JP6029185B2 - Recording head and information recording / reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

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

  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. Therefore, it has been difficult to record information on the disc.

Therefore, in order to eliminate the above-described problems, the coercive force is temporarily reduced by locally heating the magnetic domain using spot light that has collected light, or near-field light that has collected light, In the meantime, an information recording / reproducing apparatus of a hybrid magnetic recording system for performing writing on a disk 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 conventional optical information recording / reproducing apparatuses.

By the way, in the case of the hybrid magnetic recording method, it is necessary to propagate the light beam so that the light beam is condensed in the vicinity of the main magnetic pole, regardless of whether spot light or near-field light is used.
Various configurations have been considered for propagating the light beam. For example, a trapezoidal prism disposed on the slider and receiving the light beam, a lens unit disposed on the front end side (outflow end side) of the slider, There is known a head that propagates a light beam by using a light beam and focuses it in the vicinity of a main magnetic pole (see Patent Document 1).
In the case of this head, the light beam incident on the trapezoidal prism is reflected by the inclined surface of the trapezoidal prism, then enters the lens unit, and is condensed near the main magnetic pole by the lens unit.

  However, in the case of this head, in order to allow the light beam to enter the lens unit, the prism is arranged so that the slope is located further on the outflow end side than the lens unit arranged on the outflow end side with respect to the main magnetic pole. ing. For this reason, the prism protrudes to the outflow end side from the slider, and it is easy to increase the size and it is difficult to reduce the size. In addition to the above light flux, disturbances are likely to enter the lens unit, and the light propagation efficiency is likely to be adversely affected.

Therefore, a head having a spot size converter composed of a core and a clad is known as a thin head with excellent light propagation efficiency (see Patent Document 2).
The core of the spot size converter is drawn from one end side to the other end side in a state of being arranged substantially parallel to the main magnetic pole. Therefore, the light beam entering the core from one end side is gradually condensed toward the other end side, and emitted as spot light or near-field light from the other end side located near the main magnetic pole.

  In particular, since the light beam propagates through the core provided in the clad, it is hardly affected by the disturbance and is efficiently propagated. In addition, as seen from the outflow end side of the slider, the core is slanted from one end side to the other end side, curved, or stepped to repeat bending, etc. The core length is designed to be as long as possible while reducing the thickness. Therefore, also in this respect, it is possible to propagate the light beam while condensing it efficiently.

JP 2003-67901 A JP 2008-217991 A

  However, in the head described in Patent Document 2, the shape of the core is devised in order to ensure the core length as long as possible and increase the light propagation efficiency, but the other end side of the core is placed near the main magnetic pole. Considering the arrangement, it is necessary to arrange the core substantially parallel to the main magnetic pole, that is, substantially parallel to the outflow end face of the slider, and it is easy to be restricted by the shape. For this reason, the degree of freedom in designing the shape of the core is lowered, and there is a need for room for improvement.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to efficiently generate near-field light by propagating a light beam to the vicinity of the main magnetic pole without reducing light propagation efficiency. Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording head in which the degree of freedom in designing a light propagation element for propagating a light beam is improved, and an information recording / reproducing apparatus including the recording head.

The present invention provides the following means in order to solve the above problems.
(1) A recording head according to the present invention has an outflow end face arranged along a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium, and disposed opposite to the surface of the magnetic recording medium rotating in a certain direction. A slider having a light propagation element that is disposed on the outflow end face side of the slider and that propagates an incident light beam while condensing it toward the surface of the magnetic recording medium, and an outflow end face of the slider A near-field light is generated from the recording element that is disposed between the propagation part and has a main magnetic pole for generating a recording magnetic field, and the light flux that is disposed near the main magnetic pole and propagated by the propagation part. A near-field light generating element, wherein the propagation part and the main magnetic pole are defined in two directions, a direction perpendicular to a surface of the magnetic recording medium and a moving direction of the magnetic recording medium. Arranged along Is the propagation section, the light beam as the light beam travels, the first propagation section for propagating in a direction away from the main magnetic pole in said plane, the light beam that has been propagated in said first propagation section, And a second propagation part for propagating in the direction approaching the main magnetic pole in the plane and entering the near-field light generating element.

