JP5692797B2 - Near-field optical element, recording head, information recording / reproducing apparatus, manufacturing method of near-field optical element, and manufacturing method of recording head - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a near-field optical element that performs mutual conversion between near-field light and propagating light, a recording head and an information recording / reproducing apparatus including the same, a manufacturing method of the near-field optical element, and a manufacturing method of the recording head. is there.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, magnetic recording media such as hard disks (hereinafter referred to as disks) in computer equipment have been demanded to have higher density in response to the need to record and reproduce larger amounts of high-density information. For this reason, in order to minimize the influence of adjacent magnetic domains and thermal fluctuation, a disk having a strong coercive force has begun to be adopted. For this reason, it is becoming difficult to record information on the disc.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the magnetic domain is locally heated by using spot light or near-field light that collects light to temporarily reduce the coercive force, and during that time writing to the disk is performed. An information recording / reproducing apparatus using a hybrid magnetic recording method is provided.
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 that of a conventional optical information recording / reproducing apparatus.

  Various types of recording heads based on the hybrid magnetic recording system are provided. One of them is a head that performs heating using near-field light (see Patent Document 1). The recording head described in Patent Document 1 has a near-field light generating element that has a minute aperture having a size equal to or smaller than the wavelength of incident light and generates near-field light by irradiating the minute aperture with incident light. I have.

The near-field light generating element is a frustum-shaped element formed on a slider facing surface (a surface facing the disk surface), and has a bottom surface in contact with the facing surface and a predetermined angle with respect to the bottom surface. It has an inclined end face (top face) and a side face connecting the bottom face and the end face. In particular, since the end surface is inclined with respect to the bottom surface, a part of the contour that defines the end surface is the maximum distance contour portion that is farthest from the bottom surface. Therefore, the maximum distance contour portion is the portion closest to the disc.
Therefore, it is possible to locally heat the disk mainly using near-field light generated in the vicinity of the maximum distance contour portion, and it is possible to intensively heat only the minimum necessary minute area. ing.

  The near-field light generating element is one of near-field light elements that perform mutual conversion between near-field light and propagating light, and converts incident light (propagating light) into near-field light. On the other hand, a near-field light element that detects near-field light is also known. For example, as a probe used in SNOM (scanning near-field light microscope), a probe that receives light at a tapered tip and detects near-field light is known (see Patent Document 2).

International Publication No. 2009/044842 Pamphlet JP-A-10-170523

By the way, the near-field light generating element described in Patent Document 1 is formed on the facing surface of the slider that floats on the disk, so that it is affected by friction with the air flow generated on the disk, collision with the disk, and the like. Due to the load. In particular, it is considered that the maximum distance contour portion on the end face is easily affected by the influence, and problems such as wear and damage are likely to occur. For this reason, it is difficult to stably heat the disk, and there is a possibility that the life of the recording head may be shortened.
Further, Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which a part of the end surface is a parallel surface parallel to the bottom surface (parallel to the disc). In this case, the parallel surface covers the entire surface. There is a risk of wear and the like, which also causes the same problem as described above.

Furthermore, the near-field light generating element described in Patent Document 1 is provided on the opposing surface of the slider that floats on the disk, and the shape thereof is a frustum shape. Since it is necessary to form a certain end face with a size equal to or smaller than the wavelength of light, it is considered difficult to manufacture.
The near-field light generating element can be integrally manufactured together with the slider while utilizing semiconductor manufacturing technology such as photolithography technology, but in order to make the end face with high accuracy, for example, high accuracy of a photomask Since it is necessary to perform precise alignment and precise control of etching, it takes time and is difficult to manufacture. In particular, since it is necessary to incline the end face or to make a part of the end face parallel, the manufacturing difficulty is remarkable.
Therefore, it is desired to improve the manufacturing efficiency by manufacturing the near-field light generating element by a method as simple as possible.

Further, in the case of the probe described in Patent Document 2, when the sample is scanned, the tip end portion is easily worn, and there is a possibility that the life of the probe may be shortened.
Furthermore, although it is known that it can be manufactured using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) technology, there is a problem that the number of processes is large and it is difficult to manufacture, and improvement of manufacturing efficiency is also desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the purpose thereof is near-field light that is unlikely to be worn or damaged, and that can stably perform mutual conversion between propagating light and near-field light. It is an object to provide an element, a recording head and an information recording / reproducing apparatus including the element, a method for manufacturing a near-field light element, and a method for manufacturing a recording head.

The present invention provides the following means in order to solve the above problems.
(1) A near-field light element according to the present invention is a near-field light element that performs mutual conversion between near-field light and propagation light, a propagation part that propagates the propagation light inside, and a coating film on the propagation part A distal end surface that is perpendicular to the optical axis direction of the propagating light and a distal end surface that is perpendicular to the optical axis direction of the propagating light, and the mutual conversion is performed. An opening surface to be formed, and the film body is coated over the entire tip surface, and the opening surface has a common outline with the tip surface and is relative to the optical axis of the propagating light. It is characterized by being inclined.

According to the near-field light element according to the present invention, the tip surface and the opening surface are formed at the tip of the propagation part facing the object such as the magnetic recording medium or the sample, and thus the gap is generated between the object. Friction, impact, etc. are easily absorbed by the tip surface over the opening surface. Therefore, the opening surface itself is not easily worn or damaged. On the other hand, since the tip surface is protected by the film body, the tip surface is also less likely to be worn or damaged. Therefore, durability can be improved and the life can be extended.
In addition, as described above, since the opening surface is unlikely to be worn or damaged, mutual exchange between near-field light and propagating light (for example, a state where propagating light is converted into near-field light and localized from the opening surface) Or the near-field light generated on the object side can be detected from the aperture surface and converted to propagating light).

(2) In the near-field light element according to the present invention, the film body may be a metal film that blocks the propagation light.

  In this case, since the film body not only protects the front end surface of the propagation part but also blocks the propagation light, it is possible to prevent the propagation light from leaking out from the front end surface as leakage light. Therefore, mutual exchange between near-field light and propagating light can be performed with little loss.

(3) In the near-field light element according to the present invention, the film body may be a metal film that excites surface plasmon by the propagation light and converts the energy into the near-field light.

  In this case, the propagating light can be converted into near-field light and generated from the opening surface to the object side. In particular, surface plasmons are excited on the surface of the film body, which is a metal film, by the incidence of propagating light. The surface plasmon energy is converted into near-field light. It can be localized as high-energy near-field light with increased intensity near the aperture, particularly in the vicinity of the contour line.

(4) In the near-field light element according to the present invention described above, the film body is not only the tip surface but also the remaining portion excluding the incident portion where the propagation light is incident and the opening surface of the propagation portion. It may be coated.

  In this case, the propagation efficiency can be increased by effectively suppressing the leakage of the propagation light, and the energy of the propagation light can be spent on the generation of the near-field light without waste.

