JP4860989B2 - Manufacturing method of head slider - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a head slider, and more particularly to polishing of the flying surface of a head slider.

  As data storage devices, devices using various forms of media such as optical disks, magnetic tapes, and semiconductor memories are known. Among them, hard disk drives (HDDs) are widely used as computer storage devices. It is one of the storage devices indispensable in the current computer system. Furthermore, the use of HDDs such as a removable memory used in a moving image recording / reproducing apparatus, a car navigation system, a mobile phone, a digital camera, etc. is expanding more and more due to its excellent characteristics.

  The magnetic disk used in the HDD has a plurality of data tracks formed concentrically, and each data track has a plurality of data including a plurality of servo data having address information and user data. A sector is recorded. A plurality of data sectors are recorded between each servo data. The head element part of the head slider supported by the oscillating actuator accesses the desired data sector according to the servo data address information, thereby writing data to the data sector and reading data from the data sector. It can be performed.

  In manufacturing the head slider, there is a step of polishing the magnetic bearing side air bearing surface (ABS) of the head slider. In a typical polishing process, polishing is performed by pressing the flying surface of the head slider against a rotating polishing platen and swinging the head slider. In addition, this polishing step includes two steps of rough polishing and finish polishing. For example, after rough polishing is performed on a polishing surface plate that rotates at high speed, the rotational speed of the polishing surface plate is decreased and finish polishing is performed on the polishing surface plate that rotates at low speed.

  However, in the above polishing method, the polishing direction of the air bearing surface is not constant. Therefore, there is a problem that undesired polishing scratches occur in the head element portion. FIG. 11 schematically shows a scratch on the polishing process that causes a problem in the head element portion when the above polishing method is used. The broken lines in FIG. 11 indicate polishing scratches, and the thick broken lines are deep scratches. FIG. 11 shows the head element portion viewed from the air bearing surface side. The head element unit includes a read element 81, magnetic pole shields 82 a and 82 b, and a write element 83.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the direction of the polishing scratches is not constant, and there are polishing scratches that straddle the read element 81 and the magnetic pole shields 82a and 82b. In addition, there is a scratch indicated by a thick broken line. Polishing scratches and scratches that straddle the read element 81 and the magnetic pole shields 82a and 82b greatly reduce the characteristics of the head element portion.

In order to solve this problem of polishing scratches, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a polishing method for polishing an air bearing surface in a certain direction. The polishing method of Patent Document 1 has a finishing step in which the polishing mark direction formed on the air bearing surface is formed only in one direction perpendicular to the air inflow groove forming direction. Fix the head / slider air inflow groove formation direction in the direction of the center line passing through the center of rotation of the fixing jig, press the air bearing surface against the surface plate of the polishing machine, and rotate both the fixing jig and the surface plate. Polishing leaving the allowance on the air bearing surface. Thereafter, the rotation of the surface plate is stopped, and the finishing allowance of the air bearing surface is polished by rotating only the fixing jig.
JP-A-10-241131

  According to the polishing method of Patent Document 1, the scratching direction of the air bearing surface of the head slider can be made parallel to the read element and the magnetic shield. However, when stopping the rotation of the surface plate and polishing the finishing allowance of the air bearing surface by rotating only the fixing jig, depending on the amount of the finishing allowance, the air bearing surface is repeatedly polished in the same polishing area of the surface plate. Will do. The surface plate is deteriorated by polishing. Polishing in the deteriorated polishing region can cause a large scratch in the head element portion.

  Alternatively, when polishing is performed by pressing the flying surface of the head slider against the polishing surface plate and swinging the head slider as in the other prior art described above, the polishing speed changes in addition to the problem of the polishing direction. The inventors have found that there is the occurrence of scratches due to the above. In other words, it has been found that when the speed of the head slider is changed on the polishing surface plate, there is a high possibility that the head element portion will be scratched.

  The present invention has been made in the background as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to suppress the occurrence of undesirable processing flaws in the head element portion in the air bearing surface polishing of the head slider.