According to the recording head of the present invention, it is possible to reliably propagate the incident light beam to the near-field light generating element while collecting the incident light beam by using the propagation portion of the light propagation element. Therefore, various information can be written on the magnetic recording medium by cooperating the near-field light generated by the near-field light generating element and the recording magnetic field generated by the recording element.
In particular, the propagation part has a first propagation part and a second propagation part, and after the light beam is propagated once away from the main magnetic pole by the first propagation part, it propagates while approaching the main magnetic pole by the second propagation part. Thus, the light is incident on the near-field light generating element located in the vicinity of the main magnetic pole. Therefore, the propagation distance can be increased rather than propagating the light beam linearly, and the light beam can be collected efficiently.

  As described above, since the light flux can be efficiently collected while increasing the propagation distance, it is possible to prevent the light propagation efficiency from being lowered, and it is possible to efficiently generate near-field light and improve the writing reliability. Furthermore, since the shape of the propagation part can be designed so as to approach and separate from the main magnetic pole, that is, to change in the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium, it is difficult to receive design restrictions, and the design of the light propagation element The degree of freedom can be improved.

(2) In the recording head according to the present invention, it is preferable that the recording element is disposed in a space defined between the first propagation part and the second propagation part.

  In this case, since the recording element can be arranged by utilizing the space, the thickness of the recording element can be absorbed by the thickness of the light propagation element as well as simply integrating the light propagation element and the recording element. Therefore, the entire recording head can be reduced in thickness (compact).

(3) In the recording head according to the present invention, the near-field light generating element is formed on the main magnetic pole, and the proximity light is excited by surface plasmon when the light beam is incident from the second propagation part. It is a metal film that generates field light, and it is preferable that the second propagation portion propagates the light flux so as to be obliquely incident on the near-field light generating element.

  In this case, the light beam propagated by the second propagation part can be incident obliquely so as to have a predetermined incident angle with respect to the near-field light generating element. Therefore, the incident angle of the light flux with respect to the near-field light generating element can be easily adjusted, and the light intensity of the near-field light can be adjusted by changing the excited surface plasmon efficiency. Therefore, near-field light having an optimal light intensity can be generated, and the writing reliability can be further improved.

(4) In the recording head according to the invention, it is preferable that the light propagation element includes a clad for confining the propagation part.

  In this case, since the propagation part is confined inside the clad, the light beam propagated in the propagation part is hardly affected by disturbance. Accordingly, it is easier to prevent the light propagation efficiency of the light beam from being lowered, and the writing reliability can be further improved.

(5) In the recording head according to the present invention, the first propagation part and the second propagation part are formed of a material having a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the cladding, and guide the light beam under total reflection conditions. A core is preferred.

  In this case, since both the first propagation part and the second propagation part are cores, the light flux can be propagated more efficiently to the near-field light generating element while suppressing loss due to light leakage or the like. Therefore, the writing reliability can be further improved.

(6) In the recording head according to the invention, the first propagation part is a core formed of a material having a refractive index higher than a refractive index of the cladding, and guides the light beam under a total reflection condition. The 2 propagation part is preferably a reflection mirror that reflects the light beam propagated by the first propagation part toward the near-field light generating element.

  In this case, since the first propagation part is the core, the light beam can be efficiently propagated while suppressing loss due to light leakage or the like, and the efficiently propagated light beam is reflected by the second propagation part. Thus, the light can be reliably incident on the near-field light generating element while proceeding through the clad. Therefore, the writing reliability can be further improved.

(7) 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, 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 light beam to enter the propagation portion, a pivot shaft that is disposed outside the magnetic recording medium, And a carriage having an arm portion configured to rotate around and 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.

According to the recording head of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently generate near-field light by propagating a light beam to the vicinity of the magnetic pole without lowering the light propagation efficiency, and to improve the writing reliability. Moreover, since the freedom degree of design of a light propagation element is improving, it is easy to lead to cost reduction.
Further, according to the information recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to provide a high-quality apparatus with high writing reliability and corresponding to high density recording.

