Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090165285 | METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THERMALLY ASSISTED MAGNETIC HEAD AND APERTURE APPARATUS USED IN THE METHOD - A method comprises an opposing step of arranging a light-shielding film | 07-02-2009 |
20090168220 | THERMALLY ASSISTED MAGNETIC HEAD AND MANUFACTURING METHOD OF SAME - When first and second near-field light-generating portions are irradiated with laser light or other energy rays, near-field light is generated at the tips of both the near-field light-generating portions. By means of the near-field light thus generated, a magnetic recording medium opposing the medium-opposing surface is heated, and the coercivity of the magnetic recording medium is lowered. Since at least a portion of the main magnetic pole is positioned within the spot region including the region between the first and second near-field light-generating portions, the tips of both the near-field light-generating portions and the main magnetic pole can be brought extremely close together, and high-density recording can be performed. | 07-02-2009 |
20090175572 | Photonic crystal having heterostructure and optical device using the photonic crystal - The present invention has been made for providing a photonic crystal capable of multiplexing or demultiplexing light within a wavelength band having a certain width. It includes a slab-shaped body | 07-09-2009 |
20090232441 | Polarized Light Mode Converter - The present invention provides a polarized light mode converter which can be provided within a two-dimensional photonic crystal or can be smoothly connected to a two-dimensional photonic crystal. In a two-dimensional photonic crystal made of a slab-like main body provided with a plurality of different refractive index regions (for example, holes | 09-17-2009 |
20090262448 | HEAT-ASSISTED MAGNETIC HEAD CONSTITUTED OF SLIDER AND LIGHT SOURCE UNIT, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD OF THE HEAD - Provided is a heat-assisted magnetic recording head constituted of a light source unit and a slider, which can be easily joined to each other with sufficiently high accuracy of joining position. The slider comprises a head part including a waveguide having an incident center on its end. The surface including an emission center of the light source is protruded from a joining surface of the unit substrate. And a step is provided on an end surface of the head part. The protruded portion of a lower surface of the light source has a surface contact with a wall surface of the step. Further, the distance between the wall surface of the step and the incident center of the waveguide is set to be equal to the distance between the emission center of the light source and the protruded portion of the lower surface of the light source. | 10-22-2009 |
20090266789 | MANUFACTURING METHOD OF HEAT-ASSISTED MAGNETIC HEAD CONSTITUTED OF SLIDER AND LIGHT SOURCE UNIT - Provided is a manufacturing method of heat-assisted magnetic recording head, in which a light source unit can be easily joined to a slider with sufficiently high accuracy, under avoiding the excessive mechanical stress. The manufacturing method comprises the steps of: moving relatively the light source unit and the slider, while applying a sufficient voltage between an upper electrode of the light source and an electrode layer provided in the slider; and setting the light source unit and the slider in desired positions in a direction perpendicular to the element-integration surface of the slider substrate. The desired positions are positions where the light source just emits due to a surface contact between: the protruded portion of the lower surface of the light source; and the upper surface of the electrode layer, which is a portion of the wall surface of a step formed on the head part. | 10-29-2009 |
20100046331 | PLANER PLASMON ANTENNA, THERMALLY ASSISTED MAGNETIC HEAD AND HARD DISK DRIVE - A planar plasmon antenna is formed on a YZ plane including a Z-axis, the Z-axis being a propagation direction of excitation light for near-field light generation. The longitudinal direction of the planar plasmon antenna is oblique relative to the Y-axis, and the angle of a corner of the planar plasmon antenna in the YZ plane is an acute angle. The corner, which forms an acute angle, generates intense near-field light in response to excitation light irradiation. | 02-25-2010 |
20100061200 | NEAR-FIELD LIGHT GENERATING ELEMENT AND HEAT-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING HEAD UTILIZING SURFACE PLASMON MODE - Provided is a near-field light generating element capable of avoiding excessive temperature rise, which comprises a waveguide and a near-field light generating layer. The layer comprises: a propagation surface on which surface plasmon excited by the light propagates; and a near-field light generating end at which near-field light is generated. The end is one end of the propagation surface. And a portion of the side surface of the waveguide is opposed to a portion of the propagation surface of the near-field light generating layer with a predetermined spacing so that the light propagating through the waveguide is coupled with the near-field light generating layer in a surface plasmon mode. The near-field light generating layer is preferably tapered toward the near-field light generating end. | 03-11-2010 |