The present invention is a method for producing a head slider and a head element located at the slider and the slider,
A step to cut out the head slider from the wafer,
And a step of polishing the air bearing surface of the head slider is reciprocated in a state pressed against the polishing surface plate that stops the air bearing surface of the head slider,
While performing the polishing, the head slider when a constant velocity of the head slider is pressed against the polishing table, the head slider from the polishing table before starting deceleration of the head slider Repeat the lift-up operation .
By lifting up from the polishing surface plate before decelerating the head slider , the formation of scratches in the head element portion can be suppressed.

It is preferable to polish the air bearing surface of the head slider is moved linearly in the polishing platen. As a result, the polishing scratch direction can be set to a desired direction. Furthermore, it is preferable that the head element portion includes a magnetic read element, and the head slider is moved in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the magnetic read element to polish the air bearing surface. Thereby, deterioration of the characteristics of the read element can be suppressed.

It is preferable to polish the air bearing surface in a state where the head slider is adhered and held to an adhesive elastic body, and after the air bearing surface is pressed against the polishing surface plate, the movement of the head slider is started. . As a result, the head slider can be prevented from shifting on the adhesive elastic body.

It is preferable to polish the air bearing surface while measuring the amount of polishing of the head slider. During the polishing, it is preferable to change the reciprocating position of the head slider on the polishing surface plate at least once.
By performing polishing by the next linear movement at a position on a different polishing platen, in a polishing method in which the number of polishing is not constant, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of undesirable polishing scratches due to deterioration of the polishing platen.

The reciprocating movement is a linear reciprocating movement, each time the polishing by unidirectional linear movement of one ends, it is preferable to change the reciprocating position in the polishing surface plate of the head slider. As a result, it is possible to more reliably suppress the occurrence of undesirable polishing scratches due to deterioration of the polishing platen.
The reciprocating position is preferably changed by rotating the polishing surface plate.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of undesirable processing flaws in the head element portion in the air bearing surface polishing of the head slider.

  Hereinafter, embodiments to which the present invention can be applied will be described. For clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings are omitted and simplified as appropriate. Moreover, in each drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same element and the duplication description is abbreviate | omitted as needed for clarification of description.

  The present embodiment is characterized by a method for manufacturing a recording disk drive, in particular, a manufacturing process of the head slider. In the following, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described for a hard disk drive (HDD) which is an example of a recording disk drive. First, the overall configuration of the HDD will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the HDD 1 according to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 1 shows a state of the HDD 1 in which the actuator 16 is in an operation arrangement. The HDD 1 includes a magnetic disk 11 that is an example of a recording disk that stores data. The magnetic disk 11 is a non-volatile recording disk that records data by magnetizing a magnetic layer. The base 101 constitutes an enclosure by being fixed to a top cover (not shown) that closes the upper opening of the base 101 via a gasket (not shown), and accommodates each component of the HDD 1 in a sealed state.

  The magnetic disk 11 is fixed to a spindle motor (SPM) (not shown) by a clamp 141. The SPM rotationally drives the magnetic disk 11 at a predetermined speed. The head slider 12 accesses the recording area of the magnetic disk 11. The head slider 12 has a head element portion and a slider to which the head element portion is fixed. The configuration of the head slider 12 will be described later.

  The actuator 16 holds and moves the head slider 12. The actuator 16 is swingably held by the swing shaft 161 and swings in the radial direction of the magnetic disk 11 around the swing shaft 161 by the driving force of a voice coil motor (VCM) 15 as a drive mechanism. The head slider 12 is moved to a desired position. The actuator 16 includes a plurality of stacked suspensions 162 and arms 163, and the head slider 12 is fixed to the front end side of each suspension 162. The suspension 162 includes a load beam having a spring property and a gimbal having flexibility, and the head slider 12 is fixed on a tongue piece formed on the gimbal.

