JPH0778322A - Contact type thin-film magnetic head and its production - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify production stages and to facilitate automation and mass production by forming a head element part formed by a thin film forming technique on a base material as a head body as it is without removing the base material. CONSTITUTION:A contact head is composed of the head body 1 consisting of the head element part 2 and the base material l1 and a spring part 12. Al2O3, etc., and Si, etc., are used for the substrate 11 and the head element part 2 is formed on the substrate 11 by using the thin film forming technique. The head element part 2 is constituted by including constituting elements, such as main magnetic pole 3, back gap 4, auxiliary magnetic pole 5 and coil 6, into a head element part structural material 9, such as Al2O3. Further, a conductive part 7 which is a drawing out part of lead wires outside is disposed in the peripheral part of the coil 6. A wear resistant part 8 consisting of Al2O3, etc., is disposed on the periphery of the part in the head element part constituting material 9 in contact with a recording medium. The arrangement and aligning for adhesion to the spring part 12 are easy as the head element part is not removed from the base material at the time of production. The automation and mass production are thus possible.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a contact type thin film magnetic head having a perpendicular or in-plane head element portion for recording and reproducing by contacting a recording medium and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, as a thin film magnetic head for a hard disk of a computer, a floating type is predominant. With respect to this floating thin-film magnetic head, technical development has been actively carried out to meet the demand for higher recording density and improve the reproduction output. In order to improve the reproduction output, it is necessary to reduce the flying height of the thin film magnetic head. However, in the flying thin film magnetic head, there is a spacing loss due to the space between the magnetic recording medium and the thin film magnetic head. There is a limit to the improvement of recording density.

Therefore, for example, US Pat. No. 5,111,351 has been proposed as a contact type thin film magnetic head (hereinafter referred to as a contact head) for recording / reproducing in a state where the magnetic recording medium and the magnetic head are in contact with each other. In this type of contact head, since the head main body portion having the head element portion and the spring portion are integrally formed, the manufacturing process is complicated, and the head element portion that can be used among the formed head element portions is used. The yield is poor and the production efficiency is extremely low. Therefore, the present inventors have proposed a contact type head having a structure shown in FIG. 5 as a solution of these problems. This contact head is composed of a head body 23 and a spring portion 12, and the head body 23 is the head element portion itself. This head element is made of AL ₂ O ₃ , SiO ₂ , Si ₃ N
₄ , while forming a material such as ZrO ₂ by sputtering, etc., in the middle of this thin film forming process, main magnetic pole 3, back gap 4, auxiliary magnetic pole 5, coil 6, conducting portion 7, electrode terminal 7 ′ and for contact It is formed by forming the abrasion resistant portion 8 and the like by a thin film forming technique. The head element portion, that is, the head body portion 23 is attached to the spring portion 12 having an elongated shape, and has a structure in which the spring portion 12 receives a load required to contact the recording medium.

In the head body 23 of the contact head constructed as described above, the head element portion is collectively formed on the etching layer of the ceramic or metal substrate provided with the etching layer by using the thin film forming technique, and The head element part is divided until it reaches the etching layer, the etching layer is melted, and only the head element part is separated from the substrate.

Further, since the head main body portion is composed only of the head element portion which is entirely formed of a thin film, the head main body portion 2
3 is extremely small, and the width of the recording medium of the head main body 23 in the circumferential direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 5) is extremely thin, 100 μm or less.

Further, since the head main body portion 23 has a structure in which the width of the recording medium in the circumferential direction is thin, a large contact area is required to bond the spring portion 12 and the head main body portion 23 together. The surface perpendicular to the recording medium bent in the medium direction and the side surface perpendicular to the medium contact surface of the head main body 23 are bonded together. The spring portion 12 brings the wear resistant portion 8 of the head body portion 23 into contact with the recording medium together with the tip of the main magnetic pole 3, and applies a load to the head body portion 23 when the recording medium and the head body portion 23 come into contact with each other. At the same time, it has a function of keeping the posture of the head main body 23 constant.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned contact head, after the head element portion is formed on the etching layer formed on the substrate, slicing or the like is used to separate the head element portion. After that, an etching process for separating the substrate and the head element portion is required. In this step, the head element portions are separated, so it is necessary to re-arrange them on the manufacturing pallet or the like before proceeding to the next step. In this arrangement, it is necessary to again judge whether the head element portion is conductive or not.

As described above, since the head main body portion 23 is composed of only the head element portion formed by the thin film forming technique and is small and thin, it is less likely to be chipped during the movement or the working operation as compared with the process of the floating thin film magnetic head. There is a problem that cracks easily occur and the yield is low.

