JP5592121B2 - Near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly and information recording / reproducing apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Description

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

  In recent years, an information recording / reproducing apparatus such as a hard disk drive in a computer device has been demanded to have a higher density in response to a need to record and reproduce a larger amount of high-density information. Therefore, in order to minimize the influence of adjacent magnetic domains and thermal fluctuation, it is considered to employ a recording medium having a strong coercive force. Therefore, it has been difficult to record information on the recording medium.

  Therefore, in order to eliminate the above-mentioned problems, a magnetically assisted magnetic recording system in which the magnetic domain is locally heated using near-field light to temporarily reduce the coercive force and during which writing to the recording medium is performed. An information recording / reproducing apparatus has been devised and developed.

  An information recording / reproducing apparatus using the heat-assisted magnetic recording system requires a near-field light element for generating near-field light and an optical system for driving the near-field light element. Various types of near-field light elements and optical systems have been devised.

  As a main component of the optical system, a semiconductor laser serving as a light source can be considered. For example, as shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a configuration in which this semiconductor laser is fixed to a slider having a head is known. In such a configuration, since the number of component parts constituting the optical system is reduced, light loss between the component parts is reduced, and therefore, laser light can be supplied to the near-field light element with relatively low loss. It is considered.

JP 2008-59645 A JP 2007-335027 A

  However, it is difficult to manufacture the head gimbal assembly according to the above-described prior art at a low cost. In Patent Document 1, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, two electrodes (p electrode and n electrode) for driving the semiconductor laser are arranged on one side of the semiconductor laser. Such a semiconductor laser is not a general configuration as described in Patent Document 1, but the manufacturing cost is higher than a general configuration in which two electrodes are respectively disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the semiconductor laser. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, two electric wirings respectively connected to the two electrodes of the semiconductor laser are provided on the slider. For this reason, a process of patterning electrical wiring on the slider is required, leading to an increase in manufacturing cost.

  In Patent Document 2, a semiconductor laser having a general configuration in which two electrodes are arranged on the upper and lower surfaces is used, but a member (unit substrate) for pulling out both electrodes to one side is used. Request additional costs.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its object is to propose a configuration that can easily realize electrical connection while using a semiconductor laser having a general electrode configuration, thereby reducing the A near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly and an information recording / reproducing apparatus that can be manufactured at low cost.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
A near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention faces a flexure that forms part of a suspension that extends along the surface of a recording medium, a light source provided on the flexure, and the surface of the recording medium. A slider that generates a near field using a light beam, a first electrode that is provided on a surface that contacts the flexure of the light source, a second electrode that is provided on a surface that contacts the slider of the light source, and a first electrode A flexure side conductive film provided on the flexure side in contact with the other electrode, and a slider side conductive film provided on one surface of the slider in contact with the second electrode, the flexure side conductive film and the slider side The conductive film is characterized by being connected to a control power source. A base film provided on the flexure and a plurality of electric wires connected to the control power source and provided on the base film, and the light source is electrically connected to the electric wires via the electric wires. It is characterized by being.

  In the near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, since the light source has the first electrode and the second electrode on both sides thereof, the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced compared to a light source in which both electrodes are arranged on one side. The head gimbal assembly using this light source can be manufactured at low cost. That is, the light source is electrically connected between the flexure and the slider only by providing the light source between the flexure side conductive film and the slider side conductive film so as to sandwich the first electrode and the second electrode of the light source. Therefore, a head gimbal assembly using a light source can be manufactured at a low cost.

  The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention is characterized in that the conductive film is provided on the entire surface of one surface of the slider.

  In the near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the conductive film may be a simple film and does not require patterning. Therefore, the head gimbal assembly can be manufactured at a low cost.

  The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention is characterized in that the electrical wiring and the first electrode are electrically connected via a flexure.

  In the near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the electrical wiring and the first electrode are electrically connected via the flexure, so that it is not necessary to prepare a separate wiring or electrode. Therefore, the head gimbal assembly can be manufactured at a low cost.

  The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention is characterized in that the light source is a semiconductor laser.

  In the near-field-light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, since an inexpensive light source can be used, the hedge gimbal assembly can be manufactured at a low cost.