20100073802 | Thermally assisted magnetic head having an asymmetric plasmon antenna and manufacturing method thereof - A thermally assisted magnetic head according to the present invention includes: a medium-facing surface, a main magnetic pole provided on the medium-facing surface, and a plasmon antenna provided on the medium-facing surface in the vicinity of the main magnetic pole, wherein the plasmon antenna is shaped as a triangular flat plate having first, second and third corners, such that the distance from the first corner to the main magnetic pole is shorter than the distance from the second corner to the main magnetic pole and the distance from the third corner to the main magnetic pole, and the interior angle α of the first corner, the interior angle β of the second corner and the interior angle γ of the third corner satisfy relationships α<β, α<γ and β≠γ. | 03-25-2010 |
20100073817 | PLASMON ANTENNA FOR THERMALLY ASSISTED MAGNETIC HEAD - A plasmon antenna of the present invention is used in a thermally assisted magnetic head that includes: a medium-facing surface set, parallel to an XY plane; a magnetic pole for writing, extending toward the medium-facing surface, and a plasmon antenna comprising a pair of small metal bodies irradiated with excitation light for near-field light generation propagating in a Z-axis direction. Respective corners of the small metal bodies are spaced apart opposite each other along a TE mode direction of the excitation light. A distance between the corners gives the shortest distance between the small metal bodies, and a distance from each corner to the leading end of the magnetic pole gives a shortest distance from the small metal bodies to the leading end. | 03-25-2010 |
20100079895 | PLASMON ANTENNA AND HEAT-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING HEAD - Provided is a plasmon antenna in which a near-field light having a sufficient intensity is generated only in a desired location. The plasmon antenna comprises an end surface on a side where a near-field light is generated; the end surface is flat and has a shape with at least three vertexes or rounded corners; and an end surface of the plasmon antenna which is opposite to the flat end surface and receives light, is inclined with respect to the flat end surface so as to become closer to the flat end surface toward one of the at least three vertexes or rounded corners. When the light-receiving end surface of the plasmon antenna is irradiated with the light, a near-field light having a sufficient intensity can be generated at only the vertex or rounded corner toward which the entire plasmon antenna becomes thinner. | 04-01-2010 |
20100103553 | SURFACE PLASMON ANTENNA WITH PROPAGATION EDGE AND NEAR-FIELD LIGHT GENERATING ELEMENT - Provided is a surface plasmon antenna that can be set so that the emitting position on the end surface of the plasmon antenna where near-field light is emitted is located sufficiently close to the end of a magnetic pole. The surface plasmon antenna comprises an edge having a portion for coupling with a light in a surface plasmon mode. The edge is provided for propagating surface plasmon excited by the light and extends from the portion to a near-field light generating end surface that emits near-field light. The edge for propagating surface plasmon is a very narrow propagation region. Therefore, the near-field light generating end surface, which appears as a polished surface processed through polishing in the manufacturing of the plasmon antenna, can be made a shape with a very small size, and further can be set so that surface plasmon propagates to reach the end surface reliably. | 04-29-2010 |
20100118431 | THERMALLY ASSISTED MAGNETIC HEAD HAVING AN ASYMMETRIC PLASMON ANTENNA AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF - The thermally assisted magnetic head according to the present invention comprises a medium-facing surface, a main magnetic pole provided on the medium-facing surface, and a plasmon antenna provided on the medium-facing surface, in the vicinity of the main magnetic pole. The shape of the plasmon antenna, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the medium-facing surface, is a triangle having first, second and third corners, the plasmon antenna being shaped as a flat plate the thickness direction of which is perpendicular to the medium-facing surface. The distance from the first corner to the main magnetic pole is shorter than the distance from the second corner to the main magnetic pole and the distance from the third corner to the main magnetic pole. The second corner and the third corner are rounded. | 05-13-2010 |
20100142079 | Near-Field Light Generating Element And Method For Forming The Element - Provided is a method for forming a near-field light generating element, which is capable of sufficiently suppressing the unevenness of a waveguide surface and the distortion within the waveguide. The forming method comprises the steps of: forming a first etching stopper layer on a lower waveguide layer; forming a second etching stopper layer; forming, on the second etching stopper layer, a plasmon antenna material layer; performing etching with the second etching stopper layer used as a stopper, to form a first side surface of plasmon antenna; forming a side-surface protecting mask so as to cover the first side surface; and performing etching with the first and second etching stopper layers used as stoppers, to form the second side surface. By providing the first and second etching stopper layer, over-etching can be prevented even when each etching process takes enough etch time, which allows easy management of etching endpoints. | 06-10-2010 |
20100177440 | Thin film magnetic head and magnetic disk device - Foundation layers of a thin film magnetic head are disposed between insulating layers and bias magnetic field application layers, and are configured of Cr or Cr alloy. The insulating layers are configured of a Si oxide such that the Si content of the Si oxide is in the range of 30˜56 at % (atom %) and that the atom ratio of oxygen to Si (O/Si) is in the range of 0.8˜1.3. With the configuration, the occurrence rate of noise is reduced. | 07-15-2010 |
20100195238 | THERMALLY ASSISTED MAGNETIC HEAD HAVING A SEMICONDUCTOR SURFACE-EMITTING LASER - A thermally assisted magnetic head includes: a slider having a medium-facing surface; and a surface-emitting semiconductor laser. The slider has: a slider substrate, on which part of the medium-facing surface is formed; and a magnetic head portion, on which another part of the medium-facing surface is formed, and which has a first surface in contact with a head stacking surface of the slider substrate and a second surface opposite the first surface. The magnetic head portion has: a main magnetic pole that generates a write magnetic field from an end face on the side of the medium-facing surface; an optical waveguide core extending along the first surface and having a light exit surface at the medium-facing surface; and a diffraction grating, which is provided in the optical waveguide core or further towards the second surface than the optical waveguide core, and the refractive index of which varies periodically along the direction in which the optical waveguide core extends. The surface-emitting semiconductor laser is provided opposing the second surface so that emission light from the surface-emitting semiconductor laser is incident onto the diffraction grating, and the diffraction grating causes at least part of emission light from the surface-emitting semiconductor laser to be optically coupled to the optical waveguide core. | 08-05-2010 |
20100195239 | THERMALLY ASSISTED MAGNETIC HEAD COMPRISING SURFACE-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR LASER - The present thermally assisted magnetic head has: a plasmon antenna; an optical wave guide having the plasmon antenna installed at the tip thereof; a diffraction grating which is disposed in or on the optical wave guide; and a laser element which is disposed at a position to irradiate laser beams onto the diffraction grating, and is composed of a photonic crystal surface emitting semiconductor layer. A laser light intensity distribution on the diffraction grating has at least two intensity peaks in the width direction of the optical wave guide. The two-dimensional form of the laser light intensity distribution on the diffraction grating is a ring or two ellipses. | 08-05-2010 |
20100202081 | THERMALLY ASSISTED MAGNETIC HEAD HAVING A SEMICONDUCTOR SURFACE-EMITTING LASER - A thermally assisted magnetic head includes a slider having a medium-facing surface and a surface-emitting semiconductor laser. The slider has a slider substrate on which part of the medium-facing surface is formed, and a magnetic head portion, on which another part of the medium-facing surface is formed, and which has a first surface in contact with a head stacking surface of the slider substrate, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a third surface opposite the medium-facing surface. The magnetic head portion comprises a main magnetic pole, an optical waveguide core having a first light exit surface at the medium-facing surface and a second light exit surface at the third surface, a first diffraction grating, provided in the optical waveguide core or further towards the second surface than the optical waveguide core, and a light reflective section provided further toward the first surface than the optical waveguide core. The surface-emitting semiconductor laser is provided opposing the second surface. The first diffraction grating causes part of emission light from the surface-emitting semiconductor laser to be optically coupled to the optical waveguide core. | 08-12-2010 |
20100202256 | Near-field light generating device including surface plasmon generating element - A near-field light generating device includes: a base having a top surface; a waveguide that allows laser light to propagate therethrough and is disposed above the top surface of the base; and a surface plasmon generating element that is disposed above the top surface of the base so as to adjoin the waveguide in a direction parallel to the top surface of the base. The waveguide has a side surface that faces the surface plasmon generating element. The surface plasmon generating element includes: a coupling part that is opposed to a part of the side surface of the waveguide with spacing therebetween and causes excitation of a surface plasmon by coupling with evanescent light occurring from the part of the side surface; and a near-field light generating part that generates near-field light based on the surface plasmon excited at the coupling part. | 08-12-2010 |
20100259845 | THERMALLY-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING HEAD AND THERMALLY-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING METHOD - A head capable of favorite thermally-assisted magnetic recording without depending on the use of a near-field light generator is provided. The head comprises a write head element formed on the trailing side from a waveguide and comprising a first main pole. The first main pole and the waveguide are opposed to each other through a first clad layer, and a second clad layer is provided on a rear side from the first main pole. This gives that the end surface of the waveguide can be placed much close to the end surface of the first main pole apart by only a thickness of the first clad layer. As a result, the end surface of the first main pole can apply a sufficient intensity of write field to the intensity center and its vicinity of the light spot formed on the magnetic recording layer. | 10-14-2010 |
20100290323 | Near-field light generating device including near-field light generating element with edge part opposed to waveguide - A near-field light generating device includes: a waveguide having a groove that opens in the top surface; a clad layer disposed on the top surface of the waveguide and having an opening that is contiguous to the groove; a near-field light generating element accommodated in the opening; and a buffer layer interposed between the near-field light generating element and each of the waveguide and the clad layer in the groove and the opening. The near-field light generating element includes: first and second side surfaces that decrease in distance from each other toward the groove; an edge part that connects the first and second side surfaces to each other and is opposed to the groove with the buffer layer therebetween; and a near-field light generating part that lies at one end of the edge part and generates near-field light. | 11-18-2010 |
20100302672 | THERMALLY-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING HEAD AND THERMALLY-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING METHOD - A magnetic recording head capable of a satisfying thermally-assisted magnetic recording without depending on the use of a near-field light generator is provided. The head comprises a waveguide and a main magnetic pole having a main pole tip. Further, at least a portion of the main pole tip is embedded in a groove provided in the upper surface of the waveguide. Further, a second clad layer is provided on the first clad layer and on a rear side from the main pole tip. This configuration of the first and second clad layers suppresses the absorption of the light propagating through the waveguide by the main magnetic pole. Further, the configuration in which at least a portion of the main pole tip is embedded in the groove can cause the distance between the light spot center of the waveguide and the main magnetic pole to be sufficiently small. | 12-02-2010 |
20100315736 | Multilayered Waveguide Having Protruded Light-Emitting End - A waveguide is provided, in which the optical coupling efficiency to a light source is sufficiently high, and the light-emitting spot center is stably provided at the intended position. The waveguide comprises a multilayered structure in which refractive indexes of layers having a surface contact with each other are different from each other. The multilayered structure is divided into a plurality of groups, and the length from the light-receiving end surface to the light-emitting end surface of one group is different from that of the neighboring group, and the protruded light-emitting end surface of the first group defined as a group that has the largest length includes a center of the light-emitting spot. In this waveguide, the state in which the light-emitting spot center is positioned within the light-emitting end surface does not easily be changed, even when the light-receiving spot center within the light-receiving end surface is rather displaced. | 12-16-2010 |
20110002199 | Near-Field Light Generator Comprising Waveguide With Inclined End Surface - Provided is a near-field light generator capable of avoiding a noise to the generated near-field light. The generator comprises a waveguide and a plasmon antenna comprising a propagation surface or edge, for propagating surface plasmon, extending to a near-field light generating end. A portion of one side surface of the waveguide is opposed to a portion of the propagation surface or edge, so as for the waveguide light to be coupled with the plasmon antenna. And an end surface of the waveguide is inclined in such a way as to become away from the plasmon antenna toward the near-field light generating end side. The light that propagates through the waveguide and is not transformed into surface plasmon is refracted or totally reflected in the inclined end surface, does not come close to the generated near-field light, thus does not become a noise for the generated near-field light. | 01-06-2011 |
20110026377 | Thermally-Assisted Magnetic Recording Head Comprising Light Source with Photonic-Band Layer - A thermally-assisted magnetic recording head is provided, in which a light source having sufficiently high output power for performing thermal-assist is disposed in the element-integration surface of the substrate to achieve improved mass-productivity. The head includes: a light source having a multilayered structure including a photonic-band layer and having a light-emitting surface opposed to the element-integration surface; a diffraction optical element that converges the emitted light; a light-path changer that changes the direction of the converged light; a waveguide that propagates the direction-changed light toward the opposed-to-medium surface; and a magnetic pole that generates write field. The surface-emitting type light source includes a photonic-band layer having a periodic structure in which a light from an active region resonates, and thus emits laser light on a quite different principle from a VCSEL. Therefore, the light source can be disposed in the element-integration surface, even though having sufficiently high output power. | 02-03-2011 |
20110026379 | Heat-assisted magnetic recording head with laser diode - A heat-assisted magnetic recording head includes a slider, and an edge-emitting laser diode fixed to the slider. The slider has a waveguide and an overcoat layer that covers the waveguide. The laser diode has an emitting end face including an emission part for emitting laser light, and a bottom surface. The laser diode is arranged so that the bottom surface faces the top surface of the slider. The waveguide has an incident end face opposed to the emission part of the laser diode. The overcoat layer has an end face that faces the emitting end face of the laser diode. As viewed from above, the end face of the overcoat layer has a convex shape protruding toward the emitting end face of the laser diode so that a part of the end face of the overcoat layer lying over the incident end face of the waveguide comes closest to the emitting end face of the laser diode. | 02-03-2011 |
20110090587 | Thermally-Assisted Magnetic Recording Head With Plane-Emission Type Light Source - A thermally-assisted magnetic recording head includes a surface-emitting type light source for emitting substantially collimated beam, a first diffraction optical element for focusing the substantially collimated beam emitted from the surface-emitting type light source, a second diffraction optical element for collimating the light beam focused by the first diffraction optical element, a waveguide integrally formed with the second diffraction optical element and made of the material as that of second diffraction optical element, the light beam collimated by the second diffraction optical element being incident to the waveguide, an optical-path direction conversion element for converting a direction of an optical path of the incident light beam to a propagation direction of the waveguide, the propagation direction being toward an opposed-to-medium surface, and a magnetic pole for generating write field from its end face on the opposed-to-medium surface side. | 04-21-2011 |
20110122737 | Thermally-Assisted Magnetic Recording Head with Light Detector in Element-Integration Surface - A thermally-assisted magnetic recording head is provided, in which the light-source output can be adjusted according to its variation by environmental influences and over time. The head comprises: a light source; a write head element provided in a element-integration surface; an optical system provided in the element-integration surface and configured to guide a light emitted from the light source to the vicinity of one end of the write head element; and a light detector for monitoring the light-source output, provided in the element-integration surface and comprising a light-receiving surface covering an area directly above at least a portion of the optical system. This light detector with such a light-receiving surface can detect a leakage light emitted from the optical system as a monitoring light. Therefore, feedback adjustment of the light-source output can be realized to stabilize the intensity of light for thermal-assist applied to a magnetic recording medium. | 05-26-2011 |
20110157738 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THERMALLY-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING HEAD BY SEMI-ACTIVE ALIGNMENT - A method for manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head is provided, in which joined are: a light source unit that includes a light source having a surface including a light-emission center on the joining surface side of a unit substrate; and a slider that includes an optical system having a light-receiving end surface reaching a back surface opposite to the opposed-to-medium surface. This method utilizes “semi-active alignment” that uses an alignment light, and comprises steps of: causing a light to enter the light source from a surface opposite to the light-emission center; detecting the light that has passed through the light source and is emitted from the light-emission center to align the light-emission center with the light-receiving end surface of the slider; and bonding the light source unit to the slider. This manufacturing method can achieve the alignment with a sufficiently high alignment accuracy in a short processing time. | 06-30-2011 |
20110205660 | Spot size converter and thermal assist magnetic recording head therewith - A spot size converter according to the present invention is capable of shortening the waveguide length in the spot size converter and of promoting a size reduction of the optical waveguide itself because two cores having a taper portion are combined and those tapering angles are mutually aligned. Furthermore, spot size conversion efficiency is favorable even in a small size. | 08-25-2011 |
20110222184 | OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE AND THERMAL ASSIST MAGNETIC RECORDING HEAD THEREWITH - An optical waveguide, on account of its ability to apply phase resonance of a wavelength and of a first and second triangular plate-like spot size converter members formed of the same material as a core material and being arranged and formed in a substantially symmetrical structure, can promote shortening of the waveguide length and contrive to reduce the size of the optical waveguide itself. Further, an optical waveguide having excellent spot size conversion efficiency can be obtained even in a reduced size. | 09-15-2011 |
20110228649 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THERMALLY-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING HEAD COMPRISING LIGHT SOURCE UNIT AND SLIDER - A method for manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head is provided, in which a light source unit including a light source and a slider including an optical system are bonded. A unit substrate is made of a material transmitting light having a predetermined wavelength, and an adhesion material layer is formed on the light source unit and/or the slider. The manufacturing method includes: aligning the light source unit and the slider in such a way that a light from the light source can enter the optical system and the adhesion material layer is sandwiched therebetween; irradiating the adhesion material layer with a light including the predetermined wavelength through the unit substrate; and bonding them. The adhesion material layer melted by the light including the predetermined wavelength and transmitted through the unit substrate can ensure high alignment accuracy as well as higher bonding strength and less change with time. | 09-22-2011 |
20110228650 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THERMALLY-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING HEAD COMPRISING LIGHT SOURCE UNIT AND SLIDER - A method for manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head is provided, in which a light source unit including a light source and a slider including an optical system are bonded. A unit substrate is made of a material transmitting light having a predetermined wavelength, and a unit adhesion material layer that contains Sn, Sn alloy, Pb alloy or Bi alloy is formed on the light source unit and/or the slider. The manufacturing method includes: aligning the light source unit and the slider in such a way that a light from the light source can enter the optical system and the unit adhesion material layer is sandwiched therebetween; and causing a light including the predetermined wavelength to enter the unit substrate to melt the unit adhesion material layer. The unit adhesion material layer melted by the light including the predetermined wavelength can ensure high alignment accuracy as well as higher bonding strength and less change with time. | 09-22-2011 |
20110228653 | LIGHT SOURCE UNIT FOR THERMALLY-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING CAPABLE OF MONITORING OF LIGHT OUTPUT - Provided is a light source unit that is to be joined to a slider to form a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head. The light source unit comprises: a unit substrate having a source-installation surface; a light source provided in the source-installation surface and emitting thermal-assist light; and a photodetector bonded to a rear joining surface of the unit substrate in such a manner that a rear light-emission center of the light source is covered with a light-receiving surface of the photodetector. The photodetector can be sufficiently close to the light source; thus, constant feedback adjustment with high efficiency for the light output of the light source can be performed. This adjustment enables light output from the light source to be controlled in response to changes in light output due to surroundings and to changes with time to stabilize the intensity of light with which a magnetic recording medium is irradiated. | 09-22-2011 |
20110235478 | WAVE GUIDE THAT ATTENUATES EVANESCENT LIGHT OF HIGHER ORDER TM MODE - A waveguide has a core through which laser light can propagate in a TM mode, that has a rectangular cross section perpendicular to a propagative direction of the laser light, and through which the laser light can propagate in a fundamental mode in which only one portion exists on the cross section of the core where a light intensity of the laser light becomes maximal, and a higher order mode in which two or more portions exist where the light intensity becomes maximal, a clad surrounding the core, and a light absorbing element in the clad, and wherein a distance between the light absorbing element and the core is shorter than a penetration length of evanescent light in the higher order mode, but is longer than a penetration length of evanescent light in the fundamental mode. | 09-29-2011 |
20110242697 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THERMALLY-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING HEAD WITH LIGHT SOURCE UNIT - Provided is a method for manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head with “composite slider structure”. In the method, the waveguide is irradiated with a first light from opposed-to-medium surface side, and the passing first light is detected on back surface side to obtain an image of the light-receiving end surface, and a light-receiving center position is determined from the image. Further, the light source is irradiated with a second light from opposite side to joining surface, and the passing second light is detected on the joining surface side to obtain an image of the light-emitting end surface, and a light-emitting center position is determined from the image. Then, the slider and the light source unit are moved based on the determined positions of the light-receiving and light-emitting centers, aligned and bonded. As a result, alignment can be performed with high accuracy in a short process time under simplified process. | 10-06-2011 |
20110292772 | THERMAL ASSISTED HEAD USING CURVED WAVE GUIDE - A curved waveguide is a curved waveguide that propagates laser light entering from the laser diode as propagating light. The curved waveguide includes a core that is curved in one direction where the propagating light can be propagated and that includes outer surfaces along a propagating direction of the propagating light defined by four surfaces including first and second planar surfaces that curve in respective planar surfaces and that are positioned to face each other, and inside and outside curved surfaces that connect the first and second planar surfaces: an outside metal cladding that is positioned in a direction orthogonal to an oscillation direction of an electric field of the propagating light in a cross section orthogonal to the propagating direction of the propagating light and along the outside curved surface of the core, that is made of gold, silver, copper or aluminum, or that is primarily composed of one component of these materials; and a cladding layer that covers the first and second planar surfaces and the outside metal clad. | 12-01-2011 |
20120073120 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING HEAD INCLUDING LIGHT SOURCE UNIT FOR THERMAL ASSIST - Provided is a method for manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head in which a light source unit including a light source and a slider including an optical system are joined. The method comprises steps of: adhering by suction the light source unit with a back holding jig; bringing the light source unit into contact with a slider back surface of the slider; applying a load to a load application surface of the light source unit by a loading means to bring a joining surface of the light source unit into conformity with the slider back surface; positioning the light source unit apart from the slider, and then aligning the light source with the optical system; bringing again the light source unit into contact with the slider; and applying a load again to the load application surface to bring the joining surface into conformity with the slider back surface. Thus, the conformity between them can be significantly increased, thereby achieving adequately strong junction and adequately high accuracy in position. | 03-29-2012 |
20120090162 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING HEAD INCLUDING LIGHT SOURCE UNIT FOR THERMAL ASSIST - Provided is a method for manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head including a light source unit with a light source and a slider with an optical system. The method comprises steps of: adhering by suction the light source unit with a back holding jig; moving the back holding jig, then aligning a light-emission center of the light source with a light-receiving end surface of the optical system in directions within a slider back surface of the slider; bringing the light source unit into contact with the slider back surface, with a suction surface of the back holding jig tilted from the normal to the slider back surface; applying a load to a load application surface of the unit substrate by a loading means to bring a joining surface of the light source unit into conformity with the slider back surface; and bonding the light source unit and the slider. This method can improve the conformity, thereby achieving adequately strong junction and adequately high accuracy in position. | 04-19-2012 |
20120117791 | METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A THERMALLY-ASSISTED MAGNETIC HEAD - In a method for manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic head that includes a slider and an LD unit, the slider including an air bearing surface (ABS) that faces a recording medium and including a waveguide with a core for light propagation that extends from a light entering surface, which is different from the ABS, to the ABS, the LD unit being attached to the light entering surface of the slider, and the thermally-assisted magnetic head performing magnetic recording while heating the recording medium with near-field light that is excited from linearly polarized laser light, the LD unit is disposed in a position facing the light entering surface of the slider, a photo detector is disposed in a position facing the ABS of the slider, and a polarizer transmitting only light having a polarization component that is orthogonal to a polarization direction of the linearly polarized laser light is disposed between the ABS and the photo detector. An LD of the LD unit is activated, and the linearly polarized laser light is enabled to enter into the core from the light entering surface of the slider. Light radiated from the ABS is enabled to enter into the polarizer, and an alignment of the slider and the LD unit is performed while the photo detector detects light that is transmitted through the polarizer. | 05-17-2012 |
20130139378 | METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THERMALLY-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING HEAD AND ALIGNMENT APPARATUS - A method of manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head includes: providing a light source unit including a light source; providing a substrate having a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head section thereon, the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head section including a magnetic pole, a plasmon generator, and an optical waveguide; inserting a metal between the light source unit and the substrate, and thus allowing the metal to be melted; and performing alignment between the light source unit and the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head section under application of pressure in a direction that allows the light source unit and the substrate to approach each other, while maintaining the metal melted. | 06-06-2013 |
20140209664 | METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE - A method of manufacturing an electronic device includes a positioning step of positioning a first member supporting a laser diode with respect to a second member having a waveguide, a bonding step of bonding the first member and the second member together, and a checking step of checking the accuracy of positioning of the first member with respect to the second member. In the positioning step, the laser diode is energized to allow laser light to be emitted, and the laser light is allowed to be incident on the incidence end of the waveguide. In the bonding step, a bonding material is melted by irradiating the first member with heating light while the laser diode is not energized. In the checking step, the laser diode is energized again. | 07-31-2014 |
20140269233 | THERMALLY ASSISTED RECORDING HEAD UTILIZING LASER LIGHT WITH LIMITED WAVELENGTH RANGE - A thermally assisted magnetic recording head includes core that propagates laser light as propagation light, a near-field light generator that faces a portion of the core and extends to an air bearing surface (ABS), the near-field light generator coupled to the propagation light propagating through the core so as to generate a surface plasmon, propagating the surface plasmon to an end part facing the ABS, and generating near-field light at the end part to irradiate the near-field light to a magnetic recording medium, a main magnetic pole layer provided in the vicinity of the near-field light generator where an end part is positioned on the ABS, a laser diode that generates laser light of wavelength 890 nm to 1,000 nm and enters the laser light into the core, and a photodiode provided on a silicon substrate measures an intensity of the laser light entering from the laser diode to the core. | 09-18-2014 |