JPH0349018A - Thin film magnetic head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain satisfactory head touch by forming a medium confronting plane in a projecting plane by providing a stripe shape recessed groove positioning at an intermediate part in a width direction and set along a longitudinal direction at a plane confronting with the medium confronting plane of a slider. CONSTITUTION:The stripe shape recessed groove 103 set along the longitudinal direction at the intermediate part in the width direction is provided at the plane 102 confronting with the medium confronting plane 101 in the slider 1. The recessed groove 103 is formed extending over the entire length of the slider 1. By forming such recessed groove, a curved surface whose highest position is formed at the intermediate part in a width direction where a read/ write element 2 is located and inclined downward gradually toward both edges in the width direction can be formed. Thereby, the recessed surface of the medium confronting plane 101 of the slider 1 due to working distortion, etc., can be corrected, which realizes the satisfactory head touch, and reduces the spacing loss, and makes head crash hard to be generated.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a floating type thin film magnetic head that has a read/write element on the end face of a slider. By having strip-shaped concave grooves along the length, the medium facing surface is made convex, resulting in good head touch, small spacing loss, and low durability against head crashes. This makes it possible to provide a thin film magnetic head which is excellent and allows easy positioning and setting of the head support device.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, magnetic disk drives have a thin-film magnetic head that uses the dynamic pressure generated by the running of the magnetic recording medium to fly while maintaining a small air bearing gap between it and the BFI recording medium. is used. Conventionally, this type of floating type thin film magnetic head has been developed, for example, by Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-21329.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-28850, two rail portions are provided at a distance from each other on the medium facing surface side of a slider made of a ceramic structure, which faces the magnetic recording medium. The surface of the rail section acts as an ABS surface, and in combination with a magnetic recording medium, a tapered section for generating lift is provided at one end of the rail section which becomes an air inflow end. The read/write element is a thin film magnetic head element formed according to a process similar to IC manufacturing technology, and is attached to the air outflow end side opposite to the tapered part.

This type of thin film magnetic head is becoming increasingly smaller in order to cope with higher density and higher speed magnetic recording. Miniaturization is effective in reducing the flying height and spacing loss necessary to achieve high-density recording, and in combination with a gimbal, it is effective in increasing the resonance frequency, preventing crashes and improving durability. Moreover, it is possible to maintain an appropriate balance between dynamic pressure and support spring pressure, maintain a good flight attitude, and obtain stable flying characteristics.

Furthermore, the reduction in mass of the head due to miniaturization results in faster access movements of the arm supporting the gimbal.

However, the conventional floating thin film magnetic head has a complicated structure having a rail portion and a tapered portion on the medium facing surface side, and there is a limit to miniaturization. As a means to solve this problem, a thin film magnetic head has been proposed in which the medium facing surface of the slider is flat without a rail portion. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of such a thin film magnetic head, in which 1 is a slider, 2 is a read/write element, and 3.4 is an extraction electrode.

The slider 1 has a medium facing surface 11 that is flat without a rail portion or a lift-generating tapered surface.
The entire area is designed to function as an ABS surface.

In combination with a magnetic recording medium, the read/write element 2
It is attached to the end surface that is the air outflow end side. There is one read/write element 2, and it is arranged approximately in the middle in the width direction.

The extraction electrodes 3.4 are connected to both ends of the conductor coil film that constitutes the read/write element 2.

When used as a magnetic disk device, the medium facing surface 1
The surface 102 facing 01 is adhered to a head support device (gimbal, not shown), and the medium facing surface 101 is brought into spring contact with the surface of the magnetic disk, and in this state, starting and stopping are performed. Driven by stop method. When the magnetic disk is stationary, the medium facing surface 101 is moved by the spring pressure of the head support device.
is pressed against the surface of the magnetic disk, but when the magnetic disk rotates, lift dynamic pressure is generated on the medium facing surface 10 of the slider 1, and the slider operates with a flying height that balances this dynamic pressure with the spring pressure of the head support device. do.

