JP5207302B2 - Information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly and information recording / reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly and an information recording / reproducing apparatus for recording / reproducing various information on / from a magnetic recording medium using spot light obtained by condensing light.

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

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

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

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

  Various types of information recording / reproducing apparatuses based on the hybrid magnetic recording system described above are provided, and as one of them, by supplying light for generating near-field light to the near-field light head, There is known an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of generating sufficiently large near-field light from a minute aperture and achieving super-high resolution reproduction / recording, high-speed recording / reproduction, and high SN ratio.

  This information recording / reproducing apparatus includes a drive arm (carriage) that can be pivoted about a pivot bearing axis by a voice coil motor (VCM) or the like, and a near-field optical head at the tip of the drive arm. A configuration in which a slider is attached is known. For example, as shown in one embodiment of Patent Document 1, there has been proposed a semiconductor laser chip provided on the surface opposite to the ABS side surface (floating surface) of the slider, that is, the upper surface of the slider. In another embodiment of Patent Document 1, a semiconductor laser and an optical switch are arranged in a casing of an information recording / reproducing apparatus, and an optical fiber branched from the optical switch is connected to a slider.

In the information recording / reproducing apparatus described above, the drive arm (plate spring) is moved around the pivot bearing shaft (rotary actuator), thereby causing the slider to scan the disk and disposing the slider at a desired position on the disk. Thereafter, information can be recorded on the disk by cooperating the near-field light emitted from the light source and the recording magnetic field generated from the slider. The ABS of the slider is configured to float so as to follow the wind pressure when a wind pressure is applied to the slider due to the undulation of the disk.
JP 2003-67901 A

Here, in general, a plurality of discs can be arranged in the information recording / reproducing apparatus, and therefore a plurality of sliders are also arranged. However, when a plurality of light sources are provided to supply the light flux to the plurality of sliders, there is a problem that the apparatus is increased in size, cost is increased, and power consumption is increased.
Further, in the embodiment of the information recording / reproducing apparatus of Patent Document 1 described above, since the light source is mounted on the upper surface of the slider, heat generated from the light source is directly transmitted to the slider, and the slider is heated. When the slider is heated, the slider may be warped or thermally expanded. The slider ABS described above is configured such that when a wind pressure is applied to the slider due to the undulation of the disk or the like, the slider floats following the wind pressure. When the ABS is deformed due to the warp or thermal expansion of the slider, there is a problem that the flying characteristics of the slider change. Further, when the slider is heated, the characteristics of the reproducing element of the slider are affected, and there is a possibility that information recording / reproducing cannot be controlled with high accuracy and accuracy.
The slider moves in parallel on the disk surface with the rotary actuator as the center of rotation. However, if a light source (semiconductor laser chip) is mounted on the slider, the moment that acts on the drive arm during the movement of the slider increases, and tracking accuracy increases. There is a problem that decreases.
In another embodiment of the information recording / reproducing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the semiconductor laser and the optical switch are arranged on the casing of the information recording / reproducing apparatus, so that the apparatus can be reduced in size. There is a problem that you can not.
Further, when the semiconductor laser and the optical switching device are arranged on the casing, if the optical wiring is arranged on the side surface of the carriage as in another embodiment of Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the balance during rotation of the carriage is deteriorated.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to suppress the influence of heat generated from a light source and to reduce the size of the apparatus, and to record and reproduce a head gimbal assembly. An information recording / reproducing apparatus is provided.

The present invention provides the following means in order to solve the above problems.
An information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention includes a flat carriage formed to be rotatable around a pivot shaft disposed outside a magnetic recording medium that rotates in a predetermined direction. A base portion formed so as to be rotatable around the pivot shaft, and a rotation member extending from the base portion along the surface of the magnetic recording medium. An information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly, comprising: a slider supported so as to face the surface of the magnetic recording medium, wherein the slider is provided at each of leading end portions of the plurality of rotating members. a light source for emitting a light beam to heat the medium comprises a light beam delivery means for delivering the light beam from the light source into a plurality of said slider, and wherein the plurality of rotating members, a through hole or notch The light flux distribution means is arranged so as to pass through the plurality of through holes or notches, and the light flux is distributed to the plurality of sliders from one light source connected to the light flux distribution means. It is configured as described above .

