JP2768031B2 - Magnetic head slider - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a magnetic head slider mounted on a magnetic disk drive.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Magnetic disk drives tend to be smaller and have larger capacities, and the density of information recorded on magnetic recording media is increasing. Accordingly, the flying height at which the floating head flies above the magnetic recording medium tends to decrease. or,
Conversely, the flying height must be reduced to increase the information recording density. Further, in order to reduce the flying height, the surface roughness of the recording medium must be reduced. This is because the magnetic head slider comes into contact with the recording medium.

On the other hand, if the surface roughness is made too small, another problem arises. The CSS method is adopted in the magnetic disk drive. In the CSS method, in the conventional magnetic head slider shown in the three views of FIG. 9, the head slider and the disk come into contact with each other when the rotation of the magnetic disk is stopped, and the head slider flies by the action of the air flow generated by the rotation of the disk. . When the rotation stops, the head slider comes into contact with the magnetic disk. In FIG. 9, 4 is a magnetic head, 5 is a point of application of a spring load, 11 is a tapered portion, 20
Is a contact surface with the magnetic disk.

[0004]

The contact surface 20 of the magnetic head slider with the magnetic disk is finished with a flat surface of R _max <50 ° or less with high precision to slide with the magnetic disk. For this reason, when the surface roughness of the magnetic disk is reduced, the contact area between the contact surface of the magnetic head slider and the surface of the magnetic disk is increased, and suction occurs between the slider and the disk.

At present, the surface roughness of a magnetic disk is 0.2 μm.
In order to secure the flying height of m, the surface roughness is processed to about R _max <1000 °. However, when the flying height is less than 0.1 μm, the surface roughness needs to be 500 ° or less. In particular, adsorption tends to occur.

[0006] When suction occurs between the slider and the disk, the disk cannot be started to rotate, or the support spring of the slider is damaged due to forced rotation. In order to solve this, for example, the contact surface 2 of the slider with the medium
Although it is conceivable to roughen 0, the contact surface 20 is also the surface where the gap of the magnetic head 4 exists, and roughening this involves the danger that the gap of the magnetic head 4 will recede from the contact surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a magnetic head capable of recording information at a high density without being attracted to a magnetic recording medium having a small surface roughness in a contact state. The aim is to obtain a slider.

[0008]

In the magnetic head slider according to the present invention, a step is provided on a floating surface facing a magnetic recording medium, and an air flow inflow end side floating surface generated during traveling of the magnetic recording medium during recording and reproduction. Are formed so as to be higher than the airflow outflow end side floating surface, and are pressed against and supported by the magnetic recording medium so that the airflow inflow end is lifted by an elastic body during non-recording / reproduction.

[0009]

When the magnetic head slider of the present invention is pressed against a magnetic recording medium, it comes into line contact with the medium at the corner of the step and the corner of the airflow outflow end. The contact area between the medium and the slider is extremely small because of linear contact even if the surface roughness of the medium is reduced, so that the adsorption between the medium and the slider can be prevented. Therefore,
The flying height of the slider can be reduced, and the information recording density can be increased.

[0010]

FIG. 1 is a three-view drawing showing the shape of a magnetic head slider according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the drawing, reference numerals 1 and 2 denote floating surfaces that generate a levitation force, and a step is provided so that an inflow-side floating surface 1 is higher than an outflow-side floating surface 2 by D, and a width B of the inflow-side floating surface 1 is set to an outflow side. The air bearing surface 2 is formed wider than the width C.
Reference numeral 3 denotes a levitation-free surface that does not generate a levitation force, and is lower than the outflow-side floating surface 2 by 10 μm or more. Reference numeral 4 denotes a thin film magnetic head, and 5 denotes a point where a load is applied to the slider from an elastic spring, and a spring load application point, which is located on the outflow side from the step. Reference numeral 6 denotes a contact portion with the medium, which is a first medium contact portion corresponding to the corner of the step, and reference numeral 7 is a second medium contact portion corresponding to the outflow end angle of the air bearing surface 2. In this case, the step D between the inflow-side floating surface 1 and the outflow-side floating surface 2 is 500 °, the length A of the inflow-side floating surface 1 is 1 mm, and the distance E between the airflow inflow end and the spring load application point is 2 mm. , A <E.

For this reason, when a magnetic recording medium in a stationary state, in this embodiment, is pressed against a magnetic disk 8 by a spring load,
As shown in the schematic side view of FIG. 2, the magnetic disk 8 makes line contact with the sides of the first and second medium contact portions 6 and 7. Thus,
The contact area with the magnetic disk 8 can be made extremely small, and even if the surface roughness of the disk is reduced, adsorption to the disk 8 does not occur. Therefore, the flying height of the slider can be reduced, and the information recording density can be increased.

When the disk 8 starts running,
Due to the wedge shape formed between the slider and the disk shown in FIG. 2, the air flow easily flows into this space to generate a levitation force.

Further, since the floating surfaces 1 and 2 are formed so that B> C at the time of steady floating, the floating force generated at the inflow-side floating surface 1 is larger than the floating force generated at the outflow-side floating surface 2. As shown in the schematic explanatory view of FIG. 3B, the slider floats in such a position that the air flow inflow portion is higher than the outflow portion. Therefore, the outflow end on which the magnetic head 4 is mounted always has the minimum flying height on the flying surface, so that the flying height can be reduced.

