Dynamic information storage or retrieval – Detail of optical slider per se
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-14
2004-08-24
Psitos, Aristotelis M. (Department: 2653)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
Detail of optical slider per se
C369S013170
Reexamination Certificate
active
06781950
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a slider member for an optical recording head adapted for recording and/or reproducing signals on or from a recording medium, such as an optical disc, a method for producing the slider member, and a recording and/or reproducing apparatus for recording and/or reproducing signals on or from a recording medium by an optical head employing such optical head.
2. Description of Related Art
An optical disc for recording and/or reproducing signals by illuminating light on a signal recording surface, such as a magneto-optical disc or a phase-change disc, is now in widespread use. In such optical disc, attempts are now being made in increasing the recording density by reducing the light spot diameter on the signal recording surface of the optical disc with a view to increasing the volume of the recordable information to the maximum extent possible.
In keeping up with the increasing recording density for the optical disc, attempts are also being made for reducing the spot diameter of the light illuminated on the signal recording surface of the optical disc to increase the recording density in an optical pickup configured for recording and/or reproducing signals on or from an optical disc.
Recently, it has been proposed to construct a slider member for an optical head carrying an optical lens, by utilizing the technique of the floating head slider in e.g., a hard disc device, and to collect and illuminate light on the signal recording surface of the optical disc by the optical lens loaded on the slider member to record and/or reproduce the signals, as the slider member is floated a pre-set amount above the signal recording surface.
If such slider member for the optical head is used in the optical disc device, the distance between the optical lens and the signal recording surface of the optical disc can be reduced significantly as compared to that when the light is illuminated on the signal recording surface of the optical disc from an optical head not provided with the slider member for the optical head. This enables the high NA lens to be used to reduce the spot diameter of the light illuminated on the signal recording surface of the optical disc.
If, in this optical disc device, a magneto-optical disc is to be used, magnetic field generating means needs to be provided for applying a magnetic field to the magneto-optical disc.
This magnetic field generating means may be provided separately from the above-mentioned slider member for the optical head. However, for reducing the size or simplifying the structure of the optical disc device, this slider member for the optical head is desirably provided as one with the slider member for the optical head. In such case, the magnetic field generating means is formed e.g., by a thin film coil embedded in a surface of the slider member facing the magneto-optical disc, and is mounted for encircling the focal point of the laser beam.
FIG. 1
shows a typical structure of the slider for the optical head. A slider for the optical head
100
, shown in
FIG. 1
, includes a slider member
102
, adapted for floating and running over a magneto-optical disc
101
during signal recording and/or reproduction on or from the magneto-optical disc
101
, and an optical lens
103
joined to the slider member
102
. An optical fiber
104
and a polarizing mirror
105
are built into the slider member
102
. A light beam L, guided by the optical fiber
104
, is incident on and collected by the optical lens
103
through the polarizing mirror
105
. The laser beam L, collected by the optical lens
103
, is illuminated on a signal recording layer
101
a
of the magneto-optical disc
101
.
This slider member
102
includes a thin-film coil
106
for applying a magnetic field across the magneto-optical disc
101
during recording and a terminal
107
electrically connected to this thin-film coil
106
. The thin-film coil
106
is formed on the surface of the slider member
102
facing the magneto-optical disc
101
by being coiled around the optical lens
103
. On the other hand, the terminal
107
is formed by an electrically conductive material being charged in a through-hole bored in the slider member
102
along its thickness to a position of an abutment with the thin-film coil
106
.
The slider member
102
is mounted on the distal end of a supporting arm
109
provided in the optical disc device to scan the magneto-optical disc
101
as the disc is run in rotation. The slider member
102
is also moved along the radius of the magneto-optical disc
101
as the supporting arm
109
is rotated.
A slider for the optical head
100
, described above, is floated over the magneto-optical disc
101
a pre-set amount under an air stream produced on rotation of the magneto-optical disc
101
. The slider for the optical head
100
, thus floated, illuminates a laser beam L, collected by the optical lens
103
loaded on the slider member
102
, on the signal recording layer
101
a
of the magneto-optical disc
101
. Signal recording and/or reproduction on or from the magneto-optical disc
101
is achieved by illuminating the laser beam L on the signal recording layer
101
a.
During recording, the thin-film coil
106
generates a magnetic field of a pre-set strength. This magnetic field is applied to the location of the signal recording layer
101
a
of the magneto-optical disc
101
illuminated by the laser beam L.
Meanwhile, in this slider for the optical head
100
, the through-hole
108
is bored through the slider member
102
along its thickness to a position of abutment against the thin-film coil
106
, as described above, and the electrically conductive material is charged into this through-hole
108
to form the terminal
107
electrically connected to the thin-film coil
106
.
However, since a variety of optical components, such as optical fiber
104
or the polarizing mirror
105
, are built into the slider member
102
, it becomes increasingly difficult to form the through-hole
108
in the slider member
102
for burying the above-mentioned terminal
107
as the slider for the optical head
100
becomes smaller in size.
Moreover, in forming the through-hole
108
, the slider member
102
is subjected to punching using a diamond drill or an ultrasonic machining device. However, since this necessitates extremely fine working, defects termed chipping tend to be produced in the through-hole
108
formed, or the through-hole
108
sometimes cannot be formed to high precision at the intended location in the slider member
102
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned drawback of the prior art and to provide a slider for an optical head which permits proper signal recording and/or reproduction on or from a recording medium, even if the slider for the optical head is of a small size, and which is easy to manufacture and high in operational reliability.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a slider for the optical head which enables the slider for the optical head to be manufactured easily and to high accuracy.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a recording and/or reproducing apparatus having an optical head employing the slider for the optical head.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a slider for an optical head including a slider member adapted for floating and running over a recording medium during recording and/or reproduction of information signals for the recording medium, an optical lens bonded to the slider member and magnetic field generating means provided on a surface of the slider member carrying the optical lens facing the recording medium. The slider member is formed with a terminal groove opened in a surface thereof facing the recording medium and in a lateral surface thereof, with an electrically conductive material being charged in the terminal groove. The electrically conductive material charged forms a terminal electrically connected
Katakura Toru
Mishima Akio
Kananen Ronald P.
Psitos Aristotelis M.
Rader & Fishman & Grauer, PLLC
Sony Corporation
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