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 cross-sectional view further enlarging the outflow end face side of the recording head shown in FIG. 5. It is a top view of the terminal board shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a first modification of the recording head according to the present invention, and a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a view showing a second modification of the recording head according to the present invention and is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a view showing a third modification of the recording head according to the present invention and is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a view showing a fourth modification of the recording head according to the present invention and is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a fifth modification of the recording head according to the present invention, and a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6. FIG. 13 is a process diagram showing a flow when the recording head shown in FIG. 12 is manufactured. FIG. 14 is a process diagram illustrating a flow subsequent to the process illustrated in FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a process diagram illustrating a flow subsequent to the process illustrated in FIG. 14. FIG. 16 is a process diagram illustrating a flow subsequent to the process illustrated in FIG. 15. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a sixth modification of the recording head according to the present invention, and a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5. It is a figure which shows the state by which a light beam is propagated from the 1st propagation part shown in FIG. 17 to the 2nd propagation part. FIG. 10 is a view showing a seventh modification of the recording head according to the present invention and is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5. It is a figure which shows the modification of the 1st propagation part shown in FIG. 19, and a 2nd propagation part.

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

(Information recording / reproducing device)
As shown in FIG. 1, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a carriage 11 and a laser light source 20 that supplies a light beam L (see FIG. 6) from the base end side of the carriage 11 via a photoelectric composite wiring 33. A head gimbal assembly (HGA) 12 supported on the front end side of the carriage 11, an actuator 6 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), and a disk A spindle motor 7 that rotates 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 these components are housed inside. And a housing 9.

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 portions 14 and the disks D are configured to be alternately arranged, and the arm portions 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 are 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 a 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. 6), 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 and 6, 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 spot size converter (light propagation element) 40, a recording element 41, a reproducing element 42, and a near-field light generating element 43 disposed on the outflow end face (tip 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 this embodiment, the spot size converter 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 spot size converter 40. It is arranged by.
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 later-described propagation portion 50 of the spot size converter 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 reproducing element 42 side and the auxiliary magnetic pole 45 through the magnetic circuit 46, and generates a recording magnetic field perpendicular to the disk D between the auxiliary magnetic pole 45. A magnetic pole 47 and a coil 48 wound around the magnetic circuit 46 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. The coil 48 is supplied with a current modulated in accordance with information from the control unit 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 2 a of the slider 60.

  The spot size converter 40 includes a propagation part 50 that propagates the light flux L incident from one end side while converging toward the other end side toward the disk surface D1, a clad 51 that confines the propagation part 50 inside, And is fixed to the outflow end surface 60a of the slider 60 as described above.

The propagation part 50 is adjacent to the vicinity of the main magnetic pole 47 with one end side facing the slider 60 and the other end side facing the disk D. The propagation part 50 is drawn so that the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (Z direction) gradually decreases from one end side to the other end side, thereby condensing the light flux L. It is possible to propagate while.
Further, the end face on the other end side of the propagation part 50 is designed to be flush with the flying surface 2 a of the slider 60 and is positioned in the vicinity of the main magnetic pole 47. The near-field light generating element 43 that generates the near-field light S from the light beam L that is propagated while being condensed by the propagation unit 50 is formed on the end face of the propagation unit 50.

Here, the propagation unit 50 will be described in detail.
The propagation unit 50 of the present embodiment is configured integrally with a first propagation unit 53 and a second propagation unit 54.
The first propagation part 53 extends obliquely in a direction away from the main magnetic pole 47 along the moving direction (Y direction) of the disk D toward the disk D, and enters the light beam L incident from one end side. Is condensed while being bent in a direction different from the incident direction, and is propagated in a direction away from the main magnetic pole 47 while performing the condensing.
The second propagation part 54 is connected to the first propagation part 53 and extends obliquely in a direction along the moving direction (Y direction) of the disk D and approaching the main magnetic pole 47. The light beam L propagated by the propagation part 53 is further condensed and propagated in a direction approaching the main magnetic pole 47 and is incident on the near-field light generating element 43 formed on the end face.

In the present embodiment, the first propagation part 53 and the second propagation part 54 are connected so as to be bent linearly from the first propagation part 53 to the second propagation part 54. The first propagation part 53 and the second propagation part 54 are both made of a material having a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the cladding 51, and a core for guiding the light beam L under total reflection conditions due to the difference in refractive index with the cladding 51. Has been.
The clad 51 is in close contact with the first propagation part 53 and the second propagation part 54, which are cores, to confine the propagation part 50 inside.

  In addition, as described above, the first propagation part 53 and the second propagation part 54 are coupled so as to bend along the moving direction of the disk D, so the first propagation part 53 and the second propagation part in the clad 51 are connected. A space M (see FIG. 6) is defined between the unit 54 and the unit 54. A recording element 41 and a reproducing element 42 are arranged using the defined space M.