  In the head slider 12, pressure due to the viscosity of air between the ABS (Air Bearing Surface) surface of the slider facing the magnetic disk 11 and the rotating magnetic disk 11 is applied in the direction of the magnetic disk 11 by the actuator 16. The head slider 12 floats on the magnetic disk 11 by balancing with the force.

  The HDD 1 in this example is a load / unload type HDD, and includes a ramp 17 attached to the bottom surface or side surface of the base 101 in order to retract the head slider 12 from the surface of the magnetic disk 11. When the magnetic disk 11 is stopped or for power saving, the actuator 16 unloads the head slider 12 from the surface of the magnetic disk 11 and retracts the head slider 12 to the ramp 17. Note that the HDD manufacturing method of this embodiment can be applied to a CSS (Contact Start and Stop) type HDD in which the head slider 12 is retracted to the inner peripheral area of the magnetic disk 11.

  This embodiment has a characteristic point in the manufacturing process of the head slider 12 in the manufacturing method of the HDD 1. In a typical HDD 1 manufacturing method, the head slider 12 is first manufactured. In addition, the suspension 162 is manufactured separately from the head slider 12. A head gimbal assembly (HGA) is manufactured by fixing the head slider 12 to the suspension 162.

  Thereafter, the arm 162 and the VCM coil are fixed to the HGA, and a head stack assembly (HSA) that is an assembly of the actuator 16 and the head slider 12 is manufactured. A head disk assembly (HDA) is completed by mounting the manufactured HSA, SPM, magnetic disk 11 and the like in the base 101 and sealing the space in the base 101 with a top cover. The HDD 1 is completed by mounting a circuit board (not shown) on which a control circuit is mounted on the HDA.

  2 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the head slider 12. FIG. 3 is a part of the head slider 12 near the air outflow end surface 121 (trailing side end surface) taken along the line III-III in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows a structure. The magnetic disk 11 rotates from left to right in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the head slider 12 has irregularities that generate a negative pressure and a positive pressure for adjusting a flying height and a flying posture on a flying surface 35 (Air Bearing Surface: ABS) facing the magnetic disk 11. A shape is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the head slider 12 includes a head element portion 122 on the air outflow end surface 121 side and a slider 123 that supports the head element portion 122. The head element unit 122 reads and writes magnetic data from and to the magnetic disk 11. The head element unit 122 includes a read element 32 and a write element 31 on the trailing side. The write element 31 is an inductive element that generates a magnetic field between the magnetic poles 312 with a current flowing through the write coil 311 and records magnetic data on the magnetic disk 11. The read element 32 is a magnetoresistive element, and includes a magnetoresistive element 32 a having magnetic anisotropy, and the magnetic data recorded on the magnetic disk 11 by the resistance value that changes according to the magnetic field from the magnetic disk 11. read out.

  The magnetoresistive element 32 a is sandwiched between magnetic shields 33 a and b, and the write coil 311 is surrounded by an insulating film 313. The head element unit 122 includes a protective film 34 such as alumina around the write element 31 and the read element 32. A carbon protective film (not shown) having a thickness of several nm is formed on the air bearing surface 35 facing the magnetic disk 11 in order to prevent wear due to contact with the magnetic disk 11 and corrosion of the head element portion 122. Yes.

  Returning to FIG. 2, connection terminals 124 a to 124 d to the head element portion 122 are formed on the air outflow end surface 121. For example, the connection terminals 124 a and 124 d are connected to the read element 32, and the connection terminals 124 b and 124 c are connected to the write element 31. The connection terminals 124a to 124d are connected to a preamplifier (not shown) through wiring called a trace.

The manufacturing method of the head slider 12 of this embodiment includes the steps shown in FIG. A plurality of head element portions 122 are formed on an AlTiC (aluminum / titanium / carbite) / wafer constituting the slider 123 using a thin film forming process such as plating, sputtering or polishing. As a result, a wafer including a plurality of head sliders 12 is formed. Next, the wafer on which the plurality of head sliders 12 are formed is cut, and strips (row bars) composed of the plurality of head sliders 12 arranged in a row are cut out (S11). The wafer can be cut using, for example, a diamond grindstone.