  The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention is characterized in that the light source has an inclined reflection surface.

  In the near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the light source and the slider can be easily aligned, and as a result, the head gimbal assembly can be manufactured at low cost. The flexure side conductive film may constitute a part of the flexure.

  An information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention includes the near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to the present invention, the recording medium, and the control power source.

  Since the information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention includes the near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly of the present invention, it can be manufactured at low cost.

  According to the head gimbal assembly using near-field light according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a configuration capable of easily realizing electrical connection while using a general electrode configuration of a semiconductor laser, thereby enabling information recording and reproduction that can be manufactured at low cost. An apparatus can be provided.

It is a block diagram which shows the information recording / reproducing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the head gimbal assembly shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a pad portion 204a shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ′ of FIG. 3. It is an enlarged view near the pad part 204a which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the B-B 'line of FIG. It is an enlarged view near pad part 204a concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the C-C 'line of FIG.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. In addition, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an apparatus which writes with respect to the recording medium D which has a magnetic-recording layer with a heat-assisted magnetic recording system.

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

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

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

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

  Flexible wiring 13 is provided on the flexure 204. The flexure 204 has a substantially U-shaped opening, and the slider 2 is fixed by sandwiching a laser 303 or the like (described later) on a pad portion 204a surrounded by the opening and having a tongue shape. Of the ends of the slider 2, the base side (carriage 11 side) of the suspension 3 is called an inflow end. The tip side of the opposite suspension 3 is called the outflow end of the slider 2. These are named based on the direction of the air flow by the recording medium D described above. The flexible wiring 13 extended from the base side of the suspension 3 branches into two from the middle, and is connected to the outflow end side of the slider 2 so as to go around the opening and both sides of the slider 2. In this embodiment, the flexure side conductive film constitutes a part of the pad portion 204a.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the pad portion 204a according to the first embodiment. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A 'of FIG. The flexible wiring 13 includes a base film 301 and six metal wirings 302 mounted thereon. The base film 301 is made of a resin such as polyimide. The metal wiring 302 is made of copper and has a surface plated with gold. The base film 301 insulates the metal wiring 302 and the flexure 204 from each other. Although not shown, a part of the metal wiring 302 is covered with a resin such as polyimide for protection. Four of the six metal wirings 302 are respectively connected to two recording elements (not shown) and two reproducing elements (not shown) provided on the slider 2. However, the number of metal wirings 302 is not limited to six and can be increased or decreased as necessary.

  In addition, a U-shaped laser guide 304 is disposed on the pad portion 204a. The laser guide 304 has the same material and the same thickness as the base film 301. Therefore, the laser guide 304 and the base film 301 can be formed simultaneously. The laser 303 is fitted in a U-shaped laser guide 304 in a plan view, and positioning is easy. Since the laser 303 is an edge emitting laser, laser light is emitted from the side surface. The laser guide 304 does not hinder the emission of laser light from the side surface of the laser 303. The thickness of the laser 303 is equal to that of the laser guide 304. The slider 2 is fixed so as to be placed on a part of the base film 301 and the laser 303 and the laser guide 304. Of the end surface of the base film 301, the surface facing the laser 303 is an oblique plane inclined by 45 degrees with respect to the optical axis direction of the light emitted from the laser 303, and a mirror is formed by coating the oblique plane with a metal film. A surface 301a is formed. Aluminum or gold is used for the metal of the coating. Therefore, the light emitted from the laser 303 installed so as to be sandwiched between the slider 2 and the pad portion 204a is bent by 90 degrees at the mirror surface 301a, and a near-field light element (not shown) provided inside the slider 2 is shown. ).