(5) In the near-field light element according to the present invention, at least a part of the propagation part may gradually become smaller in cross-sectional area parallel to the tip surface toward the tip part.

  In this case, for example, when propagating the propagating light toward the tip, the propagating light can be propagated while being condensed. Therefore, when the propagation light is converted and generated as near-field light from the aperture surface, the generation efficiency of the near-field light is easily increased.

(6) In the recording head according to the present invention, the object is a magnetic recording medium, and the near-field light element according to the present invention and the surface of the magnetic recording medium rotating in a certain direction are arranged on the surface of the magnetic recording medium. A slider disposed oppositely with the outflow end face facing downstream in the rotation direction, and disposed on the outflow end face side of the slider, has a main magnetic pole and an auxiliary magnetic pole, and generates a recording magnetic field between the two magnetic poles. And a recording element, wherein the near-field light element is disposed on the outflow end face side of the slider and generates the near-field light from the opening surface.

  According to the recording head of the present invention, the propagating light can be generated as the near-field light from the opening surface of the propagating portion in a localized state, so that the localized near-field light and the recording element can be generated. Various information can be written on the magnetic recording medium by cooperating with the recording magnetic field generated in the above. In particular, it is easy to localize near-field light strongly in the vicinity of the contour line closest to the magnetic recording medium, so that a desired portion of the magnetic recording medium can be heated locally and stably. It is. Therefore, recording can be performed with high density and high reliability.

  Also, the front end surface formed in the propagation part is used to absorb the friction with the air flow generated by the rotation of the magnetic recording medium and the impact caused by the contact with the magnetic recording medium in preference to the opening surface. be able to. Accordingly, near-field light can be stably localized near the aperture surface, particularly in the vicinity of the contour line, and stable heating performance can be ensured, and the life of the recording head can be extended.

(7) In the recording head according to the present invention, the leading end surface and the opening surface are disposed along a moving direction of the magnetic recording medium, and the leading end surface is reading in the moving direction with respect to the opening surface. It may be arranged on the side.

  In this case, since the tip surface is disposed on the leading side (upstream side) of the magnetic recording medium that rotates and moves relative to the opening surface, particularly the friction due to contact with the air flow is effectively absorbed by the tip surface. It is easy to affect the opening surface.

(8) An information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention is movable in a direction parallel to the recording head according to the present invention and the surface of the magnetic recording medium, and is parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium and orthogonal to each other. A suspension that supports the recording head while being rotatable about two axes, a light source that causes the propagation light to enter the propagation portion, a pivot shaft that is disposed outside the magnetic recording medium, and the pivot shaft And a carriage having an arm portion for supporting the suspension.

  According to the information recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, since the recording head is provided, it is possible to provide a high-quality apparatus with high writing reliability and high density recording.

(9) The near-field light element manufacturing method according to the present invention is the above-described near-field light element manufacturing method according to the present invention, wherein the propagation part forming step for forming the propagation part, and the film body on the tip surface And a cutting step of cutting a part of the propagation part including the tip surface to form the opening surface.

According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, first, after the propagation part is formed without forming the opening surface, the film body is coated on the tip surface. Thereafter, a part of the propagation portion including the tip surface is cut (for example, cutting by cutting using dicing or cutting by polishing) to form an opening surface. Thereby, the near-field light element which has the front-end | tip part in which the front-end | tip surface coat | covered with the film body and the opening surface were formed can be manufactured.
In particular, since it is not necessary to form an opening surface at the stage of forming the propagation part, it is possible to form the propagation part using a normal semiconductor manufacturing technique or the like without using a special technique. And since an opening surface is formed by various cutting processes, such as cutting and grinding | polishing after that, it is not necessary to pass through complicated operation processes, such as controlling etching correctly, for example. Therefore, it can be manufactured easily and it is easy to improve the manufacturing efficiency and reduce the cost.

(10) A recording head manufacturing method according to the present invention is the above-described recording head manufacturing method according to the present invention, and includes a plurality of recording elements with respect to the slider wafer whose laminated surface is the outflow end surface. A stacking process for stacking a recording element layer and a near-field light element layer having a plurality of propagation portions and manufacturing a wafer body in which the recording element layer is integrated, and separating the wafer body into a plurality of the recording heads Singulation step, and the laminating step includes a first laminating step of laminating the recording element layers in a state where a plurality of the recording elements are arranged in a predetermined arrangement, and the recording element corresponding to the recording element A second laminating step of laminating the near-field light element layer in a state where a plurality of the propagation portions are arranged in a predetermined arrangement, and the second laminating step is configured such that the tip surface is parallel to the laminating direction. Propagation part that forms a plurality of the propagation parts A film forming step for coating the film body on the tip surface, and in the individualization step, the wafer body is singulated with the tip surface exposed, and the tip A cutting process is performed in which a part of the propagation part including a surface is cut to form the opening surface.

According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, a recording element layer and a near-field light element layer are first laminated on a slider wafer that is to become a slider later, and a wafer body is manufactured. By dividing and dividing into pieces, a plurality of recording heads can be manufactured at a time.
In particular, when performing the second lamination process in the lamination process, a plurality of propagation portions are arranged in the same predetermined arrangement corresponding to the plurality of recording elements arranged in the predetermined arrangement in the first lamination process. There is no need to form an opening in the part. That is, after forming the propagation part on the side so that the tip surface is parallel to the stacking direction, a step of coating the film body on the tip surface is performed.
Accordingly, since it is not necessary to consider the opening surface during the stacking process, the stacking process can be easily performed using a semiconductor manufacturing technique such as a normal photolithography technique without using a special technique.

  And the operation | work which forms an opening surface is performed simultaneously in the step which separates a wafer body into pieces. That is, the wafer body is separated into pieces so as to expose the tip surface, and a part of the propagation part including the tip surface is cut (for example, cutting by cutting using dicing or cutting by polishing). Thus, an opening surface is formed. As a result, it is possible to manufacture a recording head including a propagation part in which a front end surface and an opening surface coated with a film body are formed.

  As described above, since the opening surface is formed at the stage of dividing the wafer body into pieces, there is no need to use a complicated photolithography technique or the like such as controlling etching accurately as in the prior art. Therefore, the recording head can be easily manufactured, and it is easy to improve the manufacturing efficiency and reduce the cost.