  Next, the air bearing surface of the row bar is roughly polished (S12). In the rough polishing step (S12), polishing is performed by swinging a row bar on a polishing platen that rotates at a high speed (for example, 60 rotations / minute). For example, about 10 μm is polished. Further, the surface opposite to the air bearing surface (anti-air bearing surface) is roughly polished (S13). The polishing method is the same as that for the air bearing surface. This reduces row bar thickness variation and warpage.

  After rough polishing on both sides of the row bar, finish polishing of the air bearing surface is performed. This form final polishing step includes two steps, a pre-finish polishing step (S14) and a final finish polishing step (S15). First, pre-finish polishing is performed by swinging the row bar on a polishing surface plate that rotates at a lower speed than rough polishing (for example, 10 rotations / minute) (S14). Thereby, for example, about 40 nm is polished. Next, for example, about 10 nm is polished in the final finish polishing step (S15). The head slider manufacturing method of this embodiment is particularly characterized in the final finish polishing (S15) of the air bearing surface. The air bearing surface final finish polishing will be described in detail later.

  When finishing the air bearing surface finish polishing (S14, S15), a carbon protective film is formed on the air bearing surface of the row bar (S16). Further, rail processing (S17) is performed on the air bearing surface of the row bar to form irregularities that generate positive pressure and negative pressure. Rail processing can be performed using, for example, ion milling or etching. After the rail processing (S18) is completed, each head slider is separated from the row bar using, for example, a diamond grindstone (S19), and the head slider 12 to be mounted on the product is completed.

  The air bearing surface finish polishing of the head slider in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 schematically shows a polishing mark on the air bearing surface 35 side of the head element portion 122 when the air bearing surface finish polishing of this embodiment is performed. As shown in FIG. 5, by performing the final finishing polishing (S15) of the air bearing surface of this embodiment, the polishing scratches on the head element portion 122 become parallel to the read element 32 and the magnetic shields 33a and 33b. Since there are no polishing scratches across the read element 32 and the magnetic shields 33a and 33b as shown in FIG. 11, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the characteristics of the read element. In addition, the air bearing surface finish polishing according to this embodiment can suppress the generation of scratches that are large polishing scratches on the head element portion 122. For this reason, it is possible to prevent damage to the head element portion 122 and deterioration of its characteristics.

  The final finish polishing (S15) of the head slider air bearing surface of this embodiment will be specifically described. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, in the finish polishing step of this embodiment, the low bar 21 of the head slider is pressed against the surface of the polishing surface plate 61, and in this state, the low bar 21 is uniaxially moved. Polishing is performed by rocking in the left-right direction in the figure. While the air bearing surface is being polished on the polishing surface plate 61, the polishing surface plate 61 is stopped. As a result, the polishing mark can be set in a certain direction.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the swinging direction (polishing direction) is the arrangement direction of the connection terminals 124a-124d. That is, by moving and polishing in the direction parallel to the read element 32 and the magnetic shields 33a and 33b on the stopped polishing surface plate 61, it is possible to suppress the generation of polishing traces extending over these. The swinging direction also coincides with the arrangement direction of the head slider 12 in the row bar 21.

  In the final polishing step of the head slider of this embodiment, polishing is performed while measuring the polishing amount of the air bearing surface. When the desired polishing amount is polished, the polishing process is completed. When performing polishing while measuring the polishing amount, the number of times of movement on the polishing surface plate 61 is different for each row bar 21. For this reason, some row bars 21 can reciprocate on the polishing surface plate 61 many times.

  When the polishing platen 61 is stopped and the row bar 21 is swung linearly for polishing, the air bearing surface is repeatedly polished in the same region on the polishing platen 61. For this reason, the polishing region on the polishing surface plate 61 is deteriorated, which causes a scratch on the air bearing surface side of the head element portion 122. This is particularly noticeable in a polishing platen in which the slurry is embedded rather than being supplied from the outside during polishing.