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

  In particular, according to the information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly of the present invention, the carriage turning member is generally formed with a through hole or notch for weight reduction. By arranging the light beam distribution means, the light beam can be distributed from the light source to the plurality of sliders. Thereby, since it is not necessary to provide a plurality of light sources corresponding to a plurality of sliders, it is possible to realize downsizing, low cost, and low power consumption of the apparatus.

  In addition, a light source for supplying a light beam to the optical system of the slider is provided on the rotation member of the carriage. Then, the light beam emitted from the light source is guided to the slider supported at the tip of the rotating member via the light beam distribution means. The light beam guided to the slider is collected by the optical system described above, and then introduced into the spot light generating element, where the spot light is incident on the magnetic recording medium. That is, unlike the conventional case where the light source is directly mounted on the slider, the light source is supplied from the light source provided on the rotating member to the slider via the light beam distributing means, so that the heat generated from the light source when the light beam is supplied is reduced. There is very little possibility of transmission to the slider, and the influence of heat generated from the light source can be suppressed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the slider from being deformed due to the influence of thermal expansion, warpage or the like of the slider. In addition, the characteristics of the reproducing element of the slider can be maintained.

  Further, since the base of the carriage is configured to be rotatable around the pivot shaft, the rotating member is configured to be movable in a direction parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium with the pivot shaft as a rotation center. At this time, by providing the light source on the rotating member, the moment acting on the carriage (the rotating member) during the movement of the slider is smaller than when the light source is mounted on the slider. Therefore, the tracking accuracy can be maintained.

  As described above, according to the head gimbals assembly for information recording / reproducing according to the present invention, the influence of heat generated from the light source is suppressed, and the moment acting on the carriage when the slider is moved is suppressed, thereby improving the information recording / reproducing. Accurate and accurate.

Further, by providing the light source on the rotating member, the information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly can be downsized as compared with the case where the light source is mounted on the casing.
Further, by forming a through hole or a notch in the rotating member, the weight of the carriage can be reduced.

  In the information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the luminous flux distribution means includes a first luminous flux propagation means extending from the light source, and a propagation direction of the luminous flux provided in the first luminous flux propagation means. A plurality of switchable light distributors, and second light beam propagation means disposed along the rotating member between the plurality of light distributors and the plurality of sliders, the light beam distribution means The first light flux propagation means is arranged through the through hole or the notch.

In the information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, after the light beam emitted from the light source is propagated to the first light beam propagation means, it is branched by the light distributor and is transmitted to each slider via the second light beam propagation means. Can be transmitted to all sliders with a single light source. Therefore, the information recording / reproducing head can be downsized.
In addition, after forming a carriage having a conventional structure, it is only necessary to attach a light source and an optical distributor, and connect the second light beam propagation means extending from the slider to the optical distributor, so that information recording can be performed without increasing manufacturing costs. A reproducing head can be manufactured.

  Also, the information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention is characterized in that the light source and the luminous flux distributing means are arranged on the pivot shaft side in the through hole.

  In the information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the moment acting on the carriage when the slider moves can be suppressed while avoiding interference with the magnetic recording medium. Therefore, information can be recorded and reproduced with high accuracy and accuracy.

  Furthermore, the information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention is characterized in that the light source and the luminous flux distributing means are arranged at a central portion in the width direction of the rotating member.

  In the information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the second light flux propagation means can be installed on the central axis in the width direction of the rotating member in plan view while avoiding interference with the magnetic recording medium. The second light flux propagation means can be easily connected on the central axis in the width direction of the slider. Therefore, the light guide efficiency to the slider can be improved and the slider can be effectively floated.

  Furthermore, an information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention supports the information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly described above, a magnetic recording medium rotating in a fixed direction, and a base end side of the rotating member. And an actuator for moving the rotating member in a direction parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium, a rotation driving unit for rotating the magnetic recording medium in the fixed direction, and controlling operations of the slider and the light source. And a control unit.

  The information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention uses a head gimbal assembly for information recording / reproducing that realizes downsizing, low cost, and low power consumption. Can be realized.