  According to the present invention, wear, damage, and the like are unlikely to occur, the mutual conversion between propagating light and near-field light can be stably performed, and manufacturing is easy, improving manufacturing efficiency and reducing costs. It is easy to plan.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a perspective view of the head gimbal assembly shown in FIG. It is a top view of the gimbal shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the AA line shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view around the recording head shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a perspective view further enlarging the outflow end face side of the recording head shown in FIG. 5. It is sectional drawing along the AA line shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the positional relationship of the near-field light generating element shown in FIG. 6, and a main pole. It is a top view of the terminal board shown in FIG. It is process drawing which shows the flow at the time of manufacturing the recording head shown in FIG. It is a top view of the wafer for sliders in the state shown in Drawing 10 (c). It is a figure which shows the state which cut | disconnected some propagation parts shown in FIG. 11, and has formed the opening surface. It is a figure which shows the modification of a recording head, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the state by which the metal film is coat | covered also in the part except the incident part and opening surface of a propagation part. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modification of the recording head, and is a diagram showing a state in which the main magnetic pole is inclined with respect to the propagation part, and the tip surface of the main magnetic pole is arranged in parallel to the opening surface of the propagation part. It is a figure which shows the modification of a recording head, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the relationship between the propagation part in which the opening surface is largely formed, and the main pole. It is a figure which shows the modification at the time of forming the opening surface of a propagation part. It is a figure which shows the modification of the manufacturing method of a recording head, Comprising: It is a top view of the wafer for sliders. It is a figure which shows the state which cut | disconnected a part of propagation part shown in FIG. 17, and has formed the opening surface. It is a figure which shows another modification of the manufacturing method of a recording head, Comprising: It is a top view of the wafer for sliders. It is a figure which shows the state which cut | disconnected some propagation parts shown in FIG. 19, and has formed the opening surface. It is a figure which shows the modification of the positional relationship of a propagation part and a main pole. It is a figure which shows another modification of the positional relationship of a propagation part and a main pole. It is a figure which shows the modification of a propagation part, Comprising: It is a perspective view of the propagation part formed in the cross-sectional view trapezoid shape. It is a figure which shows the modification of a propagation part, Comprising: It is a perspective view of the propagation part formed in the column shape. It is a figure which shows the modification of a propagation part, Comprising: It is a perspective view of the propagation part formed in the taper shape gradually toward the front-end | tip flat surface over the full length. It is a figure which shows the modification of a propagation | transmission part, Comprising: It is a perspective view of the propagation | transmission part in which the part of the other end side was formed in the taper shape gradually toward the front end flat surface.

  Embodiments of an information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the information recording / reproducing apparatus of the present embodiment will be described as an apparatus that performs writing on a disk (target object, magnetic recording medium) having a perpendicular recording layer by a perpendicular recording method.

(Information recording / reproducing device)
As shown in FIG. 1, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment supplies a carriage 11 and a light beam (propagating light) L (see FIG. 7) from the base end side of the carriage 11 via a photoelectric composite wiring 33. Laser light source 20, a head gimbal assembly (HGA) 12 supported on the front end side of the carriage 11, and an actuator that scans and moves the head gimbal assembly 12 in the XY directions parallel to the disk surface D1 (the surface of the disk D). 6, a spindle motor 7 that rotates the disk D in a predetermined direction, a control unit 5 that supplies a current modulated according to information to the recording head 2 of the head gimbal assembly 12, and each of these components. And a housing 9 accommodated therein.

The housing 9 has a box-like shape having a top opening made of a metal material such as aluminum, and has a rectangular bottom portion 9a as viewed from above, and a peripheral wall erected in the vertical direction 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 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.

  A lid (not shown) is detachably fixed to the housing 9 so as to close the upper 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 a center hole into the spindle motor 7.

The actuator 6 described above is attached to one corner of the bottom 9a outside the disk D. A carriage 11 that can rotate in a horizontal plane (XY direction) about a pivot shaft 10 is attached to the actuator 6.
The carriage 11 includes an arm portion 14 extending from the base end portion toward the tip portion (in the direction of the disk D), and a base portion 15 that supports the arm portion 14 in a cantilever manner via the base end portion. However, they are integrally formed by machining or the like.
The base portion 15 is formed in a substantially 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 configured to be alternately arranged, and the arm portion 14 can be moved in a direction (XY direction) parallel to the disk surface D1 by driving the actuator 6.
The carriage 11 and the head gimbal assembly 12 can be retracted from the disk D by driving the actuator 6 when the rotation of the disk D is stopped.

The head gimbal assembly 12 guides the light beam L from the laser light source 20 to the recording head 2 to be described later to generate near-field light S (see FIG. 7), and uses the near-field light S to send various information to the disk D. It is to be recorded and reproduced.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the head gimbal assembly 12 of this embodiment has a function of floating the recording head 2 from the disk D. The recording head 2 and the metal material are thin plate-like. The suspension 3 is movable in the XY directions parallel to the disk surface D1, and the recording head 2 is rotatable 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 is provided for fixing to the lower surface of the suspension 3 so as to be twisted about the two axes.

The recording head 2 is supported between a disc D and the suspension 3 with a gimbal 17 (described later) sandwiched between the lower surface of the suspension 3.
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the recording head 2 is disposed so as to face the disk D in a state where it floats a predetermined distance from the disk surface D1, and has a slider 60 having a flying surface 2a facing the disk surface D1, and a slider. 60, a near-field light generating element (near-field light element) 40, a recording element 41, and a reproducing element 42 are provided on the outflow end face (tip face) 60a side.

  The slider 60 is disposed to face the disk D so that the outflow end surface 60a is located on the downstream side (trailing side) in the rotation direction of the disk D when the disk D is viewed from the slider 60. The surface facing the outflow end surface 60a functions as an inflow end surface located on the upstream side (leading side) in the rotation direction of the disk D. Therefore, when the disk D rotates, the air generated by the rotating disk D flows along the air bearing surface 2a from the inflow end face side and then flows so as to escape from the outflow end face 60a side.

  The recording head 2 floats on the disk D with the outflow end surface 60a side of the slider 60 closest to the disk surface D1. Therefore, by arranging the above components on the outflow end surface 60a side of the slider 60, these components can be brought as close to the disk surface D1 as possible, and the coercive force of the disk D can be efficiently reduced to the disk D. Is easy to write.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the near-field light generating element 40 is fixed to the outflow end surface 60a of the slider 60, and the recording element 41 and the reproducing element 42 are incorporated in a clad 51 described later of the near-field light generating element 40. It is arranged in the state. Specifically, the recording element 41 and the reproducing element 42 are incorporated in the clad 51 so as to be positioned between the outflow end surface 60 a of the slider 60 and a propagation part 50 described later of the near-field light generating element 40. At this time, the reproducing element 42 is fixed to the outflow end surface 60 a of the slider 60, and the recording element 41 is fixed so as to be arranged adjacent to the reproducing element 42.

  The slider 60 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape from a light transmissive material such as quartz glass, a ceramic such as AlTiC (altic), or the like. The slider 60 is supported so as to hang from the tip of the suspension 3 (see FIG. 3) via the gimbal 17 (see FIG. 3) with the air bearing surface 2a facing the disk D side.

  The reproducing element 42 is a magnetoresistive film whose electric resistance is converted according to the magnitude of the magnetic field leaking from the disk D. A bias current is supplied to the reproducing element 42 from the control unit 5 (see FIG. 1) via an electric wiring 31 described later. As a result, the control unit 5 can detect a change in the magnetic field leaking from the disk D as a change in voltage, and can reproduce a signal from the change in voltage.