  Therefore, in the finish polishing step of this embodiment, the polishing surface plate 61 is rotated by a predetermined angle while the row bar 21 is separated from the surface of the polishing surface plate 61 to change the polishing position on the polishing surface plate 61. Thus, continuous polishing is not performed more than the allowable number of times in the same polishing region, and generation of scratches due to deterioration in the polishing region can be suppressed. FIG. 7 shows a preferable method of changing the polishing position in the finish polishing of this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, in a state where the polishing surface plate 61 is stopped, the row bar 21 is slid linearly on the polishing surface plate 61 from the left to the right in the drawing, and the air bearing surface thereof is moved. Grind. Next, the row bar 21 is lifted up from the polishing surface plate 61. In a state where the row bar 21 is separated from the polishing surface plate 61, the polishing surface plate 61 is rotated by a predetermined angle as shown in FIG. As a result, the polishing area 611a in the previous one stroke is shifted from the position where the row bar 21 faces.

  Subsequently, the row bar 21 is lowered onto the polishing surface plate 61, and as shown in FIG. 7C, the row bar 21 is in contact with the polishing surface plate 61 from the right to the left in the drawing. The row bar 21 is moved in a straight line, and the air bearing surface is polished. At this time, the polishing region laboratory 611b is a region different from the polishing region 611a. Thereafter, the row bar 21 is lifted up from the polishing surface plate 61, and the polishing surface plate 61 is rotated by a predetermined angle as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the row bar 21 is repeatedly swung on the polishing surface plate 61 while changing the polishing position, and the air bearing surface is polished by a necessary amount.

  As described above, by performing the final finish polishing while shifting the polishing position, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of undesirable polishing scratches. Note that, as in the above-described example, it is preferable to shift the polishing position for each stroke from right to left or from left to right in order to reduce the possibility of undesired polishing scratches due to polishing region degradation. However, when there is little deterioration of the polishing surface plate 61, the polishing position can be changed for each of the plurality of linear movement polishings. In order to change the polishing position, it is efficient to rotate the polishing platen 61. However, the polishing position of the polishing platen 61 may be changed by moving the row bar 21.

  As described above, in the final polishing step of the air bearing surface of this embodiment, the row bar 21 is polished while measuring the polishing amount. When polishing a certain amount or more, the number of movements (number of strokes) for polishing the target amount is not constant. For this reason, in the final polishing step of this example, the target amount is accurately polished by controlling the number of movements while measuring the polishing amount.

  The polishing amount is measured by measuring the resistance value of the magnetoresistive element 32a. FIG. 8 schematically shows a configuration of a polishing apparatus 71 used in the finish polishing process. The polishing apparatus 71 holds and moves the row bar 21. The row bar 21 is fixed to the polishing apparatus 71 by an adhesive elastic body 711. The elastic body 711 can be formed of, for example, a urethane resin material of about 1 mm.

  The polishing apparatus 71 includes a plurality of pins 712 a to 712 c that finely move in a pressing direction (vertical direction in FIG. 8) perpendicular to the polishing surface of the polishing surface plate 61. Each of the pins 712a to 712c independently moves in the pressing direction, and changes the pressing force via the elastic body 711 to each part of the row bar 21 during polishing. Thereby, the contact pressure between the part corresponding to each pin 712a-712c of the air bearing surface and the polishing surface plate 61 changes, and the amount of polishing of each part of the air bearing surface can be controlled. Further, the elastic body 711 can apply force more uniformly.

  Since the air bearing surface of the row bar 21 has some undulation, the undulation of the air bearing surface can be removed by adjusting the polishing amount of each part of the air bearing surface. In the example of FIG. 8, one pin 712 is provided for three head sliders 12, but the relationship between the number of head sliders and the number of pins is changed according to the device design.