Further, the spring portion 12 and the head body portion 23
For the structural reason as described above, since the area of the surface of the head main body portion opposite to the contact surface with the recording medium is small, the adhesion with the recording medium bent to the medium direction of the spring portion 12 is And a side surface of the head main body, that is, a surface perpendicular to the contact surface with the recording medium must be bonded. At this time, the technique of adhering this with high precision is extremely difficult as compared with the technique of adhering the floating head and the gimbal in the related art, and it requires a high level of technology and it is difficult to cope with automation during mass production. There is a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a contact head and a manufacturing method thereof which can shorten the manufacturing process and convert it into a stable manufacturing process, improve the manufacturing yield, and are inexpensive. The purpose is to

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A contact head according to the present invention is a contact head for recording / reproducing in contact with a recording medium, which comprises a head main body portion composed of a head element portion formed on a substrate by a thin film forming technique. And a spring portion that is joined to the head body portion and applies a contact load to the head body portion.

A method of manufacturing a contact head according to the present invention comprises a step of forming a plurality of head element portions by forming a thin film element forming component of a head element portion on a base material, and forming the head element portion on the base material. Together with the step of forming a head body part piece, a step of polishing a surface of each divided piece that is a contact surface of the head element part with the recording medium, and contact with the recording medium of the head element part And a step of adhering the surface opposite to the surface to the spring portion.

As the base material in the present invention, a non-magnetic material such as ceramics or single crystal is used. Further, as a thin film forming technique, a plating method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, an ion plating method and the like can be applied. As the material of the spring portion, stainless steel, beryllium copper, or the like can be used, and it can be formed by electrical discharge machining, press working, etching processing, or the like. If necessary, a plurality of members can be joined by spot welding or the like.

[0014]

According to the present invention, the head element portion is collectively formed on the base material such as ceramics or single crystal, and the head element portion is divided together with the base material to form the head body portion piece. Since the head element portion is integrally formed with the head element portion formed on the base material, the conventional etching step for separating the head element portion from the substrate is unnecessary. Further, since the head body portion of the present invention is formed by arranging the base material on the jig, the divided head body portion pieces remain in an aligned state on the jig, and thus adhere to the spring portion. The process can be easily automated.

Further, since the structure of the head main body is such that the base material such as ceramics or single crystal and the head element portion formed on the base material are integrated, the head having the conventional head element portion only. As compared with the main body portion, the head element portion is less likely to be chipped or cracked, which facilitates movement and processing of the head main body portion, and facilitates automation.
Therefore, the manufacturing yield can be improved, automated mass production can be facilitated, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, since the structure of the head main body is such that the base material such as ceramics or single crystal and the head element portion formed on the base material are integrated, the head main body portion comes into contact with the recording medium. The area of the surface opposite to the surface can be increased, and the spring portion can be easily bonded to this portion. The spring portion does not need to be bent, and since it has a simple shape and has a wide adhesive surface with the head element portion, it is easy to align, easy to automate and mass-produce, and good in production efficiency.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the structure of a contact head applied to a perpendicular recording system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This contact head includes a head element portion 2 and a base material 1.
It is composed of a head body 1 and a spring portion 12. As the material of the base material 11 which becomes the base of the head body portion 1, ceramics such as AL ₂ O ₃ , ferrite and ZrO ₂ and single crystal material such as Si are used, and the head element portion 2 is mounted on the base material. It is formed using a thin film forming technique. The head element portion 2 is composed of AL ₂ O ₃ , SiO ₂ , Si ₃ N ₄ , ZrO _{2 and the} like, and the head element portion structural material 9 includes a head such as a main pole 3, a back gap 4, an auxiliary pole 5, and a coil 6. The coil 6 is configured so as to include the respective constituent elements that form the element portion, and further, a conducting portion 7 serving as a lead wire lead-out portion for establishing conduction with the outside is provided in the peripheral portion of the coil 6. In addition, in the peripheral portion of the head element portion structural material 9 in contact with the recording medium, wear resistance made of AL ₂ O ₃ , SiO ₂ , Si ₃ N ₄ , ZrO ₂ or diamond-like carbon is used. A section 8 is provided.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of a contact head applied to the in-plane recording method according to the present invention. Similar to the head body of the perpendicular recording system, the head body 18 is composed of a head element portion 15 and a base material 11. Further, the head element portion 18 includes the coil 6, The first magnetic layer 16, the second magnetic layer 17 and the like are configured so as to include the respective constituent elements forming the head element portion, and further the conducting portion 7 and the electrode terminal 7 ′ are provided in the peripheral portion of the coil 6 for recording. The abrasion resistant portion 8 is provided in the peripheral portion of the portion that comes into contact with the medium.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of a contact head applied to the perpendicular recording method according to the embodiment of the present invention. This is an embodiment in which the lead wire pattern 13 is arranged on the spring portion 12, and the conducting portion 7 is provided so as to be exposed on the medium contact surface of the head element portion 20 and the surface opposite to the contact surface. Electrical connection is established with the wiring pattern 13 of 12. In this case, for example, epoxy-based conductive adhesive, solder, conductive paste, or A
For example, welding such as u can be used.