  The recording element 41 is connected to the auxiliary magnetic pole 45 located on the outflow end surface 60 a side of the slider 60 and the auxiliary magnetic pole 45 via the magnetic circuit 46, and a recording magnetic field perpendicular to the disk D is transmitted between the auxiliary magnetic pole 45. A main magnetic pole 47 to be generated and a coil 48 wound around the magnetic circuit 46 in a spiral shape around the magnetic circuit 46 are provided.

Both the magnetic poles 45 and 47 and the magnetic circuit 46 are formed of a high saturation magnetic flux density (Bs) material (for example, CoNiFe alloy, CoFe alloy, etc.) having a high magnetic flux density. Further, the coil 48 is arranged so that there is a gap between adjacent coil wires, between the magnetic circuit 46 and between the magnetic poles 45 and 47 so as not to be short-circuited. Molded. That is, the magnetic poles 45 and 47, the magnetic circuit 46 and the coil 48 are supported by the insulating layer 49. The coil 48 is supplied with a current modulated in accordance with information from the controller 5.
The main magnetic pole 47 and the auxiliary magnetic pole 45 are designed so that the end surfaces facing the disk D are flush with the flying surface of the slider 60.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the near-field light generating element 40 includes a propagation unit 50 for propagating a light beam L incident from an optical waveguide 32 (described later) toward the disk D, and the propagation unit 50 inside. It is a substantially plate-like element composed of the clad 51 to be confined, and is fixed to the outflow end surface 60a of the slider 60 as described above.
In this embodiment, the propagation part 50 is formed in a quadrangular prism shape extending in the Z direction perpendicular to the disk surface D1 along the outflow end surface 60a of the slider 60, and one end side faces upward of the slider 60 and the other end side (tip) (Side) is adjacent to the vicinity of the main magnetic pole 47 in a state facing the disk D. The end surface on the other end side of the propagation unit 50 is a flat front end surface (front end surface) 50a that is perpendicular to the optical axis O (see FIG. 7) of the light beam L propagating through the interior and faces the disk surface D1 in parallel. It is flush with the flying surface 2a of the slider 60. The propagation unit 50 propagates the light beam L incident inside from one end side toward the flat tip surface 50a.

  In addition, the propagation part 50 is formed with an opening surface 50b that is connected to the flat tip surface 50a and converts the propagated light beam L into near-field light S and generates the near-field light S outside. Yes. As shown in FIG. 8, the opening surface 50b is formed at a corner portion on the other end side of the propagation portion 50, has a common contour line M with the tip flat surface 50a, and has an angle θ1 formed with the tip flat surface 50a. It inclines with respect to the front end flat surface 50a so that it may become an obtuse angle. That is, the opening surface 50b is inclined with respect to the optical axis O of the light beam L. The opening surface 50b is a minute opening having an area smaller than the area of the flat tip surface 50a and having a size equal to or smaller than the wavelength of the light beam L. In the illustrated example, the opening surface 50b has a triangular shape in plan view.

  As a more specific position of the opening surface 50b, the leading end flat surface 50a and the opening surface 50b are arranged along the moving direction N of the disk D, and the leading end flat surface 50a is more leading than the opening surface 50b in the moving direction N. It arrange | positions so that it may be located in.

Incidentally, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the tip flat surface 50a of the propagation part 50 is coated with a metal film (film body) 52 such as an aluminum film over the entire surface. The metal film 52 functions as a protective film that protects the tip flat surface 50a, and also functions as a light-shielding film that shields the light beam L that has propagated through the propagation part 50.
FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship between the propagation part 50 and the main magnetic pole 47, and the sizes of both are not shown accurately. The same applies to FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 20, and FIG.

  Note that the propagation unit 50 of the present embodiment is made of a material having a refractive index higher than that of the clad 51 and is a core that guides the light beam L under total reflection conditions due to a difference in refractive index from the clad 51. The clad 51 is in close contact with the propagation part 50, which is the core, to confine the propagation part 50 inside.

Further, to describe an example of a combination of materials used as the cladding 51 and the core, for example, a combination in which the core is formed of quartz (SiO ₂ ) and the cladding 51 is formed of quartz doped with fluorine can be considered. In this case, when the wavelength of the light beam L is 400 nm, the refractive index of the core is 1.47, and the refractive index of the cladding 51 is less than 1.47, which is a preferable combination. A combination in which the core is formed of quartz doped with germanium and the clad 51 is formed of quartz (SiO ₂ ) is also conceivable. In this case, when the wavelength of the light beam L is 400 nm, the refractive index of the core is larger than 1.47 and the refractive index of the clad 51 is 1.47, which is also a preferable combination.

In particular, as the refractive index difference between the core and the clad 51 increases, the force confining the light beam L in the core increases, so that the tantalum oxide (Ta ₂ O ₅ : the refractive index is 2.16 when the wavelength is 550 nm). It is more preferable that the refractive index difference between the two is increased by using quartz or the like for the cladding 51. In addition, when the luminous flux L in the infrared region is used, it is also effective to form the core with silicon (Si: refractive index is about 4) which is a material transparent to infrared light.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the lower surface of the slider 60 is the floating surface 2a facing the disk surface D1 as described above, and the pressure for rising from the viscosity of the air flow generated by the rotating disk D It is a surface that generates the air and is called ABS (Air Bearing Surface). Specifically, the slider 60 is designed to float in an optimum state by adjusting the positive pressure for separating the slider 60 from the disk surface D1 and the negative pressure for attracting the slider 60 to the disk surface D1. Has been.
The slider 60 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 60 floats from the disk surface D1 due to the balance of both forces.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the suspension 3 includes a base plate 22 formed in a substantially square shape in a top view, and a load beam having a substantially triangular shape in a plan view connected to the distal end side of the base plate 22 via a hinge plate 23. 24.

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. And the base plate 22 is being fixed to the front-end | tip of the arm part 14 through this opening 22a.
On the lower surface of the base plate 22, the sheet-like hinge plate 23 made of a metal material such as stainless steel is disposed. The hinge plate 23 is a flat plate material formed over the entire lower surface of the base plate 22, and the tip portion thereof is an extension portion 23 a extending from the tip of the base plate 22 along the longitudinal direction of the base plate 22. Is formed. Two extending portions 23 a extend from both end portions in the width direction of the hinge plate 23, and the load beam 24 is connected to the tip portion.

The load beam 24 is formed 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 suspension 3 bends about between the base plate 22 and the load beam 24 and is easily bent in the Z direction perpendicular to the disk surface D1.

A flexure 25 is provided on the suspension 3.
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 into a sheet shape. The flexure 25 is fixed to the distal end side of the load beam 24, and has a gimbal 17 whose outer shape is formed in a substantially pentagonal shape when viewed from above and a width narrower than the gimbal 17. And a support 18 extending along the axis.

The gimbal 17 is formed so as to slightly warp in the thickness direction from the vicinity of the middle to the tip 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. A pad portion 17b supported in a 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.

