Magnetic head inspection method, magnetic head inspection device, and magnetic head manufacturing method

A magnetic head inspection device, adapted to inspect characteristics of a magnetic head in a rowbar shape sliced from a wafer, comprising:

• a cantilever means, provided with a magnetic probe at a front end thereof and oscillated at a specific frequency;
• a probe means, in contact with connecting terminals of head sliders in the rowbar shape, for providing an excitation signal to a write pole of the magnetic head;
• a scanning means, for enabling the magnetic probe to perform a scanning motion along a recording portion of the magnetic head provided with the excitation signal while being maintained at a position with a distance from the recording portion of the write pole equivalent to a flying height of the magnetic head relative to a magnetic disk;
• a detection means, for detecting an oscillation state of the cantilever means during the scanning motion of the scanning means;
• and
• a computing means, for calculating an effective track width of the magnetic head according to a signal representing the oscillation state of the cantilever means detected by the detection means.

A magnetic head inspection device, adapted to inspect characteristics of a magnetic head in a rowbar shape sliced from a wafer, comprising:

• a cantilever means of an atomic force microscope (AFM), oscillated at a specific frequency;
• a magnetic field detection means, comprised of a Hall element or a magneto resistance (MR) element mounted on the cantilever means;
• a probe means, in contact with connecting terminals of head sliders in the rowbar shape, for providing an excitation signal to a write pole of the magnetic head;
• a scanning means, for enabling the magnetic field detection means to perform a scanning motion along a recording portion of the magnetic head provided with the excitation signal while being maintained at a position with a distance from the recording portion of the write pole equivalent to a flying height of the magnetic head relative to a magnetic disk;
• a detection means, for detecting a signal output from the magnetic field detection means during the scanning motion of the scanning means;
• and
• a computing means, for calculating an effective track width of the magnetic head according to the signal detected by the detection means.

A magnetic head manufacturing method, adapted to manufacture a magnetic head by following processes, comprising:

• a wafer process, for performing film deposition, etching, and cleaning processes;
• a rowbar process, for slicing a bar-shaped rowbar from a wafer passing through the wafer process, and performing lapping, air bearing surface (ABS) formation, cleaning, and carbon protective film deposition processes on the rowbar;
• a write pole test process, for measuring an effective track width of the magnetic heads in the bar-shaped rowbar by using a magnetic force microscope (MFM), a scanning Hall probe microscope (SHPM), or a scanning magneto resistance effect microscope (SMRM);
• a read element test process, for measuring electromagnetic conversion characteristics of each of read elements within the bar-shaped rowbar;
• a slider process, for dividing up each of the magnetic heads and machining the bar-shaped rowbar into individual chip shape sliders, and performing a cleaning and an inspection process;
• and
• a head gimbal assembly (HGA) process, for connecting the magnetic head already machined into the chip shape to a suspension, and performing a cleaning and an inspection process.

A magnetic head manufacturing method, adapted to manufacture a magnetic head by following processes, comprising:

• a wafer process, for performing film deposition, etching, and cleaning processes;
• a rowbar process, for slicing a bar-shaped rowbar from a wafer passing through the wafer process, and performing lapping, air bearing surface (ABS) formation, cleaning, and carbon protective film deposition processes on the rowbar;
• a write pole test process, for enabling a magnetic probe of a cantilever means of a magnetic force microscope (MFM) to perform a scanning motion along a surface of a write pole portion of the magnetic head while being maintained at a position with a distance from a recording portion of the magnetic head equivalent to a flying height of the magnetic head relative to a magnetic disk, and detect a signal representing an oscillation state of the cantilever means, and measure an effective track width of the magnetic head according to the signal in a state that the write pole portion of the magnetic head in the bar-shaped rowbar is provided with an excitation signal;
• a read element test process, for measuring electromagnetic conversion characteristics of a read element within the bar-shaped rowbar;
• a slider process, for dividing up each of the magnetic heads and machining the bar-shaped rowbar into individual chip shape sliders, and performing a cleaning and an inspection process;
• and
• a head gimbal assembly (HGA) process, for connecting the magnetic head already machined into the chip shape to a suspension, and performing a cleaning and an inspection process.

A magnetic head manufacturing method, adapted to manufacture a magnetic head by following processes, comprising:

• a wafer process, for performing film deposition, etching, and cleaning processes;
• a rowbar process, for slicing a bar-shaped rowbar from a wafer passing through the wafer process, and performing lapping, air bearing surface (ABS) formation, cleaning, and carbon protective film deposition processes on the rowbar;
• a write pole test process, for enabling a Hall element or a magneto resistance (MR) element mounted on a cantilever means of an atomic force microscope (AFM) to perform a scanning motion along a surface of a write pole portion of the magnetic head while being maintained at a position with a distance from a recording portion of the magnetic head equivalent to a flying height of the magnetic head relative to a magnetic disk, and detect a signal from the Hall element or the MR element, and measure an effective track width of the magnetic head according to the signal in a state that the write pole portion of the magnetic head in the bar-shaped rowbar is provided with an excitation signal;
• a read element test process, for measuring electromagnetic conversion characteristics of a read element within the bar-shaped rowbar;
• a slider process, for dividing up each of the magnetic heads and machining the bar-shaped rowbar into individual chip shape sliders, and performing a cleaning and an inspection process;
• and
• a head gimbal assembly (HGA) process, for joining the magnetic head already machined into the chip shape to a suspension, and performing a cleaning and an inspection process.