In the thin film magnetic head shown in FIG. 8, the medium facing surface 101 of the slider 1 has a simple planar shape without a rail portion, so it can be easily miniaturized, and the above-mentioned advantages of miniaturization can be secured.

<Invention to Solve> However, the above-mentioned conventional thin 11i6fi head has the following problems.

(a) Under the influence of processing distortion etc., the medium facing surface 101
As shown in an exaggerated manner in FIG. 9, there may be a concave portion at the middle portion in the width direction. When the medium facing surface 101 is concave, in combination with a magnetic disk, head touch becomes poor, spacing loss increases, head crashes are more likely to occur, and durability decreases.

(b) Since the overall shape is cubic, the medium facing surface 10
1, the area of the surface 102 opposite to the medium facing surface 101 is also reduced.

Since the surface 102 is a portion to which the head support device is attached, the reduction in area of the surface 102 reduces the area to which the head support device is attached. Therefore, the smaller the head support device becomes, the more difficult it becomes to attach the head support device.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, make the medium facing surface convex, provide good head touch, reduce spacing loss, prevent head crashes, etc., and have excellent durability. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thin film magnetic head whose supporting device can be easily positioned and set.

Means for Solving the Problems> In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a thin film magnetic head that includes a read/write element on an end face of a slider, the read/write element being arranged longitudinally on a medium facing surface of the slider. and when the width direction is assumed, the slider is disposed on one end surface in the length direction, and the slider has a strip-like shape along the length direction at an intermediate portion in the width direction on a surface facing the medium facing surface. It is characterized by having a concave groove.

<Function> The read/write element is disposed on one end surface in the length direction when the length direction and width direction are assumed to be on the medium facing surface of the slider, and the slider has a width on the surface facing the medium facing surface. Since the media-facing surface of the slider is highest at the middle part in the width direction and has a strip-shaped groove extending along the length direction in the middle part in the width direction, due to the action of the groove, It becomes a convex curved surface that gradually slopes downward. For this reason,
A thin film magnetic head with good head touch, small spacing loss, and high durability that is resistant to head crashes and the like can be obtained.

Furthermore, by providing the groove on the surface of the slider that faces the medium facing surface, the head support device can be positioned and set using the groove. Therefore, even when downsized, the head support device can be easily attached and connected.

<Example> FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a thin film magnetic head according to the present invention.
In the figure, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 8 indicate the same components. There are - number of read/write elements 2, and when the length direction and the width direction are assumed to be on the medium facing surface 101 of the slider 1, they are arranged at one end surface in the length direction at the middle part in the width direction.

The slider 1 has a strip-shaped concave groove 1 extending along the length direction in the middle part of the width direction on the surface 102 facing the medium facing surface 101.
It has 03. The groove 103 is formed over the entire length of the slider 1 as an arcuate groove or an angular groove. With such a groove 103, the medium facing surface 1 of the slider 1
01 is a convex curved surface that is highest at the middle part in the width direction where the read/write element 2 is located and gradually slopes downward toward both ends in the width direction. Therefore, the concave surface of the medium facing surface 101 of the slider 1 caused by processing distortion etc. is corrected, and a highly durable thin film magnetic head with good head touch, small spacing loss, and less likely to cause head crash etc. can be obtained. .

Further, the head support device can be positioned using the groove 103. Therefore, even when downsized, the head support device can be easily attached.

In order to prevent the medium facing surface 101 from being caught on the surface of the magnetic disk at the time of contact and start, it is desirable that both edges in the length direction, which are the air inflow and outflow ends, be formed in an arc shape.

Furthermore, in the embodiment, the extraction electrode 3.4 is connected to the read/write element 2.
Both end faces in the width direction that are different from the end faces in the length direction 1
It was exposed at 04.105.