According to the head gimbal assembly for information recording / reproducing according to the present invention, generally, the rotation member of the carriage is formed with a through hole or a notch for reducing the weight, and the light flux passes through the through hole or the notch. By arranging the distribution means, it is possible to distribute the light flux from the light source to the plurality of sliders. Thereby, since it is not necessary to provide a plurality of light sources corresponding to a plurality of sliders, it is possible to realize downsizing, low cost, and low power consumption of the apparatus.
In addition, since the light beam is supplied from the light source provided on the rotating member to the slider via the light beam distribution means, the heat generated from the light source during the supply of the light beam is very unlikely to be transmitted to the slider, and the heat generated from the light source The influence can be suppressed. Further, by providing the light source on the rotating member, it is possible to reduce the size of the information recording / reproducing head as compared with the case where the light source is mounted on the casing. Furthermore, since the light emitted from the light source can be transmitted to each slider via the light beam distribution means, the light can be guided to all the sliders with one light source, and the information recording / reproducing head can be downsized. Can be planned.

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

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a carriage 11, a head gimbal assembly (HGA) 12 supported on the front end side of the carriage 11, and a head gimbal assembly 12 on a disk surface D1 (disc An actuator 6 that scans and moves in the XY direction parallel to the surface D), a spindle motor 7 that rotates the disk D about the rotation axis L, and a slider 2 of the head gimbal assembly 12 that modulates the current modulated according to information. And a housing 9 that accommodates these components therein.

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

  The actuator 6 is attached to the outside of the disk D, that is, the corner of the bottom 9a. A carriage 11 is attached to the actuator 6 so as to be rotatable about the pivot shaft 10 in the XY directions. The pivot shaft 10, the carriage 11, and the head gimbal assembly 12 constitute an information recording / reproducing head.

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

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

  Here, a substantially trapezoidal through hole 18 in plan view is formed in the arm portion 14 of the carriage 11 in a direction parallel to the pivot shaft 10 (thickness direction). The through hole 18 is formed in all the three arm portions 14. A laser light source 20 that supplies a light beam to the slider 2 and a light distributor that branches the light emitted from the laser light source 20 to each slider 2 at a central portion in the width direction on the pivot shaft 10 side in the through hole 18. 21 (see FIGS. 6 to 8). Specifically, a laser light source 20 is provided in the vicinity of the lower surface of the through hole 18 of the arm portion 14 located on the bottom 9 a side of the housing 9, and an optical waveguide 32 (first light beam propagation means) vertically upward from the laser light source 20. ) Is extended. Further, the optical distributor 21 is arranged at a position corresponding to each arm portion 14 (slider 2) in the optical waveguide 32 extending vertically upward, and the optical waveguide 32 (second light flux) extends substantially horizontally from the optical distributor 21. Propagation means) is further extended and connected to each slider 2.

  The light distributor 21 is a general one, and distributes (branches) light by applying an electric field to change the refractive index of light. Further, the light distributor 21 and the optical waveguide 32 constitute a light beam distribution means. Further, in this embodiment, two sets of suspensions 3 and sliders 2 are provided on one arm portion 14 so that information can be recorded and read on both sides of the disk D. Therefore, the optical waveguide 32 is extended on both surfaces of the arm part 14. Then, instead of forming the through hole 18, the weight may be reduced by a notch shape.

  The head gimbal assembly 12 guides the light beam from the laser light source 20 (optical device 50) to the slider 2 which is a near-field light head (not shown) having a near-field light generating element (spot light generating element), and emits near-field light (spot). Light) and various information is recorded on and reproduced from the disk D using the near-field light. Note that the near-field light generating element includes, for example, an optical minute aperture, a protrusion formed in a nanometer size, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the suspension 3 as seen from the slider 2 side with the slider 2 facing upward. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the gimbal 17 with the slider 2 facing upward. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3, and is a cross-sectional view of the tip of the suspension 3 with the slider 2 facing upward.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the head gimbal assembly 12 of this embodiment functions as a suspension for floating the slider 2 from the disk D, and is formed in a thin plate shape by the slider 2 and a metallic material. The suspension 3 that can move in the XY directions parallel to the disk surface D1 and the slider 2 can rotate about two axes (X axis, Y axis) that are parallel to the disk surface D1 and orthogonal to each other, that is, Gimbal means 16 for fixing to the lower surface of the suspension 3 so as to be twisted about the two axes is provided. The arm portion 14 of the carriage 11 and the suspension 3 of the head gimbal assembly 12 constitute a rotating member.

