics of which change due to the contact of the positioning pad, and form a position detection wiring used for positioning the positioning pad and the slider-side incident end. An apparatus for manufacturing a head gimbal assembly, comprising: a wiring forming unit. A light supply unit for supplying light;
A slider that is provided facing a recording medium and has a slider-side incident end on which the light from the light supply unit is incident; and a slider that generates near-field light using the incident light;
A positioning pad that is provided at the emission end of the light supply unit, has translucency and has conductivity,
Provided on the surface of the slider on the light supply unit side, the electrical characteristics of which change due to the contact of the positioning pad, and a position detection wiring used for positioning the positioning pad and the slider-side incident end. A device for manufacturing a head gimbal assembly,
A fine movement unit that finely moves the relative position of the light supply unit and the slider so that the electrical characteristics of the position detection wiring have a predetermined value;
The apparatus for manufacturing a head gimbal assembly, wherein the predetermined value is a value of an electrical characteristic of the position detection wiring when the positioning pad and the slider-side incident end are in contact with each other.

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