  The laser 303 has a cathode electrode 303 a on the surface in contact with the pad portion 204 a and an anode electrode 303 b on the surface in contact with the slider 2. The slider 2 has an electrode 2a (slider side conductive film) on the surface in contact with the anode electrode 303b. A part of the electrode 2 a has a protruding portion 2 b on the side surface of the slider 2. The protruding portion 2b and one of the six metal wirings 302, which are not connected to the magnetic pole and the reproducing element, are electrically connected by ball bonding with the balls 305. The remaining one of the six metal wirings 302b extends from the base film 301 and contacts the pad portion 204a. The cathode electrode 303a and the anode electrode 303b are made of a metal such as gold. The electrode 2a is also made of a conductive material. For example, when tin is used, the anode electrode 303b and gold-tin can be joined conveniently. The ball 305 is made of metal such as gold or solder. Therefore, the electric signal from the control unit 5 drives the laser 303 through the electric wiring 302a, the ball 305, the electrode 2a, and the anode electrode 303b, and through the electric wiring 302b, the pad unit 204a, and the cathode electrode 303a. Light from the laser 303 is introduced into the light guide unit 306 and becomes near-field light to heat a minute region of the disk D, thereby realizing heat-assisted magnetic recording.

  According to the present embodiment, since the laser 303 has the cathode electrode 303a and the anode electrode 303b on both sides, the manufacturing process can be reduced as compared with a laser in which both electrodes are arranged on one side, so that the laser 303 can be manufactured at a low cost. As a result, the head gimbal assembly 12 and the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 using the laser 303 can be manufactured at low cost. In other words, the laser 303 is provided between the pad portion 204a and the electrode 2a of the slider 2 so as to sandwich the cathode electrode 303a and the anode electrode 303b of the laser 303, and the electrical power of the laser 303 is around the flexure 204 and the slider 2. Since the connection can be performed, the head gimbal assembly 12 and the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 using the laser 303 can be manufactured at low cost.

  Further, since the laser 303 has the cathode electrode 303a and the anode electrode 303b on both surfaces thereof, the electrode 2a on the surface of the slider 2 connected to them may be a simple film and does not require patterning. Therefore, the head gimbal assembly 12 and the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 can be manufactured at low cost.

  Further, since the cathode electrode 303a and the electrical wiring 302b are electrically connected via the pad portion 204a, it is not necessary to prepare a separate electrode. Therefore, the head gimbal assembly 12 and the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 can be manufactured at low cost.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the laser has an inclined surface, and thus it is not necessary to provide a reflecting surface on the side surface of the base film.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the pad portion 204a according to the second embodiment. 6 is a B-B ′ cross section of FIG. 5. The flexible wiring 13 includes a base film 501 and six metal wirings 502 mounted thereon. The base film 501 is made of a resin such as polyimide. The metal wiring 502 is made of copper and has a surface plated with gold. The base film 501 insulates the metal wiring 502 and the flexure 204 from each other. Although not shown, a part of the metal wiring 502 is covered with a resin such as polyimide for protection. Four of the six metal wirings 502 are connected to two recording elements (not shown) and two reproducing elements (not shown) provided on the slider 2, respectively.

  A laser 503 is disposed on the pad portion 204a. The thickness of the laser 503 is equal to that of the base film 501. The slider 2 is fixed so as to be placed on a part of the base film 501 and the laser 503. One side surface of the laser 503 has an inclined surface 503c. The light is bent inside the laser 503 due to the inclined surface 503c, the light from the laser 503 is emitted in the direction of the slider 2, and the light guide unit 306 having a near-field light element (not shown) provided inside the slider 2. To be introduced.

  The laser 503 has a cathode electrode 503 a on the surface in contact with the pad portion 204 a and an anode electrode 503 b on the surface in contact with the slider 2. The slider 2 has an electrode 2a on the surface in contact with the anode electrode 503b. A part of the electrode 2 a has a protruding portion 2 b on the side surface of the slider 2. The protrusion 2b and one of the six metal wirings 502 that are not connected to the magnetic pole and the reproducing element 502a are electrically connected by ball bonding with a ball 305. The remaining one of the six metal wirings 502b extends from the base film 501 and is in contact with the pad portion 204a. The cathode electrode 503a and the anode electrode 503b are made of metal such as gold. The electrode 2a is also made of a conductive material. For example, when tin is used, the anode electrode 503b can be bonded to the gold tin, which is convenient. Therefore, the electric signal from the control unit 5 drives the laser 503 through the electric wiring 502a, the ball 305, the electrode 2a, and the anode electrode 503b, and through the electric wiring 502b, the pad unit 204a, and the cathode electrode 503a. Light from the laser 503 is introduced into the light guide unit 306 and becomes near-field light to heat a minute region of the disk D, thereby realizing heat-assisted magnetic recording.