  Thus, 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 above-described recording head 2 is placed and fixed on the pad portion 17b. That is, the recording head 2 is hung from the load beam 24 via the pad portion 17b.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pad portion 17 b and a protruding portion 19 that protrudes toward the approximate center of the recording head 2 are 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 recording head 2 floats to the load beam 24 side by the wind pressure received from the disk D.
That is, the protrusion 19 supports the recording head 2 via the pad portion 17b of the gimbal 17 and applies a load to the recording head 2 toward the disk surface D1 (in the Z direction). A contact point (support point) between the protrusion 19 and the pad portion 17 b is a load point of the recording head 2 by the protrusion 19.
The protrusions 19 and the gimbal 17 having the pad portions 17b constitute the gimbal means 16.

  The support 18 shown in FIG. 2 is in the form of a sheet integrally formed with the gimbal 17 and extends on the suspension 3 toward the arm portion 14. That is, the support 18 is configured to follow the deformation of the suspension 3 when the suspension 3 is deformed. Further, the support 18 is drawn from the arm portion 14 to the side surface until reaching the base portion 15 of the carriage 11.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, the terminal board 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 recording head 2 are electrically connected, and various control circuits (not shown) are formed on the surface thereof. Has been.
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 recording head 2 are connected by an electric wiring 31. Three sets of the electrical wirings 31 are provided corresponding to the recording heads 2 provided on each carriage 11, and signals output from the control unit 5 via the flat cable 4 are recorded via the electrical wirings 31. Output to the head 2.

  On the terminal substrate 30, the laser light source 20 that supplies the light beam L toward the propagation unit 50 of the recording head 2 is disposed. The laser light source 20 receives a signal output from the control unit 5 via the flat cable 4 and emits a light beam L based on this signal, and corresponds to the recording head 2 provided in each arm unit 14. Then, three are arranged along the height direction (Z direction) of the base 15. An optical waveguide 32 that guides the emitted light beam L to the recording head 2 is connected to the emission side of each laser light source 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the optical waveguide 32 and the electric wiring 31 are integrally formed between the laser light source 20 and the recording head 2 from the base end side to the tip end. The wiring 33 is configured.
The photoelectric composite wiring 33 is routed on the arm portion 14 from the surface of the terminal substrate 30 through the side surface of the arm portion 14. Specifically, the photoelectric composite wiring 33 is arranged on the support 18 of the flexure 25 on the arm portion 14 and the suspension 3, and reaches the tip of the suspension 3 with the support 18 sandwiched therebetween. Has been routed.

The photoelectric composite wiring 33 branches into an electrical wiring 31 and an optical waveguide 32 at the tip of the suspension 3, that is, at an intermediate position of the gimbal 17.
Specifically, the optical waveguide 32 extends along the longitudinal direction of the gimbal 17 from a branch point on the distal end side of the photoelectric composite wiring 33, and flows into the recording head 2 across the notch portion 26 of the gimbal 17. Connected directly to the end. The optical waveguide 32 is separated from the lower surface of the gimbal 17 at the branch point of the photoelectric composite wiring 33, and bridges between the pad portion 17 b and the gimbal 17 as it goes from the branch point toward the inflow end side of the recording head 2. It extends in a slightly floating state.
That is, on the lower surface of the gimbal 17, the optical waveguide 32 extends substantially linearly (the radius of curvature is approximately infinite), and the inflow end side of the recording head 2 from the center in the width direction (X direction) of the recording head 2. Has been routed to.

  On the other hand, at the branch point, the electric 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. The electric wiring 31 routed from the outside of the notch 26 passes through the connecting portion 17a and is connected to the outflow end surface 60a side of the recording head 2. That is, the electric wiring 31 is directly connected from the outside of the recording head 2 to the reproducing element 42 and the recording element 41 provided on the outflow end surface 60 a side of the slider 60.

The constituent material of the optical waveguide 32 can be the same material as that of the core (propagation part 50) and the clad 51 of the near-field light generating element 40 described above. Resin materials are preferably used.
For example, a combination in which the core 32a is formed with a thickness of 3 to 10 μm using PMMA (methyl methacrylate resin) and the clad 32b is formed with a thickness of several tens of μm using a fluorine-containing polymer is conceivable. Further, both the core 32a and the clad 32b 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. In this case, it is preferable to increase the difference in refractive index between the two by adjusting the blending of the resin materials constituting the core 32a and the clad 32b. For example, in the case of fluorinated polyimide, the refractive index can be controlled by adjusting the fluorine content or by irradiating energy such as radiated light. Thus, by using a resin material as the constituent material of the optical waveguide 32, the photoelectric composite wiring 33 can be manufactured by a semiconductor process.

  Incidentally, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the front end surface of the optical waveguide 32 is an obliquely cut mirror surface 35, and the light beam L introduced by the laser light source 20 is substantially oriented in the direction of the light beam L. Reflected to change 90 degrees. As a result, the light beam L reflected by the mirror surface 35 can be introduced into the propagation unit 50 constituting the near-field light generating element 40 of the recording head 2. The mirror surface 35 may be configured such that a reflecting plate made of aluminum or the like is formed in an area including at least the core 32a by vapor deposition or the like.

(Information recording and playback method)
Next, a procedure for recording and reproducing various types of information on the disc D by the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.

  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 recording head 2 can be positioned at a desired position on the disk D as shown in FIG.

At this time, the recording head 2 is supported by the suspension 3 and pressed against the disk D side with a predetermined force. At the same time, the recording head 2 receives the force of flying by using the flying surface 2a under the influence of the wind pressure generated by the rotating disk D. Due to the balance of both forces, the recording head 2 floats away from the disk D.
Moreover, since the recording head 2 receives the wind pressure and is pushed toward the suspension 3, the pad portion 17 b of the gimbal 17 that fixes the recording head 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 recording head 2 floats as described above.

Here, when recording information, the control unit 5 operates the laser light source 20 and supplies a current modulated according to the information to the coil 48 to operate the recording element 41.
When the laser light source 20 is activated, the light beam L is incident on the optical waveguide 32. Then, the light beam L travels in the core 32a of the optical waveguide 32 toward the front end side, and then is reflected by the mirror surface 35 and enters the propagation part 50 of the near-field light generating element 40 as shown in FIG. be introduced. The light beam L introduced into the propagation part 50 reliably propagates through the propagation part 50 while being repeatedly reflected from, for example, the interface with the clad 51 toward the tip flat surface 50a located on the disk D side.

  Here, since the opening 50b is formed in the propagation portion 50 so as to be continuous with the tip flat surface 50a, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the light flux L that has propagated to the tip flat surface 50a is opened. 50b can be generated as a near-field light S localized outside. As a result, the disk D is locally heated by the near-field light S, and the coercive force temporarily decreases.

  On the other hand, when a current is supplied to the coil 48 by the control unit 5, a current magnetic field is generated in the magnetic circuit 46 by the principle of an electromagnet, so that the disk D is interposed between the main magnetic pole 47 and the auxiliary magnetic pole 45. A perpendicular recording magnetic field can be generated.