  The resistance measurement circuit 713 measures the resistance of the head slider 12. In the example of FIG. 8, the resistance measurement circuit 713 measures the resistance value of each head slider 12 selected from the plurality of head sliders 12 pressed by the pins 712a to 712c. Connection terminals 124a and 124d of each head slider 12 to the read element 32 and interconnection terminals 715a to 715f on the PCB 714 are connected by lead wires. The interconnection terminals 715a-715f are connected to a resistance measurement circuit 713, and the resistance measurement circuit 713 measures the resistance value of each head slider 12 via the interconnection terminals 715a-715f.

  The controller 716 controls the movement of the row bar 21 in the horizontal and vertical directions, the movement of the pins 712a to 712c, and the rotation of the polishing surface plate 61. The row bar 21 is moved under the control of the controller 716 by a moving mechanism (not shown). The controller 716 can be configured by a computer in which a program is installed.

  The controller 716 controls the movement of the row bar 21 and the rotation of the polishing surface plate 61 to perform final finishing polishing, and based on the resistance value of the magnetoresistive element 32a measured by the resistance measuring circuit 73 during polishing. Control the movement of pins 712a-712c. By adjusting each pin 712a-712c so that each measured resistance value becomes equal, the undulation of the air bearing surface can be suppressed. Further, the controller 716 ends the finish polishing process at the timing when the average of the resistance values of the head sliders 12 reaches the reference value.

  Hereinafter, the details of the moving method of the row bar 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B. In the air bearing surface finishing polishing process of this example, the row bar 21 is lifted up from the polishing surface plate 61 before the row bar 21 stops on the polishing surface plate 61 in the swing polishing. This prevents the head element portion 122 from being scratched.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9A, the polishing apparatus 71 installs the held low bar 21 on the inner peripheral side on the stopped polishing platen 61. The low bar 21 is pressed against the polishing surface of the polishing surface plate 61 by pins 712a to 712c with a predetermined pressing force. With the row bar 21 pressed against the polishing surface of the polishing platen 61, the polishing apparatus 71 moves linearly while accelerating the row bar 21 from the inner periphery to the outer periphery of the polishing platen 61. . For example, the polishing apparatus 71 accelerates the row bar 21 at a constant acceleration.

  When the moving speed of the row bar 21 reaches the reference speed, the polishing apparatus 71 moves the row bar 21 at a constant speed. The polishing apparatus 71 lifts up the row bar 21 from the polishing surface of the polishing surface plate 61 before stopping the movement of the row bar 21. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 9A, before the moving speed of the row bar 21 is reduced, the lift is lifted up from the polishing surface plate 61. For example, the polishing apparatus 71 decelerates the row bar 21 at a constant acceleration. The magnitude of acceleration during deceleration may be the same as during acceleration. After the lift up, the low bar 21 decelerates and stops at a predetermined position. This completes the one-stroke polishing process.

When the necessary polishing amount is not polished, the polishing surface plate 61 is rotated to change the polishing area, and then, as shown in FIG. The bar 21 is moved and polished. The moving method of the row bar 21 is the same as the method described with reference to FIG. By repeating these left and right rocking polishing, the air bearing surface of the row bar 21 is polished by a necessary amount.

  When the low bar 21 decelerates while being pressed against the polishing surface plate 61, the head element portion 122 tends to be scratched. In particular, there is a high possibility that scratches will occur at the timing when the row bar 21 stops on the polishing surface plate 61. For this reason, before the row bar 21 stops, when the row bar 21 is lifted up while moving in a direction parallel to the polishing surface plate 61, scratches are generated in the head element portion 122, and the characteristics thereof are It is possible to prevent the decrease. In addition, the occurrence of scratches can be prevented by lifting up before the low bar 21 decelerates.