  According to the present embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be realized. In addition, since the laser 503 has the inclined surface 503c, the laser 503 and the light guide unit 306 can be easily aligned, and as a result, the head gimbal assembly 12 and the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 can be manufactured at low cost. Can do.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The same portions as those in the first embodiment and the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. This embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that the laser is provided on the base film and the electric wiring on the base film.

  FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the pad portion 204a according to the third embodiment. FIG. 8 is a C-C ′ cross section of FIG. 7. The flexible wiring 13 includes a base film 701 and six metal wirings 702 mounted thereon. The base film 701 is made of a resin such as polyimide. The metal wiring 702 is made of copper and has a surface plated with gold. The base film 701 insulates the metal wiring 702 and the flexure 204 from each other. Although not shown, a part of the metal wiring 702 is covered with a resin such as polyimide for protection. Four of the six metal wires 702 are connected to two recording elements (not shown) and two reproducing elements (not shown) provided on the slider 2, respectively.

  The base film 701 has an extended portion 701a that is substantially the same size as the planar size of the slider 2 and extends to the pad portion 204a. Of the six metal wires 702, one electric wire 702b that is not connected to the magnetic pole and the reproducing element extends to the extending portion 701a, and the tip of the electric wire 702b is an electrode having the same size as the planar size of the slider 2. It has become. A laser 503 is disposed on the electric wiring 702b placed on the extending portion 701a. The slider 2 is fixed so as to be placed on the laser 503. Light from the laser 503 is emitted in the direction of the slider 2 and introduced into a light guide unit 306 having a near-field light element (not shown) provided inside the slider 2. The flexure side conductive film forms part of the electrical wiring 702b.

  The protruding portion 2b of the electrode 2a and the remaining one electric wiring 702a not connected to the magnetic pole and the reproducing element among the six metal wirings 502 are electrically connected by wire bonding using a wire 703. Therefore, the electric signal from the control unit 5 drives the laser 503 through the electric wiring 702a, the wire 703, the electrode 2a, and the anode electrode 503b, and through the electric wiring 702b and the cathode electrode 503a. Light from the laser 503 is introduced into the light guide unit 306 and becomes near-field light to heat a minute region of the disk D, thereby realizing heat-assisted magnetic recording.

  According to the present embodiment, the same effect as that of the second embodiment can be realized. Further, since the cathode electrode 503a of the laser 503 and the electric wiring 702b can be directly electrically connected, the laser 503 can be operated efficiently.

  It should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes those in which various modifications are made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In other words, the configuration described in the above-described embodiment is merely an example, and can be changed as appropriate. Moreover, it is also possible to employ | adopt combining each embodiment mentioned above suitably.

D recording medium 1 information recording / reproducing apparatus 2 slider 2a electrode 3 suspension 11 carriage 12 head gimbal assembly 13 flexible wiring 204 flexure 204a pad portion 301a mirror surface 302 electric wiring 303 laser 303a cathode electrode 303b anode electrode 306 light guide portion 503 laser

Claims (7)

A flexure that forms part of a suspension that extends along the surface of the recording medium;
A light source as a semiconductor laser provided on the flexure;
A slider that is fixed so as to face the surface of the recording medium and generates near-field light using a light beam;
A first electrode provided on a surface of the light source in contact with the flexure;
A second electrode provided on a surface of the light source in contact with the slider;
A flexure-side conductive film provided on one surface of the flexure in contact with the first electrode;
A slider-side conductive film provided on one surface of the slider in contact with the second electrode;
The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly, wherein the flexure side conductive film and the slider side conductive film are connected to a control power source. A base film provided on the flexure;
A plurality of electrical wirings connected to the control power source and provided on the base film;
The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the light source is electrically connected to the control power source via the electrical wiring.   The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the conductive film is provided on the entire surface of one surface of the slider.   4. The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the electrical wiring and the first electrode are electrically connected via the flexure. 5.   5. The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the light source has an inclined reflecting surface.   2. The near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to claim 1, wherein the flexure-side conductive film constitutes a part of the flexure.   An information recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: the near-field light utilizing head gimbal assembly according to claim 1; the recording medium; and the control power source.

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