Method of manufacturing heat-assisted magnetic recording head with internal mirror

A manufacturing method for a heat-assisted magnetic recording head that comprises:

• a medium facing surface that faces a recording medium;
• a magnetic pole that has an end face located in the medium facing surface, for producing a recording magnetic field for recording data on the recording medium;
• a waveguide that allows light to propagate therethrough;
• a near-field light generating element having a near-field light generating part located in the medium facing surface, a surface plasmon being excited based on the light propagating through the waveguide, the surface plasmon propagating to the near-field light generating part, the near-field light generating part generating near-field light based on the surface plasmon;
• an internal mirror;
• and
• a substrate having a top surface, wherein:
• the magnetic pole, the waveguide, the near-field light generating element, and the internal mirror are located above the top surface of the substrate;
• the internal mirror includes a reflecting film support body and a reflecting film, the reflecting film support body including at least one layer, the reflecting film being supported by the reflecting film support body, the internal mirror reflecting light that comes from above the waveguide so that the reflected light travels through the waveguide toward the medium facing surface,
• the manufacturing method comprising the steps of.
• forming the magnetic pole;
• forming the internal mirror;
• forming the waveguide;
• and
• forming the near-field light generating element, wherein:
• the step of forming the internal mirror includes the step of forming the reflecting film support body and the step of forming the reflecting film;
• the reflecting film support body includes a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface, each of the first and second inclined surfaces having a front end and a rear end;
• the rear end of the first inclined surface is located farther from the medium facing surface and farther from the top surface of the substrate than is the front end of the first inclined surface;
• the front end of the second inclined surface is located farther from the medium facing surface and farther from the top surface of the substrate than is the front end of the first inclined surface;
• the rear end of the second inclined surface is located farther from the medium facing surface and farther from the top surface of the substrate than are the rear end of the first inclined surface and the front end of the second inclined surface;
• the step of forming the reflecting film support body includes the steps of:
• forming an initial support body that is intended to undergo the formation of the first and second inclined surfaces therein later to thereby become the reflecting film support body;
• and
• etching the initial support body so that the first and second inclined surfaces are formed in the initial support body and the initial support body thereby becomes the reflecting film support body;
• the step of etching the initial support body includes:
• the step of forming a first etching mask that covers a part of the initial support body except an area where the first inclined surface is to be formed later as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate;
• the first etching step of taper-etching the initial support body by reactive ion etching using the first etching mask;
• the step of removing the first etching mask;
• the step of forming a second etching mask that covers a part of the initial support body except an area where the first and second inclined surfaces are to be formed later as viewed in the direction perpendicular to the top surface of the substrate;
• the second etching step of taper-etching the initial support body by reactive ion etching using the second etching mask;
• and
• the step of removing the second etching mask;
• after the second etching step, the first and second inclined surfaces are completed and the initial support body thereby becomes the reflecting film support body;
• and
• the reflecting film includes a first portion located on the first inclined surface and a second portion located on the second inclined surface, the first portion including a first reflecting surface, the second portion including a second reflecting surface.