  Note that, depending on the design, only the last polishing stroke can be lifted up before the low bar 21 is stopped or decelerated. This is because there may be a case where all undesired polishing scratches can be eliminated by the last polishing stroke. However, when the decelerating movement on the polishing surface plate 61 is repeated, a thick scratch is generated, which may not be removed by the last polishing stroke. Therefore, it is preferable to lift up before stopping or decelerating the low bar 21 in each stroke. This point is the same in the following processing.

  In the above example, in order to suppress the occurrence of scratches, the low bar 21 is separated from the polishing surface plate 61 during the decelerating movement that is one of the acceleration movements. Scratches can also occur during acceleration movement, which is another type of acceleration movement. In particular, when the movement of the low bar 21 stopped on the polishing surface plate 61 is started, there is a high possibility that scratches will occur.

  Therefore, instead of starting the linear movement after placing the row bar 21 on the polishing surface plate 61, the row bar 21 is lowered onto the polishing surface plate 61 while moving the row bar 21, and the polishing is performed as it is. It is preferable to polish while moving on the surface plate 61. In particular, by placing the low bar 21 on the polishing surface plate 61 after the state of constant speed movement after acceleration, the possibility of occurrence of scratches in the head element portion 122 can be further reduced.

  FIGS. 10A and 10B show an example in which the row bar 21 is lowered onto the polishing surface plate 61 after the row bar 21 enters the constant speed movement state. Further, the row bar 21 moves away from the polishing surface plate 61 before the row bar 21 starts to decelerate on the polishing surface plate 61. 10 (a), the polishing apparatus 71 linearly accelerates the held row bar 21 in the direction from the inner periphery to the outer periphery of the polishing surface plate 61, and after entering the constant velocity state, the row bar 21 21 is lowered onto the polishing surface plate 61.

  With the air bearing surface of the row bar 21 in contact with the polishing surface plate 61, the polishing apparatus 71 moves the row bar 21 on the polishing surface plate 61 in a straight line at a constant speed to polish the air bearing surface. During polishing, the row bar 21 is pressed against the polishing surface of the polishing surface plate 61 by pins 712a to 712c with a predetermined pressing force. Thereafter, the polishing apparatus 71 lifts up from the polishing surface plate 61 before decelerating the moving speed of the row bar 21. The process after deceleration is the same as that described with reference to FIG.

  When the necessary polishing amount is not polished, the polishing surface plate 61 is rotated to change the polishing region, and then the low polishing rate is applied from the outer periphery to the inner periphery of the polishing surface plate 61 as shown in FIG. -The bar 21 is moved and polished. The moving method of the row bar 21 is the same as the method described with reference to FIG. By repeating these left and right rocking polishing, the air bearing surface of the row bar 21 is polished by a necessary amount.

  Here, as described with reference to FIG. 8, when the row bar 21 is fixed to the polishing apparatus 71 by the adhesive elastic body 711, after the row bar 21 is lowered to the polishing surface plate 61, It is preferable to start the movement. This is because if the row bar 21 is moved down to the polishing surface plate 61 while moving, the row bar 21 may be peeled off from the adhesive elastic body 711. Therefore, it is preferable to apply the polishing method shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B to a polishing apparatus that fixes the row bar 21 by a stronger fixing method such as mechanical holding.

Comparison was made between polishing using the polishing method of the present embodiment and a conventional polishing method.
In the conventional method, after polishing 40 nm at a polishing platen rotation speed of 10 rotations / minute and a rocking speed of 45 mm / second, the polishing platen rotation speed of 0.1 rotations / minute and a rocking speed of 45 mm / seconds. Polished by 10 nm. In the conventional method, the polishing surface plate continues to rotate during these processes, and the head slider has not been lifted up.
In the polishing according to this embodiment, after polishing 40 nm at a polishing platen rotation speed of 10 rotations / minute and a rocking speed of 45 mm / second, the polishing platen rotation speed of 0.1 rotations / minute and a rocking speed of 45 mm / seconds. Then, 7 nm polishing was performed, and further, 3 nm polishing was performed at a rotation speed of 45 mm / sec. After the polishing platen stopped rotating, the head slider was lifted up before the head slider stopped, preferably before deceleration.