  First, the slider 2 is supported between the disk D and the suspension 3 with a gimbal 17 (described later) sandwiched between the lower surface of the suspension 3. The slider 2 includes a reproducing element (not shown) fixed to the leading end side and a recording element (not shown) fixed adjacent to the reproducing element. The slider 2 has a condensing lens (optical system) (not shown) that condenses the light beam emitted from the laser light source 20 on the opposite side of the reproducing element with the recording element interposed therebetween, and is condensed by the condensing lens. And the near-field light generating element for generating near-field light from the emitted light flux. That is, the slider 2 is arranged with a reproducing element, a recording element, and a near-field light generating element arranged at the tip.

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

  The suspension 3 includes a base plate 22 that is formed in a substantially square shape in plan view, a hinge plate 23 that is attached to the back surface (lower surface) of the base plate 22, and has a tip portion extending from the base plate 22, and a hinge plate And a load beam 24 having a substantially triangular shape in plan view, which is connected to the extending portion 23a.

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

  The load beam 24 is made of a thin metal material such as stainless steel like the base plate 22, and the base end thereof is connected to the hinge plate 23 with a gap between the base plate 22 and the tip end of the base plate 22. . As a result, the hinge plate 23 is bent between the base plate 22 and the load beam 24 and is easily bent in the Z direction perpendicular to the disk surface D1. That is, the extending portion 23a of the hinge plate 23 is configured to be curved.

  In addition, a flexure 25 is provided on the distal end side of the load beam 24. The flexure 25 is a sheet-shaped member made of a metal material such as stainless steel, and is configured to be able to bend and deform in the thickness direction by being formed in a sheet shape. The flexure 25 has a gimbal 17 that is fixed to the distal end side of the load beam 24 and whose outer shape is formed in a substantially hexagonal shape in plan view.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the gimbal 17 is formed so as to slightly warp in the thickness direction from the vicinity of the middle to the front end toward the disk surface D1. Then, the warped end is fixed to the load beam 24 from the base end to substantially the middle so that the front end does not come into contact with the load beam 24.

  Further, a cutout portion 26 is formed on the front end side of the floating gimbal 17 so that the periphery thereof is wound in a U shape. The portion surrounded by the cutout portion 26 is cantilevered by a connecting portion 17a. The pad part (tongue piece part) 17b supported in the shape is formed. That is, the pad portion 17b is formed to project from the distal end side to the proximal end side of the gimbal 17 by the connecting portion 17a, and is provided with a notch 26 around the periphery. Accordingly, the pad portion 17 b is easily bent in the thickness direction of the gimbal 17, and the angle is adjusted so that only the pad portion 17 b is parallel to the lower surface of the suspension 3. The slider 2 is placed and fixed on the pad portion 17b. That is, the slider 2 is in a state of hanging from the load beam 24 via the pad portion 17b.