  As a result, information is recorded by a hybrid magnetic recording method in which the near-field light S generated in a state localized on the opening surface 50b of the propagation unit 50 and the recording magnetic field generated by the recording element 41 cooperate. It can be carried out. In addition, since the recording is performed by the vertical recording method, it is difficult to be affected by the thermal fluctuation phenomenon and the like, and stable recording can be performed. Therefore, writing reliability can be improved.

Next, when reproducing the information recorded on the disk D, the reproducing element 42 receives a magnetic field leaking from the disk D, and the electric resistance changes according to the magnitude. Therefore, the voltage of the reproducing element 42 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.
As described above, various kinds of information can be recorded on and reproduced from the disk D using the recording head 2.

In particular, according to the recording head 2 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the opening surface 50b has a common contour line M with the tip flat surface 50a, and the angle θ1 formed with the tip flat surface 50a is an obtuse angle. Therefore, the opening surface 50b itself can be made as close to the disk D as possible while preventing the opening surface 50b itself from being closer to the disk D than the front flat surface 50a. . Therefore, the near-field light S can be effectively applied to the disk D to easily perform the heating efficiently.
Moreover, since the near-field light S is likely to be strongly localized in the vicinity of the contour line M that is closest to the disk D, it is possible to locally and stably heat a desired portion of the disk D. It is. As a result, recording can be performed with high density and high reliability.

Further, the front end flat surface 50a formed in the propagation part 50 is used to open the friction with the air flow generated by the rotation of the disk D during the running of the recording head 2 and the impact caused by the contact with the disk D. It can be absorbed in preference to the surface 50b. Therefore, the opening surface 50b itself is not easily worn or damaged. On the other hand, since the tip flat surface 50a is protected by the metal film 52, the tip flat surface 50a is also less likely to be worn or damaged.
Accordingly, the near-field light S can be stably localized in the opening surface 50b, particularly in the vicinity of the contour line M, and stable heating performance can be ensured. Further, since the durability is improved, the life of the recording head 2 can be extended.
In particular, in the present embodiment, the tip flat surface 50a is disposed closer to the leading side of the disk D than the opening surface 50b, so that the wear due to contact with the air flow is particularly easily absorbed by the tip flat surface 50a. 50b is unlikely to be affected.

Further, the metal film 52 coated on the tip flat surface 50 a not only protects the tip flat surface 50 a but also functions to shield the light beam L propagating through the propagation part 50. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the light flux L from leaking to the outside as leakage light at the tip flat surface 50a, and to contribute to the generation of the near-field light S efficiently. Therefore, the disk D can be efficiently heated. Further, since leakage light from the tip flat surface 50a can be suppressed, erroneous recording or the like due to this leakage light can be prevented.
Also from these things, the reliability of writing can be improved.

  Since the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes the recording head 2 described above, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 has high writing reliability and can be a high-quality apparatus compatible with high-density recording.

(Recording head manufacturing method)
Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the recording head 2 described above will be described.
In the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, the laminated surface is the outflow end surface 60 a, and the recording element layer 71 including the plurality of recording elements 41 and the plurality of propagation portions 50 are formed on the slider wafer 70 to be the slider 60 later. A stacking step for stacking the near-field light generating element layer (near-field light element layer) 72 provided therein to produce a wafer body 80 (see FIG. 10E) in which these layers are integrated, and a plurality of the wafer bodies 80. The recording head 2 is divided into individual pieces, and the manufacturing process is performed.

  First, as shown in FIG. 10A, a reproducing element layer in which a plurality of reproducing elements 42 and recording elements 41 are arranged in a predetermined arrangement on the outflow end surface 60a of the slider wafer 70 by using semiconductor technology. 73, the first stacking step of stacking the recording element layer 71 in order. In the reproducing element layer 73 and the recording element layer 71, the reproducing element 42 and the recording element 41 are not shown.

Next, a second stacking step of stacking the near-field light generating element layer 72 on the recording element layer 71 in a state where the plurality of propagation portions 50 are arranged in the predetermined arrangement so as to correspond to the plurality of recording elements 41 is performed. Do.
Specifically, first, as shown in FIG. 10B, a cladding layer 74 is laminated on the recording element layer 71. Next, as shown in FIG. 10 (c), a propagation part forming step for forming a plurality of propagation parts 50 in the predetermined arrangement so that the tip flat surface 50 a is parallel to the stacking direction on the clad layer 74. Do.
Note that, as shown in FIG. 11, the predetermined arrangement means that the X direction parallel to the orientation flat (orientation flat) of the slider wafer 70 and the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction and the Z direction, which is the stacking direction, respectively. It is arranged in a matrix along the direction, and the longitudinal direction of the propagation unit 50 is inclined at an angle θ2 with respect to the Y direction.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10D, a coating process for coating the metal film 52 on the tip flat surfaces 50 a of the plurality of propagation portions 50 is performed. Next, as shown in FIG. 10E, the cladding layer 74 is laminated again so as to cover the plurality of propagation parts 50. As a result, the near-field light generating element layer 72 in which the propagation part 50 having the metal film 52 coated on the tip flat surface 50 a is confined in the cladding layer 74 can be formed on the recording element layer 71.

  At this time, the wafer body 80 is manufactured, and the above-described stacking process for manufacturing the wafer body 80 is completed. In particular, at the stage of performing this lamination process, it is not necessary to form the opening surface 50b in the propagation part 50, and it is not necessary to perform each process while considering the opening surface 50b. Therefore, the stacking process can be easily performed using a semiconductor manufacturing technique such as a normal photolithography technique without using a special technique.

Next, the above-described singulation process for dividing the wafer body 80 into pieces is performed. At this time, the wafer body 80 is separated into pieces with the tip flat surface 50a exposed, and a cutting process is performed in which a part of the propagation portion 50 including the tip flat surface 50a is cut to form the opening surface 50b. .
Specifically, using a dicing blade (not shown), the wafer body 80 is largely divided along the cutting line P shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the dicing blade is disposed along the X direction, and a part of the upper side of the propagation unit 50 is cut while being rotated and laid around the axis parallel to the X direction. Cut on surface C.
By the cutting process by this cutting, the opening surfaces 50b can be simultaneously formed in the plurality of propagation portions 50 provided in one bar B. Thereafter, each bar B is cut again according to the propagation part 50, and the tip flat surface 50a is exposed while adjusting the size by polishing or the like, whereby a plurality of recording heads 2 can be manufactured at a time.

  According to the manufacturing method described above, since the opening surface 50b is formed at the stage of separating the wafer body 80 into pieces, it is necessary to use a complicated photolithography technique or the like such as controlling etching accurately as in the prior art. There is no sex. Therefore, the recording head 2 can be easily manufactured, and it is easy to improve the manufacturing efficiency and reduce the cost.