With such a structure, the width of the end face to which the read/write element 2 is attached can be reduced, the area can be reduced, and the entire thin film magnetic head can be made smaller. Further, for lead wire bonding, there is no need for a polishing process in which the surface of the protective film is polished to expose the electrode surface of the lead-out electrode 3.4, which simplifies the process. A groove 5.6 passing over the electrode 3.4 is provided in a strip shape over its entire length. The groove 5.6 is provided for mounting a lead wire or support arm led from the head support device side, and is formed in a shape that matches the lead wire or support arm to be connected. In the embodiment, it is assumed that a lead wire having a circular cross section is connected, and the lead wire is formed in an arc shape. With the above-mentioned groove 5.6, even if the magnetic disk drive is miniaturized, the lead wire or support arm led to the magnetic disk device can be fitted into the groove 5.6, and the extraction voltage Vi3.4 can be reliably secured. , and can be connected stably.

The read/write element 2 is a thin film magnetic head element formed according to a process similar to IC manufacturing technology. 2 is an enlarged perspective view centered on the read/write element 2, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view thereof. In FIG. 1, 21 is a lower magnetic film, 22 is a gap film made of alumina, etc., and 23 is an upper magnetic film. , 24 is a conductive coil film, 25 is an insulating film made of organic resin such as novolac resin, 26 and 27 are lead electrodes, and 28 is a protective film.

The tip portions of the lower magnetic film 121 and the upper magnetic film 23 are connected to the ball portion 21 facing each other with a gap film 22 of minute thickness in between.
1.231, reading and writing are performed in the ball part 211.231, and 212.232 is a yoke part, which is located on the opposite side of the ball part 211.231 and which covers the lower magnetic film 21 and the upper magnetic film 23. mutually υ).

The insulation wA25 is composed of a plurality of layers of insulation films 251 to 253.
The conductor coil film 24 is formed so as to spiral around the joint portion 12.232.

The lead electrodes 26 and 27 have one end electrically connected to both ends of the conductive coil film 24, and have a lead electrode 3.4 formed on the other end.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the thin film magnetic head according to the present invention. In this embodiment, grooves 5.6 are provided on both end faces of the slider 1. The extraction electrode 3.4 is exposed on the end face in the length direction in the same direction as the read/write element 2.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a head support device to which a thin film magnetic head according to the present invention is attached, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line A and -A in FIG. In the figure, F is a thin film magnetic head according to the present invention, and 8 is a head support device. The head support device 8 includes a flexible body 81, head support arms 82 and 83, a head presser arm 84, a mounting piece 85, and the like.

The flexible body 81 is formed into a plate shape using a polymer resin which is an insulating material. As the polymer resin constituting the flexible body 81, a polymer material such as polyimide resin, which has mechanical strength capable of withstanding a-turn bending, and exhibits appropriate springiness, twisting and elongation, is suitable. A hole 811 in which the thin film magnetic head 7 is placed is provided at one end of the flexible body 81 .

Since the flexible body 81 is made of polymer resin such as polyimide resin, it has weak spring properties and has a high degree of freedom in twisting and stretching compared to conventional elastic metal plates such as stainless steel. is obtained. Therefore, even when the #mbn air head 7 is downsized to reduce the flying height and the magnetic recording density is increased, the lift dynamic pressure generated on the slider 1 and the flexible body 81 are
By balancing this with the springiness of the body, a stable posture control effect can be obtained. Furthermore, since the flexible body 81 is made of polymer resin, processing becomes easy.

The head support arms 82 and 83 are integrally buried inside the flexible body 81 and are attached to the flexible body 81 so that one end thereof protrudes within the hole 811 at a distance from each other. There is. In the embodiment, the head support arm 82.83
is made of a conductor and is also used as a lead wire for the thin film magnetic head 7, and the other end 821.831
The side has a flexible body 81 so that it can be connected to a magnetic disk device.
is derived outside of.

