Method of producing magnetic head

Details Method of producing magnetic head Method of producing magnetic head

1999-04-14

2003-07-15

Tugbang, A. Dexter (Department: 3729)

Metal working

Method of mechanical manufacture

Electrical device making

C029S603010, C029S603120, C029S603150, C029S603160, C428S065100, C428S141000, C428S690000, C360S125330, C360S125020, C360S125330, C360S135000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06591478

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic head mounted on, for example, a hard disk drive, and comprising a slider, and particularly to a magnetic head wherein the starting force required for starting a recording medium is decreased, and at the same time, a thin film element provided on the trailing side end of a slider can be protected from contact with the recording medium, and a production method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 8A
is a plan view showing a magnetic head mounted on a hard disk with a surface opposite to a recording medium upward,
FIG. 8B
is a sectional view of the magnetic head shown in
FIG. 8A
taken along line VIIIB—VIIIB of
FIG. 8A
, and
FIG. 8C
is a sectional view of the magnetic head shown in
FIG. 8A
taken along line VIIIC—VIIIC of FIG.
8
A.
In the magnetic head H shown in these drawings, the upstream side (a) in the movement direction X of a disk is referred to as the leading side, and the downstream side (b) is referred to as the trailing side. A slider
1
comprises a ceramic material, and rails
4
are formed on both sides of an air groove
7
in a portion of the slider
1
opposite to the disk. As shown in
FIG. 8B
, each of the rails
4
has a convex sectional shape, and an opposite surface (air bearing surface; ABS)
5
is formed at the top of the convex sectional shape of each of the rails
4
so as to contact the recording surface of the disk when the magnetic head H is stopped. Each of the opposite surfaces
5
is processed to a crown shape with a predetermined curvature. As shown in
FIG. 8C
, each of the rails
4
has an inclined surface
6
formed at the leading-side end thereof.
As shown in
FIGS. 8A and 8C
, at the end
2
of the slider
1
on the trailing side (b) thereof are provided a thin film element
3
and a protecting film
8
for covering the thin film element
3
. The thin film element
3
comprises a MR head (reading head) for detecting a fringing magnetic field to read a magnetic signal, and an inductive head (writing head) having a coil patterned thereon. The protecting film
8
comprises a non-magnetic ceramic material, e.g., aluminum oxide (Al
2
O
3
) or the like.
The slider
1
of the magnetic head H is supported by a flexure fixed at the tip of a load beam comprising a leaf spring so as to be urged on the disk by the elastic force of the load beam. The magnetic head H is used for a so-called CSS (Contact Start Stop) system hard disk device in which when the disk is stopped, the opposite surfaces
5
of the slider
1
contact the recording surface of the disk due to the elastic force. When the disk is started, a flow of air is guided into between the slider
1
and the surface of the disk along the movement direction (X direction) of the disk, and the opposite surfaces
5
are subjected to floating force of the flow of air to float the slider
1
at a short distance from the surface of the disk.
In the floating state, the slider
1
is in an inclined state wherein the leading side (a) rises from the disk more than the trailing side (b). In this floating state, the MR head of the thin film element
3
detects a magnetic signal from the disk, or the inductive head writes the magnetic signal.
A disk driving motor provided on the CSS system hard disk device requires starting torque sufficient to securely start the disk and the slider sliding. When the starting torque required for starting the disk and the slider is increased, a large motor must be used for the hard disk drive, thereby limiting miniaturization of the device and causing the problem of increasing power consumption.
The torque required for starting the disk depends upon the static frictional force between the opposite surfaces
5
of the slider
1
and the disk surface. In order to decrease the starting torque required for starting the disk, it is necessary to decrease the static frictional force.
In a conventional hard disk serving as a recording medium, since the disk surface has relatively high roughness, even if the opposite surfaces
5
of the slider are relative smooth surfaces, it is possible to decrease the real contact area between the disk surface and the opposite surfaces
5
, and consequently possible to decease the static frictional force.
However, a recent hard disk for high-density recording has had the tendency that the disk surface becomes smooth. The reason for this is that when the surface of the hard disk is roughed, protrusions are nonuniformly formed on the disk surface, and thus the slider
1
in a floating state collides with the protrusions on the disk surface to damage the disk surface during magnetic recording or reproduction by the magnetic head. When the slider
1
repeatedly collides with and contacts the protrusions on the disk surface, the thin film element
3
mounted at the end
2
of the slider
1
is damaged, thereby deteriorating recording and reproduction performance. In addition, heat is generated by collision and contact between the slider
1
and the disk surface, thereby causing the problem of generating noise in the reproduced output. Particularly, in a hard disk for high-density recording, it is necessary to decrease the spacing between the thin film element
3
and the disk surface, and thus avoid the formation of irregular protrusions on the disk surface. Therefore, the hard disk for high-density recording tend to have a smooth disk surface close to a mirror surface.
When the disk surface of the hard disk is a smooth surface, the above problems can be solved. However, when both the disk surface and the opposite surfaces
5
of the slider are smooth surfaces, a lubricant or water film coated on the disk surface are present between the disk and the slider
1
when the hard disk device is stopped, and thus the slider
1
is adhered to the disk. Therefore, the static frictional force is increased when the disk is started, and large starting torque is thus required for starting the disk.
Therefore, in a hard disk device having a smooth disk surface for high-density recording, it is necessary to rough the opposite surfaces
5
of the slider
1
to decrease the real contact area between the opposite surfaces
5
and the disk surface.
As a method for roughing the opposite surfaces
5
of the slider
1
, for example, a texturing method is known in which the opposite surfaces
5
are chemically etched or sputtered to form protrusions on the opposite surfaces
5
.
However, this method easily damages the thin film element
3
by chemical etching and increases an element recess. An increase in the element recess causes an increase in spacing loss between the thin film element
3
and the disk surface, and deterioration in the efficiency of signal writing and reading sensitivity. In some cases, the thin film element
3
is broken, thereby making normal reading and writing impossible.
The above texturing process is difficult to form protrusions around the thin film element
3
without damaging the thin film element
3
. Therefore, no protrusion is formed around the thin film element
3
, and thus the thin film element
3
contact directly the disk surface when the hard disk is stopped. When sliding of the hard disk is started, the thin film element
3
is liable to be damaged and worn.
Further, the texturing process requires complicated steps and many steps, and the processing equipment used in the texturing process is very expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achieved for solving the above problems of a conventional magnetic head, and an object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic head which permits easy formation of protrusions on opposite surfaces of a slider using a laser, and particularly a magnetic head which permits formation of protrusions around a thin film element without damage to the thin film element, and a production method thereof.
In order to achieve the object, the present invention provides a magnetic head comprising a slider which contacts the surface of a recording medium when the recording

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