  Further, a protrusion 19 that protrudes toward the approximate center of the pad portion 17 b and the slider 2 is formed at the tip of the load beam 24. The tip of the projection 19 is rounded. The protrusion 19 comes into point contact with the surface (upper surface) of the pad portion 17b when the slider 2 floats to the load beam 24 side by the wind pressure received from the disk D. This rising force is transmitted from the protrusion 19 to the load beam 24 and acts to bend the load beam 24. Further, when wind pressure in the XY direction is applied to the slider 2 due to the undulation of the disk D, the slider 2 and the pad portion 17b are twisted about the two axes of the X axis and the Y axis with the protrusion 19 as the center. It has become. As a result, displacement in the Z direction (displacement in a direction substantially perpendicular to the disk surface D1) due to waviness of the disk D can be absorbed, and the posture of the slider 2 is stabilized. The protrusions 19 and the gimbal 17 having the pad portions 17b constitute the gimbal means 16.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the terminal board 30 attached to the base portion 15 of the carriage 11.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a terminal substrate 30 is disposed on the side surface 15 c of the base portion 15 of the carriage 11. The terminal board 30 serves as a relay point when the control unit 5 provided in the housing 9 and the slider 2 are electrically connected, and various control circuits are formed on the surface thereof. The control unit 5 and the terminal board 30 are electrically connected by a flexible flat cable 4, while the terminal board 30 and the slider 2 are connected by an electric wiring 31. Three sets of electric wirings 31 are provided corresponding to the number of arm portions 14 provided for each carriage 11, and a signal output from the control unit 5 via the flat cable 4 is transmitted via the electric wiring 31. Are output to the slider 2. In the present embodiment, since the slider 2 is provided on both surfaces of the arm portion 14, the electric wiring 31 branches in the middle and extends on both surfaces of the arm portion 14.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the carriage 11. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the carriage 11 from another angle. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the optical device 50.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a through hole 18 that penetrates in the thickness direction is formed in the arm portion 14 of the carriage 11. The through-hole 18 is formed for the purpose of reducing the weight of the carriage 11 while being used for positioning during assembly. A through hole 37 for inserting the pivot shaft 10 is formed in the base portion 15 of the carriage 11.
Here, the optical device 50 is arranged along the axial direction (vertical direction) of the pivot shaft 10 at the center in the width direction of the through hole 18 on the pivot shaft 10 side.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the optical device 50 includes a laser light source 20 that supplies a light beam toward the condenser lens of the slider 2, and a light distributor 21 that distributes the light beam emitted from the laser light source 20 to each slider 2. It is equipped with. The optical device 50 of this embodiment has one laser light source 20 and five light distributors 21. The laser light source 20 and the light distributor 21 are connected by an optical waveguide 32.

  The laser light source 20 receives a signal output from the control unit 5 and emits a light beam based on this signal. Five light distributors 21 are arranged along the height direction (Z direction) of the carriage 11 corresponding to the number of sliders 2 provided on each arm portion 14 (suspension 3). The uppermost light distributor 21a has only a function of refracting light. Further, an optical waveguide 32 that guides the light beam emitted from each laser light source 20 to the condenser lens of the slider 2 is connected to the emission side of each optical distributor 21.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 9, the electric wiring 31 and the optical waveguide 32 described above are configured as separate wirings. The optical waveguide 32 is provided in a substantially straight line along the longitudinal direction of the suspension 3 so as to connect the optical device 50 and the slider 2. The optical waveguide 32 is composed of a core 35 and a clad 34 having different refractive indexes, and a light beam emitted from the laser light source 20 is subjected to a total reflection condition due to a difference in refractive index between the core 35 and the clad 34. Thus, the condenser lens of the slider 2 is guided.

  An example of a combination of materials used as the clad 34 and the core 35 is described. For example, the core 35 is formed with a thickness of 3 to 10 μm using PMMA (methyl methacrylate resin), and the fluorine-containing polymer is used to increase the thickness. A combination in which the clad 34 is formed with a thickness of several tens of μm is conceivable. Further, both the core 35 and the clad 34 are made of epoxy resin (for example, core refractive index 1.522 to 1.523, clad refractive index 1.518 to 1.519), or made of fluorinated polyimide. Is also possible. Further, as the refractive index difference between the core 35 and the clad 34 is larger, the force for confining the light beam in the core 35 becomes larger. Therefore, by adjusting the composition of the resin material constituting the core 35 and the clad 34, It is preferable to increase the refractive index difference. For example, in the case of fluorinated polyimide, the refractive index can be controlled by adjusting the fluorine content or irradiating energy such as radiated light.

Further, for example, a combination in which the core 35 is formed of quartz (SiO ₂ ) and the clad 34 is formed of quartz doped with fluorine is also conceivable. In this case, when the wavelength of the light beam is 400 nm, the refractive index of the core 35 is 1.47, and the refractive index of the clad 34 is less than 1.47, which is a preferable combination. A combination in which the core 35 is formed of quartz doped with germanium and the clad 34 is formed of quartz (SiO ₂ ) is also conceivable. In this case, when the wavelength of the light beam is 400 nm, the refractive index of the core 35 is larger than 1.47, and the refractive index of the clad 34 is 1.47.