An example of a combination of materials used as the cladding 51 and the core is described as a combination in which the core is formed of quartz (SiO ₂ ) and the cladding 51 is formed of quartz doped with fluorine. 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.

The near-field light generating element 43 is an element that generates the near-field light S from the light flux L propagated by the second propagation unit 54. For example, the near-field light generation element 43 includes a light shielding film formed on the end surface of the second propagation unit 54, And a small opening formed in the light shielding film. At this time, the size of the minute opening may be, for example, an opening having a diameter of several tens nm to several hundreds nm. By doing so, the light beam L propagated while being condensed by the second propagation part 54 is further reduced in spot size when passing through the minute aperture, becomes near-field light S, and is emitted to the disk D side.
Note that the near-field light generating element 43 is not limited to the above configuration, and may be, for example, a microprojection formed in a nanometer size.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the lower surface of the slider 60 is the air bearing surface 2a facing the disk surface D1 as described above. The air bearing surface 2a is a surface that generates pressure for ascending from the viscosity of the air flow generated by the rotating disk D, and is called an ABS (Air Bearing Surface).
Specifically, the slider 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.

  Accordingly, the pad portion 17 b is easily bent in the thickness direction of the gimbal 17, and the angle is adjusted so that only the pad portion 17 b is parallel to the lower surface of the suspension 3. The 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). Yes. A contact point (support point) between the protrusion 19 and the pad 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 7, 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. It is output to the head 2.

  On the terminal substrate 30, the laser light source 20 that supplies the light beam L toward the spot size converter 40 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 may be the same material as that of the core and the clad 51 of the spot size converter 40 described above. However, in the present embodiment, the following resin materials are preferably used. It has been.
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.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 6, the tip surface of the optical waveguide 32 is a mirror surface 35 cut obliquely, and reflects the light beam L introduced by the laser light source 20 so that the direction of the light beam L changes. I am letting. As a result, the light beam L reflected by the mirror surface 35 is introduced into the propagation unit 50 constituting the spot size converter 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 spot size converter 40 as shown in FIG. To do. The light beam L incident in the propagation part 50 is bent by the first propagation part 53 in a direction different from the incident direction, and between the interface with the clad 51 toward the other end located on the disk D side. The first propagation part 53 and the second propagation part 54 are propagated in order while repeating the reflection.

  At this time, since the propagation part 50 is drawn from one end side to the other end side, the light flux L can be propagated while gradually condensing. Therefore, the light beam L is incident on the near-field light generating element 43 in a state where the spot size is sufficiently reduced and the spot size is sufficiently small. Thereby, the near-field light generating element 43 can efficiently generate the near-field light S and emit it to the outside. Then, the disk D is locally heated by the near-field light S, and the coercive force is temporarily reduced.

  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 can be recorded by a hybrid magnetic recording method in which the near-field light S generated by the near-field light generating element 43 and the recording magnetic field generated by the recording element 41 cooperate. 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, since the propagation part 50 is confined in the clad 51, the light beam L propagated in the propagation part 50 is hardly affected by disturbance. In addition, the propagation unit 50 includes a first propagation unit 53 and a second propagation unit 54, and after the light flux L is once propagated away from the main magnetic pole 47 by the first propagation unit 53, the second propagation unit 50. The light is propagated close to the main magnetic pole 47 and is incident on the near-field light generating element 43. Therefore, the propagation distance can be increased as compared with the case where the light beam L is propagated linearly, and the light beam L can be collected efficiently.
In this way, it is difficult to be affected by disturbances, and the light flux L can be collected efficiently while increasing the propagation distance. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the light propagation efficiency from being lowered, and the near-field light S can be efficiently generated and written. Reliability can be increased.
Moreover, since both the first propagation part 53 and the second propagation part 54 are cores, the light flux L can be reliably propagated to the near-field light generating element 43 while suppressing loss due to light leakage or the like. In this respect as well, the reliability of writing can be improved.

Further, since the shape of the propagation part 50 can be designed so as to approach and separate from the main magnetic pole 47, the design restriction of the spot size converter 40 can be improved, and the design freedom of the spot size converter 40 can be improved. This can lead to cost reduction.
In addition, no matter what direction the incident direction of the light beam L is incident on the first propagation part 53, the first propagation part 53 bends the light beam L in a direction different from the incident direction, It is propagated along the moving direction (Y direction) and away from the main magnetic pole 47. Therefore, the incident direction of the light beam L with respect to the first propagation part 53 is not easily restricted, and the degree of design freedom such as the arrangement of the optical waveguide 32 is easily improved.