The attachment piece 85 is made of a rigid member such as metal, and is integrally attached to the other end of the flexible body 81 by means of adhesive or the like. The head holding arm 84 extends from the mounting piece 85 over the flexible body 81 into the hole 811, and its end 41 is located between the ends of the head supporting arm 82 and 83 located in the hole 811. are doing.

When combining the thin film magnetic head 7 and the head support device 8, the head support arms 82 and 83 are soldered into the grooves 5.6 provided on both sides 104 and 105 of the slider 1. and the surface 102 of slider 1.
The tip convex portion 841 of the head presser arm 84 is inserted into the groove 103 provided in the groove 103 . The tip convex portion 841 of the head holding arm 84 is in spring contact with the slider 1 within the groove 103, and the thin film magnetic head receives a downward load from the head holding arm 84.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the relationship between the head support device and the magnetic disk, where 9 is the magnetic disk, 1° is the head support device, and 11 is a positioning mechanism.

The magnetic disk 9 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow a by a rotational drive mechanism (not shown). The head support device 1o is
The thin film magnetic head 7 is driven by the positioning mechanism 11 so as to move linearly on the rotational diameter o1 of the magnetic disk 9 in the direction of an arrow b1 or b2 parallel to the rotational diameter OI. As a result, old information is written to the magnetic disk 9 and read from the 6n disk 9 in a predetermined track.

In each of the above embodiments, a thin film magnetic head for in-plane recording/reproduction is shown, but a thin film magnetic head for perpendicular magnetic recording/reproduction may also be used.
The invention is taken by application. Furthermore, the present invention is applicable not only to the two-terminal thin film magnetic head shown in the embodiment but also to a three-terminal thin film magnetic head having a center tap.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(a) The read/write element is arranged on one end surface in the longitudinal direction of the medium facing surface of the slider when the longitudinal direction and the width direction are assumed, and the slider is arranged on the surface facing the medium facing surface. Since the media-facing surface of the slider has a strip-shaped groove extending in the length direction at the intermediate portion in the width direction, the medium facing surface of the slider becomes a convex curved surface due to the effect of the groove. Therefore, it is possible to provide a highly durable thin-film magnetic head that has good head touch, small spacing loss, and is less prone to head crashes.

(b) By providing the groove on the surface of the slider that faces the medium facing surface, the head support device can be positioned within the groove. Therefore, it is possible to provide a thin-film magnetic head that is small in size yet easy to position and set with respect to the head support device.

(C) Due to the smaller overall shape, it has a lower flying height, less spacing loss, allows for high-density recording, and when combined with a gimbal, increases the co-pregnancy frequency, prevents crashes, and improves durability. We can provide thin @6i1ki heads. In addition, in combination with a gimbal, the thin-film magnetic head maintains an appropriate balance between dynamic pressure and support spring pressure, maintains a good flight attitude, stabilizes the flying characteristics, and further speeds up the access movement. tM can be provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a thin film magnetic head according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of a read/write element and an extraction electrode, FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the read/write element, and FIG. 4 is a thin film magnetic head according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the magnetic head; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a head support device to which a thin film magnetic head according to the present invention is attached; FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line A, -A in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the relationship between the head support device and the magnetic disk, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a conventional thin magnetic head.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing problems with the conventional thin film magnetic head. 1...Slider 2...Read/write element 101...
・Medium facing surface 102... Surface facing the medium facing surface 103... Concave groove No. 1 Figure 7 Figure 7

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A thin film magnetic head including a read/write element on an end face of a slider, wherein the read/write element is arranged on one end face in the length direction when the length direction and the width direction are assumed to be on the medium facing surface of the slider. A thin film magnetic head, wherein the slider has a strip-shaped groove extending in the length direction at an intermediate portion in the width direction on a surface facing the medium facing surface. (2) The read/write element is disposed at an intermediate portion in the width direction at one end surface in the length direction when the length direction and width direction are assumed to be on the medium facing surface of the slider. Item 1. Thin film magnetic head according to item 1.