  The thus configured optical waveguide 32 extends along the longitudinal direction of the gimbal 17 and directly connects to the proximal end side of the slider 2 across the notch 26 of the gimbal 17. The optical waveguide 32 is separated from the lower surface of the gimbal 17 in the vicinity of the branch point C (see FIG. 3) of the electric wiring 31, and as it goes from the branch point C toward the base end side of the slider 2, It extends in a slightly floating state so as to bridge between. That is, on the lower surface of the gimbal 17, the optical waveguide 32 is drawn to the base end face side of the slider 2 in a state of extending substantially linearly. The optical waveguide 32 routed to the proximal end surface side of the slider 2 is connected to a near-field light generating element provided on the distal end surface side of the slider 2 via a condenser lens in the slider 2.

  On the other hand, the electrical wiring 31 is formed by sealing a conductive electrical wiring 31 a that transmits a signal output from the control unit 5 to the slider 2 with a clad 34. In the present embodiment, four electrical wirings 31a are formed. The electrical wiring 31 branches into two electrical wirings 31 and 31 (each of the two electrical wirings 31a) at the tip of the suspension 3, specifically, at an intermediate position of the gimbal 17 (C portion in FIG. 3). At the branch point C, the electrical wiring 31 is bent toward the outer peripheral portion of the gimbal 17 and is routed from the outer peripheral portion of the gimbal 17, that is, from the outside of the notch portion 26. Then, the two electric wires 31 routed from the outside of the notch portion 26 are connected to the leading end surface side of the slider 2 through the connecting portion 17a. That is, the electrical wiring 31 is directly connected from the outside of the slider 2 to the reproducing element and recording element provided on the front end surface side of the slider 2.

  Note that the electrical wiring 31 and the optical waveguide 32 described above are configured as separate wirings (see FIG. 2), but locations other than the vicinity of the slider 2 and the optical device 50 (the vicinity of the optical device 50 and the vicinity of the slider 2). May be integrally formed as a photoelectric composite wiring 33 as shown in FIG. This optoelectric composite wiring 33 is formed integrally by sealing the optical waveguide 32 and the electrical wiring 31 (electrical wiring 31 a) with the clad 34, and is drawn on the arm portion 14 and the suspension 3. It has been turned.

  In this case, the optoelectric composite wiring 33 is electrically connected so that the core 35 of the optical waveguide 32 is disposed in the center of the cross section in the width direction (YZ plane) of the clad 34 and the optical waveguide 32 is sandwiched from both sides of the optical waveguide 32. Two wirings 31a are provided. That is, the photoelectric composite wiring 33 is configured symmetrically with the core 35 as the center.

  When the photoelectric composite wiring 33 is formed, the photoelectric composite wiring 33 is connected to the electrical wiring 31 and the optical waveguide 32 at the tip of the suspension 3, specifically, at an intermediate position of the gimbal 17 (C portion in FIG. 3). Branch to.

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

  Next, the light beam is incident on the optical waveguide 32 from the laser light source 20 via the light distributor 21, and the light beam is guided to the slider 2. That is, the light guide 32 guides the light flux from the base end side to the tip end side of the suspension 3 and guides the light flux to the slider 2. Then, the light beam guided to the slider 2 is condensed by the condenser lens. As a result, near-field light is generated around the near-field light generating element so as to ooze out.

  The disk D is locally heated by the near-field light, and the coercive force temporarily decreases. On the other hand, when a current is supplied to the recording element of the slider 2 by the control unit 5, a recording magnetic field perpendicular to the disk D can be generated by the principle of an electromagnet. As a result, information can be recorded by a hybrid magnetic recording method in which near-field light and a recording magnetic field generated by a recording element cooperate.

  On the other hand, when reproducing the information recorded on the disk D, the reproducing element fixed adjacent to the recording element receives the magnetic field leaking from the disk D and depends on its magnitude. The electrical resistance changes. Therefore, the voltage of the reproducing element changes. Thereby, the control unit 5 can detect a change in the magnetic field leaking from the disk D as a change in voltage. And the control part 5 can reproduce | regenerate information by reproducing | regenerating a signal from the change of this voltage. In this way, various information can be recorded and reproduced on the disk D using the slider 2.