  Further, since the recording element 41 and the reproducing element 42 are arranged using the space M in the clad 51 defined between the first propagation part 53 and the second propagation part 54, spot size conversion is performed. The thickness of the recording element 41 and the reproducing element 42 can be absorbed by the thickness of the spot size converter 40 as well as the unit 40, the recording element 41 and the reproducing element 42 are simply integrated. Therefore, the entire recording head 2 can be reduced in thickness (compact).

  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.

  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 into the spot size converter 40 is arranged on the terminal board 30 attached to the base portion 15 of the carriage 11. However, the present invention is limited to this position. It is not a thing. 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.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, it is good to form the light shielding film 70 in the side surface of both the propagation parts 53 and 54 centering on the connection part of the 1st propagation part 53 and the 2nd propagation part 54. As shown in FIG. The light shielding film 70 may be a film made of a highly reflective material, for example, an aluminum film.
By forming the light shielding film 70 in this manner, the light flux L is less likely to leak effectively from the connecting portion between the first propagation portion 53 and the second propagation portion 54. Therefore, loss due to light leakage or the like can be suppressed, and the light beam L can be propagated more efficiently and incident on the near-field light generating element 43. Therefore, the writing reliability can be further improved.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, both propagation parts 53 and 54 may be connected so as to be smoothly curved from the first propagation part 53 to the second propagation part 54. In this case, corners are unlikely to appear at the connecting portion between the first propagation part 53 and the second propagation part 54, so that light leakage of the light flux L is unlikely to occur without forming the light shielding film 70.
Therefore, even in this case, the light beam L can be propagated more efficiently and incident on the near-field light generating element 43, and the writing reliability can be further improved.

Further, in the above embodiment, the near-field light generating element 43 is formed on the end face of the propagation part 50, but it may not be on the end face as long as it is in the vicinity of the main magnetic pole 47.
For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a metal film (for example, a film that is formed on the main magnetic pole 47 and generates near-field light S by exciting surface plasmons when a light beam L is incident from the second propagation portion 54. The gold film etc. 71 may be used as a near-field light generating element.

In this case, since the light beam L is propagated so as to approach the main magnetic pole 47 as the second propagation portion 54 moves toward the disk D side, the light beam L has a predetermined incident angle θ with respect to the metal film 71. It can be made to enter obliquely so as to have. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the incident angle θ of the light beam L with an easy design such as changing the inclination of the second propagation unit 54, and to adjust the light intensity of the near-field light S by changing the excited surface plasmon efficiency. Can be done.
Therefore, the near-field light S having the optimum light intensity can be generated, and the writing reliability can be further improved.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the 1st propagation part 53 and the 2nd propagation part 54 were made into the core, it is not restricted to this case.
For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the first propagation part 53 is formed of a core as in the above embodiment, and the second propagation part is a light beam L propagated by the first propagation part 53. It is also possible to use the reflection mirror 72 that reflects toward 43.

In this case, the near-field light generating element 43 may be formed in the clad 51 so as to be adjacent to the main magnetic pole 47. The metal film 71 described above may be formed on the main magnetic pole 47, and the metal film 71 may be used as a near-field light generating element. The reflection mirror 72 may be formed using a high reflectance material such as aluminum.
Even in such a configuration, since the first propagation part 53 is a core, the light flux L can be efficiently propagated while suppressing loss due to light leakage or the like, and the reflection mirror 72 can efficiently achieve this. The propagated light beam L is reflected and can be reliably incident on the near-field light generating element 43 while traveling in the clad 51. Therefore, the writing reliability can be further improved.
In addition, it is preferable to form the reflection mirror 72 so that it not only reflects the light beam L propagated through the first propagation part 53 but also reflects it while condensing it.

In the above embodiment, the recording element 41 and the reproducing element 42 are clad in the spot size converter 40 using the space M defined by the first propagation unit 53 and the second propagation unit 54 of the propagation unit 50. Although it was set as the structure arrange | positioned in 51, it is not limited to this case.
At least the recording element 41 may be disposed between the slider 60 and the propagation unit 50.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12, a recording head 75 in which the reproducing element 42, the recording element 41, and the spot size converter 40 are arranged in this order from the outflow end surface 60a side of the slider 60 may be used.
However, since the reproducing element 42 and the recording element 41 are disposed in the clad 51 of the spot size converter 40 as in the above embodiment, the thickness of the reproducing element 42 and the recording element 41 is set to the spot size. Since it can absorb with the thickness of the converter 40, it is easy to make the recording head thinner, which is preferable.

