Head slider with precise positioning actuator and manufacturing method of the head slider

#The present invention relates to a head slider with a precise positioning actuator for a head element such as a thin-film magnetic head element or an optical head element, and to a manufacturing method of the head slider.

#In a magnetic disk drive apparatus, thin-film magnetic head elements for writing magnetic information into and/or reading magnetic information from magnetic disks are in general formed on magnetic head sliders flying in operation above the rotating magnetic disks. The sliders are supported at top end sections of suspensions of HGAs, respectively.

#Recently, recording and reproducing density along the radial direction or along the track width direction in the magnetic disk (track density) rapidly increase to satisfy the requirement for ever increasing data storage capacities and densities in today's magnetic disk drive apparatus. For advancing the track density, the position control of the magnetic head element with respect to the track in the magnetic disk by a voice coil motor (VCM) only has never presented enough accuracy.

#FIG. 1 is an oblique view schematically illustrating a magnetic head slider with a precise positioning actuator in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a part of a manufacturing process of the magnetic head slider in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

#FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a part of a manufacturing process of the magnetic head slider in the embodiment of FIG. 1 and its modifications;

#FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a magnetic head slider with a precise positioning actuator in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention.

#In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a magnetic head section constituted by a very thin substrate 10a with a thickness of about 50 μm for example and a thin-film layer 10d with a thickness of about 35-50 μm formed on the substrate 10a, and 11 denotes an actuator section fixed by an adhesion for example to a rear surface of the magnetic head section 10, which is opposite to an element-formed surface or a front surface. The thin-film layer 10d includes a thin-film magnetic head element 10b and its terminal electrodes 10c.

#The actuator section 11 is constituted by a base member 11b and a thin actuator layer 11a laminated on the base member 11b. An surface of the actuator layer 11a, which is opposite to a surface laminated on the base member 11b is fixed to the rear surface of the magnetic head section 10. On a bottom surface of the actuator section 11, which is hidden in the figure or which is perpendicular to the element-formed surface of the magnetic head section 10, an ABS is formed.