  The average surface roughness Ra of the conventional method was 0.369 nm, and the average surface roughness Rmax was 3.775 nm. In addition, scratches were observed in some head sliders. On the other hand, the average surface roughness Ra of the polishing according to this embodiment was 0.334 nm, and the average surface roughness Rmax was 3.380 nm. No scratch was observed on each head slider. As described above, the polishing method of the present embodiment greatly improved the polishing surface.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment was described as an example about this invention, this invention is not limited to said embodiment. A person skilled in the art can easily change, add, and convert each element of the above-described embodiment within the scope of the present invention. For example, instead of rocking and polishing the row bar, the air bearing surface of the row bar is polished by moving in one direction, for example, by repeating the stroke from the inner circumference side to the outer circumference side of the polishing platen. May be.

  From the viewpoint of manufacturing efficiency, it is preferable to perform the polishing process in units of row bars composed of a plurality of head sliders, but from the viewpoint of accurate polishing, it is preferable to perform polishing in units of head sliders. The measurement of the polishing amount can be performed accurately and easily by the resistance value of the read element 32, but the polishing amount may be measured by other methods.

It is a figure which shows typically the mechanical whole structure of HDD in this embodiment. It is a perspective view showing typically the composition of a head slider in this embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the head slider in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows each process of the manufacturing method of a head slider in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the mode of the grinding | polishing process flaw of the head element part after the final finish grinding | polishing in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the method of the final finish grinding | polishing of a row bar floating surface in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the method of the final finish grinding | polishing of a row bar floating surface in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the grinding | polishing apparatus in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the rocking | fluctuation method of the row bar on the polishing surface plate in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the other example of the rocking | fluctuation method of the row bar on the polishing surface plate in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the mode of the abrasion crack of the head element part after the final finish grinding | polishing in the prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hard disk drive, 10 Enclosure, 11 Magnetic disk 12 Head slider, 14 Spindle motor, 15 Voice coil motor 16 Actuator, 17 Lamp, 21 Low bar, 31 Write element 32 Read element, 32a Magnetoresistive element, 33a, b Shield, 34 Protective film 35 Air bearing surface, 61 Polishing surface plate, 71 Polishing device, 121 Trailing side end surface 122 Head element part, 123 Slider, 124a-d Connection terminal, 161 Rotating shaft 311 Write coil, 312 Magnetic pole, 313 Insulating film, 611a, b Polishing area 711 Adhesive elastic body, 712a-c pin, 713 Resistance measurement circuit 714 PCB, 715 Interconnect terminal, 716 Controller

Claims (8)

A method of manufacturing a head slider and a head element located at the slider and the slider,
A step to cut out the head slider from the wafer,
And a step of polishing the air bearing surface of the head slider is reciprocated in a state pressed against the polishing surface plate that stops the air bearing surface of the head slider,
While performing the polishing, the head slider when a constant velocity of the head slider is pressed against the polishing table, the head slider from the polishing table before starting deceleration of the head slider A method of repeatedly lifting and lifting. Wherein the head slider is moved linearly in the polishing platen for polishing the air bearing surface, the method according to claim 1. The head element portion includes a magnetic read element,
Wherein the head slider is moved in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the magnetic read element polishing the air bearing surface, The method of claim 2. Polishing the air bearing surface in a state where the head slider is adhered and held on an adhesive elastic body,
The method according to claim 1, wherein the head slider starts to move after the air bearing surface is pressed against the polishing surface plate. Polishing the air bearing surface while measuring the amount of polishing of the head slider, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reciprocating position of the head slider on the polishing platen is changed at least once while the polishing is performed. The reciprocating movement is a linear reciprocating movement, each time the polishing by moving one of the one-way linear ends, changes the reciprocating movement position in the polishing surface plate of the head slider, to claim 6 The method described. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the reciprocating position is changed by rotating the polishing platen.

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