  In the above manufacturing method, when the opening surface 50b is formed using a dicing blade, the cladding layer 74 is also partially cut and a cut surface 51a is formed on the cladding 51 as shown in FIG. It has no effect on playback.

  In the above manufacturing method, the wafer body 80 may be divided into pieces using the dicing blade without forming the opening surface 50b, and then the opening surface 50b may be formed by cutting by polishing. In any case, when the wafer body 80 is singulated, the opening surface 50b may be formed simultaneously with cutting or polishing with a dicing blade.

In the manufacturing method, the reproducing element layer 73, the recording element layer 71, and the near-field light generating element layer 72 are sequentially stacked on the slider wafer 70 during the stacking process, but the stacking order is not limited thereto. It does not matter if the wafer body 80 is produced in any stacking order.
For example, after the propagation part 50 is formed on the clad layer 74, the metal film 52 is coated, and then the clad layer 74 is laminated again to form the near-field light generating element layer 72 first, on which the recording element layer is formed. 71, the reproducing element layer 73, and the slider wafer 70 may be sequentially stacked.

Further, in the above embodiment, the tip flat surface 50a is coated with the metal film 52, and the metal film 52 is used for both the protection function of the tip flat surface 50a and the light shielding function of the light beam L. It only has to be protected. In that case, not the metal film 52 but a non-conductive film body may be used.
Further, in the case of the metal film 52 having the protection function and the light shielding function, as shown in FIG. 13, the remaining part of the propagation part 50 except for the opening part 50b and the incident part 50c into which the light beam L is incident. May be coated with the metal film 52. By doing so, leakage of the light beam L during propagation can be effectively suppressed and propagation efficiency can be increased, so that the energy of the incident light beam L can be expended in generating the near-field light S without waste. .
In particular, in this case, the clad 51 for confining the propagation part 50 may not be provided. The clad 51 is not an essential component in the present invention and may not be provided.

Further, in addition to the protection function and the light shielding function, the metal film 52 is allowed to exhibit a function as a near-field light enhancement film that excites surface plasmons by the incidence of the light beam L and converts the energy into near-field light S. It doesn't matter. An example of the metal film 52 in this case is a gold film.
In this case, when the light beam L is incident on the tip flat surface 50a, surface plasmon is excited on the surface of the metal film 52, and the energy is converted into the near-field light S so that the intensity is increased in the vicinity of the opening surface 50b, in particular, the contour line M. It is localized as near-field light S of high energy that has become stronger. Therefore, it is possible to effectively perform high-density recording by effectively using the incident energy of the light beam L.

  Note that the metal film 52 having a function as a near-field light enhancing film may be formed on the outer surface of the propagation part 50 in contact with the opening surface 50b other than the flat tip surface 50a. By doing so, it is possible to localize the near-field light S also in the vicinity of the vicinity of the common contour line between the outer surface on which the metal film 52 is formed and the opening surface 50b.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the air floating type information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 in which the slider 60 is levitated has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this case. The slider 60 may be in contact. That is, the recording head 2 of the present invention may be a contact slider type head. Even in this case, the same effects can be achieved.

In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the head gimbal assembly 12 is provided only on one side of the arm unit 14 has been described. However, both surfaces of the arm unit 14 inserted between the disks D face each disk D. In this way, a configuration in which the head gimbal assembly 12 is provided is also possible.
In this case, information can be recorded / reproduced on the disk surface D1 facing each recording head 2 by each recording head 2 of the head gimbal assembly 12 provided on both sides of the arm portion 14. That is, since information on two disks D can be recorded and reproduced by one arm unit 14, the recording capacity of the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 can be increased and the apparatus can be downsized.

  In the above embodiment, the laser light source 20 for introducing the light beam L is arranged on the terminal board 30 attached to the base portion 15 of the carriage 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this position. For example, it may be disposed on the upper surface of the slider 60 and integrally mounted on the recording head 2. This is more preferable because the optical waveguide 32 does not need to be routed from the carriage 11 and the movement of the slider 60 at the time of flying is not easily inhibited by the optical waveguide 32.

  In the above embodiment, the reproducing element 42, the recording element 41, and the near-field light generating element 40 are arranged in order from the outflow end surface 60a of the slider 60. However, the order is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which the near-field light generating element 40, the recording element 41, and the reproducing element 42 are sequentially arranged from the outflow end face 60a side may be employed.

In the above embodiment, the main magnetic pole 47 and the auxiliary magnetic pole 45 are arranged in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the propagation part 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the shape of the opening surface 50b of the propagation part 50, the formation position thereof, and the like. Accordingly, the propagating unit 50 may be appropriately inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction.
For example, as shown in FIG. 14, even if the main magnetic pole 47 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the propagation part 50 so that the tip surface 47 a of the main magnetic pole 47 is parallel to the opening surface 50 b of the propagation part 50. I do not care. Even in this case, the same effect can be obtained. Particularly in this case, it is considered that the recording magnetic field can be intensively generated from the portion 47b located closest to the disk D in the contour line defining the tip surface 47a of the main magnetic pole 47. It is considered that the magnetic field can be increased and the writing reliability can be improved.

  Further, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the opening surface 50b is formed in a state in which approximately half the area of the tip flat surface 50a is cut (the shape of the tip flat surface 50a is a substantially triangular shape in plan view). You may form large. Even in this case, the same effect can be obtained. Particularly in this case, since the common contour line M between the tip flat surface 50a and the opening surface 50b can be brought closer to the main magnetic pole 47 side, the recording magnetic field can easily be efficiently applied to the region heated by the near-field light S. It is considered to be. Therefore, it is considered that the writing reliability is improved.

Here, a modified example of manufacturing the recording head 2 provided with the propagation unit 50 shown in FIG. 15 will be briefly described.
For example, after forming the propagation part 50 in the predetermined arrangement shown in FIG. 11, a part of the lower side of the propagation part 50 is cut as shown in FIG. 16 while the dicing blade is laid in the opposite direction. The opening surface 50b may be formed by cutting at C.
Even in this case, the recording head 2 including the propagation unit 50 shown in FIG. 15 can be manufactured.

Further, as another modification of the manufacturing method, as shown in FIG. 17, in the propagation part forming step, they are arranged in a matrix along the X direction and the Y direction parallel to the orientation flat, and the longitudinal direction of the propagation part 50 is The propagation part 50 is formed in a state parallel to the Y direction and with the ridgeline R facing upward.
Then, during the singulation process, as shown in FIG. 18, the dicing blade is disposed along the X direction, and the propagating unit 50 is rotated and laid around the axis parallel to the X direction. A part of the upper side including the ridgeline R is cut by the cut surface C.
Even in this case, the recording head 2 including the propagation unit 50 shown in FIG. 15 can be manufactured.

