Thermally-assisted magnetic recording head including a main pole and a plasmon generator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9659588-B2
Application number	US-201514825020-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2015
Priority date	Aug 12, 2015
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A main pole has a front end face including a first end face portion and a second end face portion. A plasmon generator has a near-field light generating surface. A surrounding layer has a first surrounding layer end face and a second surrounding layer end face located on opposite sides of the first end face portion in the track width direction. A gap film has a first gap film end face and a second gap film end face located on opposite sides of the near-field light generating surface in the track width direction. Each of the first and second gap film end faces includes a portion located between the first and second surrounding layer end faces, but does not include any portion interposed between the first surrounding layer end face and the first end face portion or between the second surrounding layer end face and the first end face portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermally-assisted magnetic recording head comprising:
a medium facing surface configured to face a recording medium;
a coil for producing a magnetic field corresponding to data to be written on the recording medium;
a main pole having a front end face located in the medium facing surface;
a waveguide including a core and a cladding, the core allowing light to propagate therethrough, the cladding being provided around the core;
a plasmon generator having a near-field light generating surface located in the medium facing surface;
a surrounding layer; and
a gap film for separating the plasmon generator from the surrounding layer, wherein
the main pole is configured to pass a magnetic flux corresponding to the magnetic field produced by the coil, and to produce from the front end face a write magnetic field for use to write the data on the recording medium,
the plasmon generator is configured to excite a surface plasmon on the plasmon generator based on the light propagating through the core, and to generate near-field light from the near-field light generating surface based on the surface plasmon,
the front end face of the main pole includes a first end face portion, and a second end face portion contiguous with the first end face portion,
the second end face portion is greater than the first end face portion in width in a track width direction,
the near-field light generating surface, the first end face portion and the second end face portion are arranged in this order along a direction of travel of the recording medium,
the main pole includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion including the first end face portion, the second portion including the second end face portion,
the surrounding layer has a first surrounding layer end face and a second surrounding layer end face, both located in the medium facing surface,
the first surrounding layer end face and the second surrounding layer end face are located on opposite sides of at least part of the first end face portion in the track width direction so that the at least part of the first end face portion is interposed between the first and second surrounding layer end faces,
the gap film has a first gap film end face and a second gap film end face, both located in the medium facing surface,
the first gap film end face and the second gap film end face are located on opposite sides of at least part of the near-field light generating surface in the track width direction so that the at least part of the near-field light generating surface is interposed between the first and second gap film end faces,
each of the first and second gap film end faces includes a portion located between the first and second surrounding layer end faces, but does not include any portion interposed between the first surrounding layer end face and the first end face portion or between the second surrounding layer end face and the first end face portion,
the first end face portion has a first edge closest to the near-field light generating surface, and a second edge located at a boundary between the first end face portion and the second end face portion,
the near-field light generating surface has a third edge closest to the first end face portion, and
respective midpoints of the first to third edges are located collinearly with one another, and the midpoint of the first edge lies on the first edge.

2. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head according to claim 1 , further comprising a separating film for separating the main pole from the surrounding layer, wherein
the separating film is a single continuous film, and at least part of the separating film is interposed between the main pole and the plasmon generator, between the main pole and the surrounding layer, and between the main pole and the gap film.

3. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head according to claim 1 , wherein the surrounding layer is formed of a nonmagnetic metal material.

4. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head according to claim 1 , wherein
the surrounding layer includes a first side shield and a second side shield each formed of a magnetic material,
the first side shield has a first side shield end face constituting at least part of the first surrounding layer end face, and
the second side shield has a second side shield end face constituting at least part of the second surrounding layer end face.

5. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head according to claim 1 , wherein the second edge is longer than the first edge.

6. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head according to claim 1 , wherein
the core has an evanescent light generating surface for generating evanescent light based on the light propagating through the core,
the plasmon generator has a plasmon exciting section located at a predetermined distance from the evanescent light generating surface and facing the evanescent light generating surface, and
in the plasmon generator, the surface plasmon is excited on the plasmon exciting section through coupling with the evanescent light generated by the evanescent light generating surface, the surface plasmon propagates to the near-field light generating surface, and the near-field light generating surface generates near-field light based on the surface plasmon.

7. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head according to claim 1 , wherein the front end face of the main pole is located on a front side in the direction of travel of the recording medium relative to the near-field light generating surface.

8. A manufacturing method for a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head, the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head comprising:
a medium facing surface configured to face a recording medium;
a coil for producing a magnetic field corresponding to data to be written on the recording medium;
a main pole having a front end face located in the medium facing surface;
a waveguide including a core and a cladding, the core allowing light to propagate therethrough, the cladding being provided around the core;
a plasmon generator having a near-field light generating surface located in the medium facing surface;
a surrounding layer; and
a gap film for separating the plasmon generator from the surrounding layer, wherein
the main pole is configured to pass a magnetic flux corresponding to the magnetic field produced by the coil, and to produce from the front end face a write magnetic field for use to write the data on the recording medium,
the plasmon generator is configured to excite a surface plasmon on the plasmon generator based on the light propagating through the core, and to generate near-field light from the near-field light generating surface based on the surface plasmon,
the front end face of the main pole includes a first end face portion, and a second end face portion contiguous with the first end face portion,
the second end face portion is greater than the first end face portion in width in a track width direction,
the near-field light generating surface, the first end face portion and the second end face portion are arranged in this order along a direction of travel of the recording medium,
the main pole includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion including the first end face portion, the second portion including the second end face portion,
the surrounding layer has a first surrounding layer end face and a second surrounding layer end face, both located in the medium facing surface,
the first surrounding layer end face and the second surrounding layer end face are located on opposite sides of at least part of the first end face portion in the track width direction so that the at least part of the first end

Assignees

• Sasaki Yoshitaka
• Ito Hiroyuki
• Tanemura Shigeki
• Araki Hironori
• Tomita Seiichiro
• Mamiya Hideo
• Headway Tech Inc

Inventors

• Sasaki Yoshitaka
• Ito Hiroyuki
• Tanemura Shigeki
• Araki Hironori
• Tomita Seiichiro
• Mamiya Hideo

Classifications

• G11B5/313

  Disposition of layers · CPC title

• G11B5/187

  Structure or manufacture of the surface of the head in physical contact with, or immediately adjacent to the recording medium; Pole pieces; Gap features (G11B5/265, {G11B5/29} , G11B5/31 take precedence) · CPC title

• G11B5/1278

  specially adapted for magnetisations perpendicular to the surface of the record carrier · CPC title

• G11B5/314 Primary

  where the layers are extra layers normally not provided in the transducing structure, e.g. optical layers (G11B5/3196 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G11B5/6088

  Optical waveguide in or on flying head · CPC title