  The slider 2 is supported by the suspension 3 and pressed against the disk D side with a predetermined force. At the same time, since the air bearing surface 2a faces the disk D, the slider 2 receives a force that rises under the influence of wind pressure generated by the rotating disk D. Due to the balance between the two forces, the slider 2 is in a floating state at a position separated from the disk D.

  At this time, since the slider 2 receives the wind pressure and is pushed toward the suspension 3, the pad portion 17 b of the gimbal 17 that fixes the slider 2 and the protrusion 19 formed on the suspension 3 are in point contact. The floating force is transmitted to the suspension 3 through the protrusions 19 and acts to bend the suspension 3 in the Z direction perpendicular to the disk surface D1. Thereby, the slider 2 floats as described above. In addition, since the base plate 22 and the load beam 24 are connected to the suspension 3 via the hinge plate 23, the suspension 3 is easily bent around the base plate 22 and the load beam 24.

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

In particular, according to the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the optical device 50 including the laser light source 20 and the light distributor 21 that supplies the light beam to the condenser lens of the slider 2 is formed on the arm portion 14 of the carriage 11. It is provided along the through-hole 18 made. The light beam emitted from the laser light source 20 is guided to the slider 2 supported by the tip of the suspension 3 through the optical waveguide 32. The light beam guided to the slider 2 is collected by the above-described condenser lens, and then introduced into the near-field light generating element so that the near-field light is incident on the disk D. That is, unlike the conventional case where the light source is directly mounted on the slider 2, the laser light source 20 is supplied from the laser light source 20 provided on the carriage 11 to the slider 2 via the optical waveguide 32. There is very little possibility that the heat generated from the laser beam is transmitted to the slider 2, and the influence of the heat generated from the laser light source 20 can be suppressed.
Thereby, in the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the hybrid magnetic recording system in which the near-field light and the recording magnetic field generated by the recording element cooperate, the slider 2 may be deformed due to the influence of the thermal expansion, warpage, etc. of the slider 2. Absent. Therefore, the flying characteristics of the slider 2 can be maintained.
Further, since the influence of heat generated from the laser light source 20 can be suppressed, the characteristics of the reproducing element of the slider 2 can be maintained.

  In addition, since the base portion 15 of the carriage 11 is configured to be rotatable via the pivot shaft 10, the arm portion 14 is configured to be movable in a direction parallel to the disk surface D1 with the pivot shaft 10 as a rotation center. The At this time, by providing the carriage 11 with the optical device 50 including the laser light source 20 and the light distributor 21, it acts on the carriage 11 when the slider 2 is moved, compared to the case where the laser light source 20 is mounted on the slider 2. The moment becomes smaller. Therefore, the tracking accuracy can be improved.

  As described above, according to the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment, the influence of the heat generated from the laser light source 20 is suppressed, and the moment acting on the carriage 11 when the slider 2 is moved is suppressed, thereby recording and reproducing information. Can be performed with high accuracy and accuracy. Accordingly, high density recording of the disk D can be achieved.

  Also, by providing the laser light source 20 on the carriage 11, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 can be downsized as compared with the case where the laser light source is mounted on the casing 9 (bottom portion 9a).

  Further, by forming the through hole 18 in the carriage 11, the weight of the carriage 11 can be reduced.

  In addition, since the sliders 2 are provided on both sides of one arm portion 14, information on the two disks D can be recorded and reproduced, so that the recording capacity of the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 is increased and the apparatus is downsized. be able to.

  Further, since the light beam emitted from the laser light source 20 is branched by the light distributor 21 so that the light can be transmitted to each slider 2, the light can be guided to all the sliders 2 with one laser light source 20. Therefore, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 can be downsized.

  Then, after the carriage 11 is arranged at a desired position, the optical device 50 (laser light source 20 and optical distributor 21) is attached, and the optical waveguide 32 extended from the slider 2 is connected to the optical distributor 21. Therefore, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 can be manufactured without increasing the manufacturing cost.

  Further, since the optical device 50 (the laser light source 20 and the light distributor 21) is disposed at the position on the pivot shaft 10 side in the through hole 18 and in the center portion in the direction along the rotation direction of the carriage 11, Since the optical waveguide 32 can be installed on the central axis in the width direction of the carriage 11 in a plan view while avoiding interference, the optical waveguide 32 is connected in a balanced manner on the central axis in the width direction of the slider 2. can do. Therefore, the light guide efficiency to the slider 2 can be improved, and the slider 2 is effective for stable flying.