The size of the head main body is, for example, 2 when the width in the circumferential direction of the recording medium (horizontal direction in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) is 2 in both the vertical recording method and the in-plane recording method.
The width in the radial direction of the recording medium (depth in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3) is, for example, 300 μm.
μm to 600 μm, and the thickness (FIGS. 1, 2, and 3).
Is 600 μm, for example. The contact surface of the head main body portion with the magnetic recording medium has a shape in which the head element portion 2 is slightly projected from the base material 11 of the head main body portion, or the main magnetic pole peripheral portion of the head element portion 2 (the abrasion resistant portion 8). It is preferable that a part of (1) has a shape protruding from its surroundings.

In this case, the shape of the surface of the spring parallel to the surface of the recording medium (the surface viewed from above in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3) may be, for example, rectangular or trapezoidal, and is not particularly limited. . The dimensions of the spring 12 are, for example, 500 μm in width (depth in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3) and 13 m in length.
m and the thickness is 30 μm. In addition, the head body (1, 1
8 or 19) and the spring portion 12 can be adhered by using, for example, an epoxy adhesive material, an acrylic adhesive material, or the like.

In the contact head thus constructed, the end portion of the spring portion 12 opposite to the head body portion mounting side is attached to a head supporting member (not shown), and the head body portion 1, 18 or 19 is attached. The contact surface with the recording medium is placed in contact with the recording medium (not shown). In this case, the spring portion 12 is slightly bent so that the head main body portion 1,
When 18 or 19 is pressed against the recording medium, an appropriate contact pressure can be obtained between the contact surface of the head body and the recording medium. This enables recording / reproduction on the magnetic recording medium.

Next, a method of manufacturing the contact head according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 4A, for example, a thin film forming technique (specifically, on a base material 30 made of a ceramic such as AL ₂ O ₃ , ferrite, ZrO ₂ or the like or a single crystal such as Si) is used. A large number of chips of the head element portion 2, 15 or 20 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are formed by plating, sputtering, CVD or the like.
After that, it is adhered to the processing jig 33 shown in FIG. 4B, cut along the cutting line 32, and the individual head body portions 1, 1 are cut.
8 or 19 can be made. By adhering the head main body 1, 18 or 19 to the spring portion 12 using an epoxy adhesive or the like, and polishing the contact surface of the head main body with the medium using a diamond polishing tape or the like, The contact head of Figure 1, Figure 2, or Figure 3 can be made.

Further, instead of cutting out each individual head main body as described above, cutting is performed along only one direction of the cutting line 32, and each piece including a predetermined number of head main body is cut out to cut the head. After the contact surface of the main body portion with the medium is polished using a diamond polishing tape or the like, the spring portion 12 is adhered to the surface opposite to the contact surface with an epoxy adhesive or the like, and then each contact head Each can be cut to make the contact head of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, or FIG.

As described above, after the head body is cut out, the step of adhering the head body and the step of polishing the contact surface of the head body with the recording medium may be carried out first. Further, after the head main body is cut individually, the above-mentioned steps may be performed, or after cutting out each piece including a predetermined number of head main-body sections, the individual contact heads may be subjected to the steps of bonding, polishing and cutting. Can also be created.

In this case, as a cutting method, a laser cutting method such as Ar laser or excimer laser,
A method using a slicing machine using a thin blade can be applied. Further, as the bonding jig, for example, in the case of laser cutting, a substrate made of acrylic or the like with an adhesive tape attached thereto can be used, and in the case of using a slicing machine, an expanding tape can be used.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, a contact head having a head body portion having a stable structure in which an element portion is formed on a base material is manufactured by a simple manufacturing process with a short manufacturing process. It is possible to provide a manufacturing method which can be automated and mass-produced by a stable manufacturing process having good quality.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a perpendicular recording type contact head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an in-plane recording type contact head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a contact head of a perpendicular recording system that does not require a lead wire according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a method of manufacturing the head main body 1, 18, or 19.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a conventional perpendicular recording type contact head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1; Head body of perpendicular recording type contact head 2; Element part of vertical recording type contact head 3; Main pole 4; Back gap 5; Auxiliary pole 6; Coil 7; Conducting portion 7 '; Electrode terminal portion 8; Abrasion resistant portion 9; Head element portion structural material 11; Base material 12; Spring portion 13; Lead wire pattern 15; In-plane recording type head element portion 16; First magnetic layer 17; Second magnetic layer 18; In-plane Recording system head body 19; Vertical recording system head body 20 that does not require lead wires; Vertical recording system head element that does not require lead wires 30; Base material before cutting 31; Head element section before cutting 32 Cutting line 33; processing jig

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A contact type thin film magnetic head for performing recording and reproduction by contacting with a recording medium, wherein a head main body composed of a head element portion formed on a base material by a thin film forming technique, and a head main body portion bonded to the head main body portion. A contact-type thin-film magnetic head, comprising: a spring portion that applies a contact load to the head main body portion. 2. A step of forming a plurality of head element parts by forming a constituent element of a head element part on a base material by a thin film forming technique, and cutting the head element part together with the base material to cut out a head main body part. And a step of polishing the surface of each of the divided pieces, which is the contact surface of the head main body portion with the recording medium, and the surface of the head main body portion opposite to the contact surface with the recording medium, is bonded to the spring portion. A method of manufacturing a contact-type thin film magnetic head, comprising: