Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Fluid bearing head support – Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
2003-02-18
2003-12-23
Klimowicz, William (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Fluid bearing head support
Disk record
C360S236400, C360S236500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06667854
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic head to be mounted in a hard magnetic disk device and the like, and to a production method therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional magnetic head to be mounted in a hard magnetic disk device and the like, as shown in
FIGS. 19 and 20
, a load beam
60
made of a stainless steel plate is provided with a mounting section
61
, a flexible printed circuit board
62
, and a flexure
63
made of a stainless steel thin plate. On the surface of the flexure
63
, a conductive pattern
63
b
is formed via a resin layer of polyimide or the like and is electrically connected to a wiring section of the flexible printed circuit board
62
.
The leading end of the flexure
63
is partly cut out to form a tongue portion
63
a
which has a slider S
5
fixed thereon.
The slider S
5
comprises a nearly rectangular slider substrate
64
made of a ceramic material, such as Al
2
O
3
—TiC, a head element
65
formed on one end face
64
a
of the slider substrate
64
, bumps
66
made of a good conductive material, such as Ni, so as to be electrically connected to the head element
65
, and a protective film
67
made of an insulating material, such as alumina, so as to cover the head element
65
. Exposed portions
66
a
of the bumps
66
exposed from the protective film
67
are flush with or protrude from the surface of the protective film
67
.
The other end face
64
d
of the slider substrate
64
on the opposite side from the one end face
64
a
is a planar surface in parallel with the one end face
64
a
. On an upper surface
64
c
of the slider substrate
64
orthogonal to the one end face
64
a
, a silicon film and a carbon film are stacked in order, and an air groove
64
e
and rail portions
64
f
on both sides of the air groove
64
e
are formed, thereby forming a magnetic disk opposing surface of the slider S
5
.
A bottom surface
64
b
of the slider substrate
64
of the slider S
5
on the opposite side from the upper surface
64
c
is fixedly bonded to the flexure
64
. At the corners formed between the end face
64
a
of the slider S
5
and the flexure
63
, nearly spherical balls
69
made of metal, such as Au, are bonded to both the exposed portions
66
a
of the bumps
66
and the leading end of the conductive pattern
63
b
, whereby the bumps
66
and the conductive pattern
63
b
are electrically connected via the balls
69
.
A method for producing the slider S
5
of the conventional magnetic head will now be described. Referring to
FIG. 21
, a plurality of head elements
65
and bumps
66
respectively connected thereto are arranged on the surface of a wafer
70
made of a ceramic material, such as Al
2
O
3
—TiC, so as to serve as a base material of slider substrates
64
. Subsequently, a protective film
67
is formed on the surface of the wafer
70
so as to cover the head elements
65
and the bumps
66
, and the surface of the protective film
67
is lapped so as to expose exposed portions
66
a
of the bumps
66
from the protective film
67
.
Then, as shown in
FIG. 22
, the wafer
70
is cut into slider bars
68
so that the cutting surfaces serve as upper surfaces
64
c
and bottom surfaces
64
b
of slider substrates
64
. A plurality of head elements
65
and bumps
66
are arranged on one side face
68
a
of each slider bar
68
. The other side face
68
d
of the slider bar
68
on the opposite side from the one side face
68
a
is a planar surface in parallel therewith.
As shown in
FIG. 23
, a plurality of slider bars
68
are placed on a jig
72
so that one side faces
68
a
are oriented in the same direction and so that bottom surfaces
68
b
, serving as the bottom surfaces
64
b
of the slider substrates
64
, are fixedly bonded to the jig
72
. In this case, as shown in
FIG. 24
, the exposed portion
66
a
of the bump
66
in each slider bar
68
is in contact with the other side face
68
d
of the adjoining slider bar
68
.
Subsequently, a silicon film and a carbon film are deposited and stacked in order on upper surfaces
68
c
of the slider bars
68
, serving as the upper surfaces
64
c
of the slider substrates
64
, by ECR-CVD.
A resist film (not shown) is formed on the upper surfaces
68
c
of the slider bars
68
and is patterned by photolithography so as to conform to the shape of a magnetic disk opposing surface of the slider S
5
.
In a dry etching process, portions of the upper surfaces
68
c
of the slider bars
68
exposed from the resist film are removed by irradiation with ions or electrons, thereby forming magnetic disk opposing surfaces of the sliders S
5
.
Then, the resist film is stripped off the upper surfaces
68
c
of the slider bars
68
, and the slider bars
68
are separated from the jig
72
and each are divided into sliders S
5
. The production of sliders S
5
is thereby completed.
In the conventional magnetic head and the production method therefor described above, the exposed portions
66
a
of the bumps
66
exposed from the protective film
67
of the slider S
5
are in contact with the other end face
64
d
of the slider substrate
64
made of Al
2
O
3
—TiC in another slider S
5
in the production procedure.
In such a condition, the slider substrate
64
is electrically charged due to irradiation with ions or electrons in a film deposition process for forming a silicon film and a carbon film by ECR-CVD and a dry etching process utilizing ion milling or the like. Since the slider substrate
64
made of Al
2
O
3
—TiC or the like is conductive, charges move from the slider substrate
64
into the bumps
66
in contact with the other end face
64
d
of another slider substrate
64
, as shown in
FIG. 24
, whereby the head element
65
is electrostatically damaged.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic head in which a head element is not electrostatically damaged even during a film deposition process using ECR-CVD and a dry etching process, and to provide a production method for the magnetic head.
In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic head having a slider, wherein the slider includes a slider substrate, at least one of head element formed on one end face of the slider substrate, a protective film for covering the head element, and a plural bump electrically connected to the head element and having an exposed portion exposed from the protective film, and wherein the other end face of the slider substrate on the opposite side from the one end face with the head element is provided with an insulating-film.
In such a configuration of the magnetic head, the other end face of the charged slider substrate does not contact a bump formed of another slider substrate during the production procedure. Consequently, charges of the charged slider substrate will not move into the bump, and this can prevent electrostatic damage of the head element.
Preferably, the insulating film covers the entirety of the other end face of the slider substrate. This makes it possible to more reliably insulate the charged slider substrate from a bump of another slider substrate.
Preferably, the exposed portion of the bump is flush with or protrudes from the surface of the protective film. This makes it possible to select ball bonding or wire bonding in order to electrically connect the bump and a conductive pattern electrically connected to the outside.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic head having a slider, wherein the slider includes a slider substrate, at least one of head element formed on one end face of the slider substrate, a protective film for covering the head element, and a plural bump electrically connected to the head element and having an exposed portion exposed from the protective film, and wherein the other end face of the slider substrate on the opposite side from the one end face with the head element has a projecting portion, and the distance
Kawata Sadao
Sato Toshihiko
Yokoyama Masaharu
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Klimowicz William
LandOfFree
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