Further, in this slider, as shown in the characteristic diagram showing the air bearing surface pressure distribution in FIG. Generally, it is known that the smaller the flying surface shape in the running direction is smaller than the width direction, the less the flying height decreases when the running direction of the medium forms an angle (yaw angle) with the longitudinal direction of the slider. I have. (Refer to Proceedings of the IEICE National Convention, 1985, p. 174.) Accordingly, the rotary actuator type magnetic disk device also has the effect of reducing the distribution of flying height on the disk surface.

[0015] Moreover, the slider may be made of processing by photolithography and ion beam etching Mn-Zn ferrite, a ceramic material such as Al ₂ O ₃ -TiC. In conventional sliders with tapered parts, the tapered parts had to be made by mechanical processing such as polishing, but all of these sliders can be made by photoengraving and etching, so they can be batch-manufactured and also have the effect of reducing manufacturing costs. is there.

Embodiment 2 Although the magnetic head slider of the present invention is not a so-called "negative pressure type slider" which generates an attraction force, FIG.
, The outflow end side view of (b), and the negative pressure between the left and right air bearing surfaces 1 and 2 as in another embodiment shown in the cross-sectional view taken along the line CC ′ in (a) of (c) of FIG. A generating portion may be provided to form a negative pressure type slider. If a negative pressure type slider is used, it is possible to design a slider which flies at a low speed and whose flying height does not depend on the speed.
By doing so, it is possible to realize a slider that floats at a low speed and has a small sliding distance with the medium in CSS even if the flying height during steady flying is low. In FIG. 4, reference numerals 8 and 10 denote etched surfaces of 10 μm or less, and 8 denotes a negative pressure generating surface. Reference numeral 9 denotes a cross rail for generating a negative pressure.

Embodiment 3 Further, as in still another embodiment shown in the three views of FIG.
A groove 12 that does not generate a floating force may be provided between the inflow side floating surface 1 and the outflow side floating surface 2. In the slider according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the air inflow side of the outflow side floating surface 2 has a reverse step, and a negative pressure may be generated in this portion. It is conceivable that due to this negative pressure, abrasion powder accumulates on the outflow-side floating surface 2 and fills a relatively shallow step between the inflow-side floating surface 1 and the outflow-side floating surface 2. In such a case, there is a possibility that the flying powder may change its flying attitude due to contact with the disc. However, in the slider of this embodiment, since the air inflow side of the outflow side floating surface 2 is at atmospheric pressure by the groove 12, the generation of negative pressure can be prevented, and the accumulation of abrasion powder can be prevented. Therefore, problems caused by wear powder can be avoided.

A similar effect can also be realized by reducing the width of the outflow side floating surface 2 on the air inflow side as in the slider shown in the three views of FIG.

Although the above embodiment has been described with reference to a single step, the plan view of FIG. 7A, the side view of FIG. 7B, the plan view of FIG. 8A, and the side view of FIG. As shown in (2), a plurality of steps may be provided. In this case, by placing the spring load application point 5 between the steps having the largest level difference, the air flow inflow end rises when the medium comes into contact with the medium, and the stability can be improved. Reference numeral 13 denotes a virtual medium surface on which the medium is located.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, a step is provided on the air bearing surface facing the magnetic recording medium, and the air flow inflow end side floating surface generated during travel of the magnetic recording medium at the time of recording and reproduction is reduced. Pressed against the magnetic recording medium so that the airflow inflow end is lifted by an elastic body during non-recording / reproduction, while being formed so as to be higher than the airflow outflow end side floating surface,
Since the magnetic head slider is supported, it does not adhere to a magnetic recording medium having a small surface roughness in a contact state, can record information at a high density, and has an effect of obtaining a magnetic head slider that can be easily manufactured in a batch. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a three-view drawing showing the shape of a magnetic head slider according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a positional relationship between the magnetic head slider and the medium when the medium is stationary according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the attitude and generated pressure distribution of the magnetic head slider according to the first embodiment of the present invention during flying.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a shape of a magnetic head slider according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a three-view drawing showing the shape of a magnetic head slider according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a three-view drawing showing the shape of a magnetic head slider according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a shape of a magnetic head slider according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a shape of a magnetic head slider according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a three-view drawing showing the shape of a conventional magnetic head slider.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inflow side floating surface 2 Outflow side floating surface 4 Thin film magnetic head 5 Spring load application point 6 First medium contact portion 7 Second medium contact portion

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A magnetic head for performing recording and reproduction with a magnetic recording medium, which is supported by an elastic body, and is provided with an airflow generated from the magnetic recording medium which is pressed at the time of recording and reproduction as the medium travels. In the magnetic head slider that flies, a step is provided on the air bearing surface facing the magnetic recording medium so that the air flow inflow end side air bearing surface is formed higher than the air flow outflow end side air bearing surface. A magnetic head slider characterized in that the elastic body is pressed against the magnetic recording medium by the elastic body so that the air flow inflow end is raised.