  In the case of manufacturing the recording heads 2 and 75 of the above-described embodiments, the manufacturing can be performed by a conventional process using semiconductor technology such as photolithography technology and etching processing technology. That is, even when the spot size converter 40 having the propagation part 50 whose shape changes in the moving direction of the disk D is provided, the spot size can be changed in the flow of the conventional manufacturing process without using a special method. The converter 40 can also be built at the same time.

Specifically, the case where the recording head 75 shown in FIG. 12 is manufactured will be described as an example.
First, as shown in FIG. 13A, the reproducing element 42 and the recording element 41 are formed on the outflow end surface 60a of the slider substrate 80 to be the slider 60 later using a semiconductor technique. Next, as shown in FIG. 13B, a clad layer 81 that will later become the clad 51 of the spot size converter 40 is laminated, and then a resist film 82 is formed on the clad layer 81 as shown in FIG. 13C. To do.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 13D, a first recess 83 for forming the second propagation part 54 of the propagation part 50 of the spot size converter 40 is formed in a part of the resist film 82. The first depression 83 may be formed by pressing a mold (hot embossing), grace mask exposure, or the like. Next, as shown in FIG. 14A, reactive ion etching such as RIE is performed to transfer the first depression 83 to the cladding layer 81, and the first depression 83 is formed in the cladding layer 81. To do.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 14B, a resist film 82 is formed again on the clad layer 81 in which the first depression 83 is formed, and then, as shown in FIG. A second depression 84 for forming the first propagation part 53 in the propagation part 50 of the spot size converter 40 is formed in part. The method for forming the second depression 84 is the same as described above.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 15A, reactive ion etching such as RIE is performed to transfer the second depression 84 to the cladding layer 81, and then the first depression 83 formed earlier is sacrificed. Cover with layer 85. Further, thereafter, a core layer 86 to be the first propagation part 53 is laminated so as to cover the remaining portions of the sacrificial layer 85 and the clad layer 81.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 15B, after the core layer 86 is polished by a predetermined amount, the sacrificial layer 85 is lifted off. Thereby, a part of the first propagation part 53 (a part from the incident end where the light beam L is incident to the connection part with the second propagation part 54) is formed. Next, as shown in FIG. 15C, a core layer 86 is further laminated on the whole, and then a resist film 87 is formed on a part of the core layer 86 as shown in FIG.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 16B, reactive ion etching such as RIE is performed using the resist film 87 as a mask, and the core layer 86 is partially removed. Thereby, the propagation part 50 which consists of the 1st propagation part 53 and the 2nd propagation part 54 can be formed. Next, as shown in FIG. 16C, after the clad layer 81 is again laminated on the entire surface, polishing is performed up to the dotted line portion, thereby manufacturing the recording head 75 having the spot size converter 40 shown in FIG. be able to.

  As described above, the recording head 75 can be easily manufactured by adding one manufacturing process of the spot size converter 40 in the course of manufacturing each component in order from the outflow end face 60a side of the slider 60. Although the description of the near-field light generating element 43 is omitted, the near-field light generating element 43 may be formed by the same manufacturing process during the above steps.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, you may comprise a 1st propagation part or a 2nd propagation part so that at least one part may have a lens.
For example, the case where the 1st propagation part itself is comprised with a lens is mentioned as an example. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, a propagation unit 90 is configured by a first propagation unit 91 that is a lens and a second propagation unit 54 that is formed of a core. The first propagation part 91 is a convex spherical lens that is convex toward the disk D side, and is disposed at a position where the light beam L reflected by the mirror surface 35 of the optical waveguide 32 is incident. Further, the first propagation portion 91 is formed in a convex spherical shape in which the vertex position P (see FIG. 18) in the convex spherical portion is not the center of the spherical surface but is shifted in a direction away from the outflow end surface 60a of the slider 60.

  Therefore, using the first propagation part 91, the light beam L incident from the optical waveguide 32 can be propagated while being bent in a direction different from the incident direction and condensed in a direction away from the main magnetic pole 47. It is possible. Therefore, even in this case, the same effects can be obtained.

