Method of manufacturing thermally-assisted magnetic recording head and alignment apparatus

A method of manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head, comprising:

• providing a light source unit including a laser diode;
• providing a slider having a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head section thereon, the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head section including a magnetic pole, an optical waveguide, and a plasmon generator, the magnetic pole and the optical waveguide both extending toward an air bearing surface, the plasmon generator being located between the magnetic pole and the optical waveguide;
• driving the laser diode to allow a light beam to be emitted therefrom, the light beam including both a monomodal component exhibiting a light intensity distribution with a single peak and a bimodal component exhibiting a light intensity distribution with two peaks;
• performing an alignment between the light source unit and the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head section, based on the light intensity distribution of the monomodal component in the light beam which has been emitted from the laser diode and then passed through the optical waveguide;
• and
• bonding the light source unit to the slider after the alignment is completed.

An alignment apparatus allowing a light source unit including a laser diode to be aligned with a slider having a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head section thereon, the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head section including a magnetic pole, an optical waveguide, and a plasmon generator, the magnetic pole and the optical waveguide both extending toward an air bearing surface, the plasmon generator being located between the magnetic pole and the optical waveguide, the alignment apparatus comprising:

• a diver driving the laser diode to allow a light beam to be emitted therefrom, the light beam including both a transverse electric (TE) polarization component and a transverse magnetic (TM) polarization component;
• a photo-reception device receiving a light beam which has been emitted from the laser diode and then passed through the optical waveguide;
• and
• a controller controlling a relative-positional relationship between the light source unit and the slider, based on a light intensity distribution of the TE polarization component in the light beam which comes into the photo-reception device.

An alignment apparatus allowing a light source unit including a laser diode to be aligned with a slider having a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head section thereon, the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head section including a magnetic pole, an optical waveguide, and a plasmon generator, the magnetic pole and the optical waveguide both extending toward an air bearing surface, the plasmon generator being located between the magnetic pole and the optical waveguide, the alignment apparatus comprising:

• a diver driving the laser diode to allow a light beam to be emitted therefrom, the light beam including both a monomodal component exhibiting a light intensity distribution with a single peak and a bimodal component exhibiting a light intensity distribution with two peaks;
• a photo-reception device receiving a light beam which has been emitted from the laser diode and then passed through the optical waveguide;
• and
• a controller controlling a relative-positional relationship between the light source unit and the slider, based on a light intensity distribution of the monomodal component in the light beam which comes into the photo-reception device.