Further, as another modification of the manufacturing method, as shown in FIG. 19, in the propagation portion forming step, they are aligned in the X direction while being shifted by a predetermined distance in the Y direction, that is, aligned in the K direction in the drawing. The propagation part 50 is formed so that the longitudinal direction of the propagation part 50 is parallel to the Y direction.
Then, during the singulation process, the dicing blade is disposed along the K direction as shown in FIG. 20, and the propagation unit 50 is rotated while rotating around an axis parallel to the K direction. A part of the upper side is cut along the cut surface C.
Even in this case, the recording head 2 including the propagation unit 50 shown in FIG. 15 can be manufactured.

FIG. 14 shows a modification in which the main magnetic pole 47 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the propagation part 50, but as shown in FIG. 21, the main magnetic pole 47 made parallel to the longitudinal direction of the propagation part 50. May be arranged in parallel so as to be aligned with the propagation part 50 along the X direction parallel to the outflow end surface 60a of the slider 60, and as shown in FIG. 22, the main magnetic pole parallel to the longitudinal direction of the propagation part 50 47 may be arranged in parallel with an angle with respect to the propagation unit 50.
In these cases, a part of the main magnetic pole 47 is also cut along with the cutting of the opening surface 50b of the propagation part 50, and at least a part of the tip surface 47a is parallel to the opening surface 50b. Although it is considered, it is possible to perform sufficient writing.

  Moreover, although the propagation part 50 was demonstrated as the square pillar in the said embodiment, it is not limited to this shape, What is necessary is just a pillar shape. For example, it may be a trapezoidal propagation part 50 as shown in FIG. 23, or may be a cylindrical propagation part 50 as shown in FIG. It is good also as the propagation part 50 formed in columnar shape, such as cross-sectional view elliptical shape or cross-sectional view semicircle shape.

Further, in the above embodiment, the propagation part 50 may be formed so that the cross-sectional area parallel to the disk D gradually decreases toward the tip flat surface 50a.
For example, as shown in FIG. 25, the entire propagation part 50 may be formed to be tapered toward the tip flat surface 50a, or only the other end side of the propagation part 50 is the tip as shown in FIG. You may form so that it may taper toward the flat surface 50a.
With this configuration, when the light beam L incident in the propagation unit 50 is propagated toward the flat tip end surface 50a, the light beam L can be propagated while being condensed. Therefore, the generation efficiency of the near-field light S can be easily increased.

In the above-described embodiment, the near-field light generating element 40 that is provided in the recording head 2 as the near-field light element and converts the light beam L that is the propagating light into the near-field light S has been described as an example. It is not limited to. Any element may be used as long as it is an element that mutually converts propagating light and near-field light, and may be an element that detects near-field light and converts the near-field light into light.
For example, you may apply to the probe used for SNOM (scanning near field optical microscope). In this case, for example, a sample sample or the like is an object.

D: Disc (object, magnetic recording medium)
D1 ... disk surface (surface of magnetic recording medium)
M ... contour L ... luminous flux (propagating light)
O ... Optical axis of light beam S ... Near-field light 1 ... Information recording / reproducing apparatus 2 ... Recording head 3 ... Suspension 10 ... Pivot shaft 11 ... Carriage 14 ... Arm part 20 ... Laser light source (light source)
40. Near-field light generating element (near-field light element)
41 ... Recording element 45 ... Auxiliary magnetic pole 47 ... Main magnetic pole 50 ... Propagation part 50a ... Flat end surface (tip face) of propagation part
50b ... Opening surface of propagation part 50c ... Incident part of propagation part 52 ... Metal film (film body)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 60 ... Slider 60a ... Outflow end surface of a slider 70 ... Wafer for sliders 71 ... Recording element layer 72 ... Near field light generation element layer (near field light element layer)

Claims (10)

A near-field light element that performs mutual conversion between near-field light and propagating light,
A propagation part for propagating the propagation light inside;
A film body coated on the propagation part,
In the tip part facing the object among the propagation parts,
A tip surface perpendicular to the optical axis direction of the propagating light;
An opening surface that is connected to the distal end surface and performs the mutual conversion; and
The film body is coated over the entire tip surface,
The near-field light element, wherein the opening surface has a common contour line with the tip surface and is inclined with respect to the optical axis of the propagating light. The near-field light device according to claim 1,
The near-field light element, wherein the film body is a metal film that blocks the propagation light. The near-field light element according to claim 2,
The near-field light element, wherein the film body is a metal film that excites surface plasmons by incidence of the propagating light and converts the energy into the near-field light. The near-field light element according to claim 3,
The near-field light element according to claim 1, wherein the film body is coated not only on the tip surface but also on an incident portion where the propagating light is incident and a remaining portion excluding the opening surface of the propagating portion. The near-field light element according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The near-field light element according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the propagation part gradually decreases in cross-sectional area parallel to the tip surface toward the tip part. The object is a magnetic recording medium;
The near-field light element according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A slider disposed opposite to the surface of the magnetic recording medium rotating in a certain direction with the outflow end face facing downstream in the rotation direction of the magnetic recording medium;
A recording element disposed on the outflow end face side of the slider, having a main magnetic pole and an auxiliary magnetic pole, and generating a recording magnetic field between the magnetic poles,
The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the near-field light element is disposed on the outflow end face side of the slider and generates the near-field light from the opening surface. The recording head according to claim 6, wherein
The tip surface and the opening surface are disposed along a moving direction of the magnetic recording medium,
The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the leading end surface is disposed on the leading side in the moving direction with respect to the opening surface. A recording head according to claim 6 or 7,
A suspension that is movable in a direction parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium, and that supports the recording head in a state of being rotatable about two axes parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium and orthogonal to each other;
A light source that causes the propagation light to enter the propagation portion;
A pivot shaft disposed outside the magnetic recording medium;
An information recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: a carriage formed to be rotatable around the pivot shaft and having an arm portion for supporting the suspension. It is a manufacturing method of the near-field light element according to claim 1,
A propagation part forming step for forming the propagation part;
A coating step of coating the film body on the tip surface;
A method of manufacturing a near-field light element, comprising performing a cutting step of cutting a part of the propagation part including the tip surface to form the opening surface. A method of manufacturing a recording head according to claim 6,
A recording element layer having a plurality of recording elements and a near-field light element layer having a plurality of propagation portions are laminated on the slider wafer having the laminated surface as the outflow end face, and these are integrated. A lamination process for producing a wafer body;
Singulation step of dividing the wafer body into a plurality of the recording heads,
The laminating step includes
A first stacking step of stacking the recording element layers in a state where a plurality of the recording elements are arranged in a predetermined arrangement;
A second laminating step of laminating the near-field light element layer in a state where a plurality of the propagation portions are arranged in the predetermined arrangement so as to correspond to the recording element,
The second lamination step includes
A propagation part forming step of forming a plurality of the propagation parts so that the tip surface is parallel to the stacking direction;
A coating step of coating the film body on the tip surface,
In the singulation step, the wafer body is singulated with the tip surface exposed, and a part of the propagation part including the tip surface is cut to form the opening surface. A method of manufacturing a recording head, comprising performing a step.

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