  In the illustrated example, the first propagation unit 91 itself is a lens. However, for example, the first propagation unit may be configured by a combination of a core and a lens. In any case, at least a part of the first propagation part may be constituted by a lens. Also, the second propagation part may be a lens instead of the core, and may be a reflecting mirror instead of the core.

In the above embodiment, the first propagation part 53 is configured to collect and propagate the light beam L incident from the optical waveguide 32 while bending it in a direction different from the incident direction. For example, as shown in FIG. In addition, the angle θ of the mirror surface 35 of the optical waveguide 32 is an acute angle (for example, 45 degrees or less), and the direction of the light beam L is aligned with the moving direction of the disk D (Y direction) and away from the main magnetic pole 47. You may comprise so that it may inject into the 1st propagation part 53 in the state.
In this case, the first propagation unit 53 condenses and propagates the light beam L in the direction of moving along the disk D (Y direction) and away from the main magnetic pole 47 without changing the direction of the light beam L. . Therefore, it is easy to efficiently propagate the light beam L while suppressing the loss of light energy as much as possible. Even in this case, the same effect can be obtained.

  In this case, the first propagation part 53 and the second propagation part 54 are not both cores, but, for example, as shown in FIG. 20, the first propagation part 95 is convex toward the disk D side. Alternatively, a convex lens may be used, and the second propagation part 96 may be a reflecting mirror. Even in this case, the same effect can be obtained. In this case, the first propagation part 95 and the second propagation part 96 may be configured to be embedded in the dielectric 97 instead of the cladding.

L ... Light flux D ... Disk (magnetic recording medium)
D1 ... disk surface (surface of magnetic recording medium)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information recording / reproducing apparatus 2, 75 ... Recording head 3 ... Suspension 20 ... Laser light source (light source)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Pivot shaft 11 ... Carriage 14 ... Arm part 40 ... Spot size converter (light propagation element)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 41 ... Recording element 43 ... Near field light generation element 47 ... Main magnetic pole 50, 90 ... Propagation part 51 ... Cladding 53, 91, 95 ... 1st propagation part 54, 96 ... 2nd propagation part 60 ... Slider 60a ... Outflow of slider End face 71 ... Metal film (Near-field light generating element)
72: Reflection mirror (second propagation part)

Claims (7)

A slider having an outflow end face disposed in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium, and disposed opposite to the surface of the magnetic recording medium rotating in a certain direction;
A light propagation element disposed on the outflow end face side of the slider and having a propagation part that propagates the incident light beam while condensing it toward the surface of the magnetic recording medium;
A recording element that is disposed between the outflow end face of the slider and the propagation part and has a main magnetic pole for generating a recording magnetic field;
A near-field light generating element disposed in the vicinity of the main magnetic pole and generating near-field light from the light flux propagated by the propagation part,
The propagation part and the main magnetic pole are arranged along the same plane defined in two directions, a direction perpendicular to the surface of the magnetic recording medium and a moving direction of the magnetic recording medium,
The propagation part is
A first propagation part that propagates the light beam in a direction away from the main magnetic pole in the plane as the light beam travels;
A second propagating section for propagating the light beam propagated by the first propagating section in a direction approaching the main magnetic pole in the plane and entering the near-field light generating element. A recording head characterized by. The recording head according to claim 1,
The recording head, wherein the recording element is disposed in a space defined between the first propagation unit and the second propagation unit. The recording head according to claim 1 or 2,
The near-field light generating element is a metal film that is formed on the main magnetic pole and generates the near-field light by excitation of surface plasmons when the light beam is incident from the second propagation part.
The recording head, wherein the second propagation unit propagates the light flux so as to be incident obliquely on the near-field light generating element. The recording head according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the light propagation element includes a clad for confining the propagation part. The recording head according to claim 4, wherein
The recording head, wherein the first propagation part and the second propagation part are formed of a material having a refractive index higher than a refractive index of the cladding, and are cores that guide the light beam under total reflection conditions. The recording head according to claim 4, wherein
The first propagation part is a core that is formed of a material having a refractive index higher than that of the cladding and guides the light flux under a total reflection condition.
The recording head, wherein the second propagation unit is a reflection mirror that reflects the light beam propagated by the first propagation unit toward the near-field light generating element. The recording head according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
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 light beam 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.

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