In this embodiment, the configuration in which the head gimbal assembly 12 (slider 2) is provided on both surfaces of the arm portion 14 has been described. However, each disk is provided only on one side surface of the arm portion 14 inserted between the disks D. A configuration in which the head gimbal assembly 12 (slider 2) is provided so as to face D is also possible. In this case, information on the disk surface (the surface of the disk D) facing each slider 2 can be recorded and reproduced by each slider 2 of the head gimbal assembly 12 provided on one side surface (for example, the back surface) of the arm portion 14. it can. When the head gimbal assembly 12 is provided only on one side surface of the arm portion 14 as described above, the optical waveguide 32 is extended from the optical device 50 to only one side surface of the arm portion 14 as shown in FIGS. Just set up. With this configuration, information can be recorded on the surfaces of all the disks D corresponding to each slider 2 by the hybrid magnetic recording method.
Further, the carriage 11, the slider 2, the laser light source 20, the optical distributor 21, and the optical waveguide 32 in this embodiment are configured as an information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In other words, the configuration described in the above-described embodiment is merely an example, and can be changed as appropriate.

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

  In the above-described embodiment, the optical device is described as being disposed on the pivot shaft side in the through hole formed in the carriage and in the center in the width direction of the arm portion. However, the optical device is disposed in the through hole. It only has to be done.

It is a schematic block diagram of the information recording / reproducing apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view (back) of a head gimbal assembly in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the gimbal in the embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is a side view of the terminal board in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view (1) of a carriage in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view (2) of the carriage in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the optical apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the BB line of FIG. It is sectional drawing (equivalent to FIG. 9) which shows another aspect of the optical waveguide and electric wiring in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view (1) which shows another aspect of the carriage in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view (2) which shows another aspect of the carriage in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information recording / reproducing apparatus 2 ... Slider 3 ... Suspension (rotating member) 5 ... Control part 6 ... Actuator 7 ... Spindle motor (rotation drive part) 10 ... Pivot shaft 11 ... Carriage 14 ... Arm part (rotating member) 15 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Base 18 ... Through-hole 20 ... Laser light source (light source) 21 ... Optical distributor 32 ... Optical waveguide (1st light beam propagation means, 2nd light beam propagation means) D ... Disk (magnetic recording medium) D1 ... Disk surface (magnetic recording) Media surface)

Claims (5)

A flat carriage formed so as to be rotatable around a pivot shaft arranged outside the magnetic recording medium rotating in a certain direction;
The carriage has a base portion formed to be rotatable around the pivot shaft, and a rotation member extending from the base portion along the surface of the magnetic recording medium,
The tip of the rotating member includes a slider supported so as to face the surface of the magnetic recording medium,
An information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly in which the sliders are respectively provided at the tip portions of the plurality of rotating members,
A light source that emits a light beam to heat the magnetic recording medium;
A light beam distribution means for distributing a light beam from the light source to the plurality of sliders,
The plurality of rotating members are formed with through holes or notches,
The light flux distribution means is arranged to pass through the plurality of through holes or the notches,
An information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly , wherein the light beam is delivered to the plurality of sliders from one light source connected to the light beam delivery means . The light flux distribution means includes a first light flux propagation means extending from the light source, a plurality of light distributors provided in the first light flux propagation means and capable of switching a propagation direction of the light flux, and the plurality of light distributions. A second light beam propagation means disposed along the rotating member between the container and the plurality of sliders,
2. The information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first light beam propagation means of the light beam distribution means is arranged through the through hole or the notch.   3. The information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the light source and the light beam distribution means are arranged on the pivot shaft side in the through hole.   The information recording / reproducing head gimbal assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light source and the light beam distribution means are arranged at a central portion in a width direction of the rotating member. A head gimbal assembly for information recording / reproducing according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A magnetic recording medium rotating in a certain direction;
An actuator that supports the base end side of the rotating member and moves the rotating member in a direction parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium;
A rotation drive unit for rotating the magnetic recording medium in the fixed direction;
An information recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls operation of the slider and the light source.

Images