Thermally-assisted magnetic recording head having expanded near-field light generating layer and method of manufacture

A method of manufacturing a thermally assisted magnetic head comprising a main magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole end face arranged within a medium-opposing surface opposing a magnetic recording medium;

• a near-field light generating layer having a generating end part arranged within the medium-opposing surface, the generating end part generating near-field light for heating the magnetic recording medium;
• and an optical waveguide guiding light to the near-field light generating layer, comprising:
• an optical waveguide forming step of forming an optical waveguide on a surface of a laminated body to have a rectangular parallelepiped-shape part on a side of a planned medium-opposing surface position which will become the medium-opposing surface afterward;
• an interposed layer forming step of forming an interposed layer using a dielectric substance on a side face and an upper end face of the optical waveguide;
• and
• a near-field light generating layer forming step of forming a near-field light generating layer by forming an expanded part having an extended base part in contact with a part of the interposed layer arranged on the side face of the optical waveguide and a base part connected with the extended base part, at a position distant from the planned medium-opposing surface position, and forming a near-field light generating part having the generating end part and arranged above the upper end face of the optical waveguide via the interposed layer in a manner to be connected with the base part.

A method of manufacturing a thermally assisted magnetic head comprising a main magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole end face arranged within a medium-opposing surface opposing a magnetic recording medium;

• a near-field light generating layer having a generating end part arranged within the medium-opposing surface, the generating end part generating near-field light for heating the magnetic recording medium;
• and an optical waveguide guiding light to the near-field light generating layer, comprising:
• an embedded metal layer forming step of forming in a depression an embedded metal layer which will be a part of the near-field light generating layer afterward by forming a base insulating layer and then forming the depression at a position, on a surface of the base insulating layer, distant from a planned medium-opposing surface position which will become the medium-opposing surface;
• a first dielectric substance layer forming step of forming, on a surface of a laminated body, a first dielectric substance layer in a band shape extending in a depth direction intersecting the medium-opposing surface from the planned medium-opposing surface position while covering a part of the embedded metal layer except both end parts along the medium-opposing surface;
• an optical waveguide forming step of forming an optical waveguide to cover a part of the first dielectric substance layer except both side parts along the medium-opposing surface;
• a second dielectric substance layer forming step of forming a second dielectric substance layer on the surface of the laminated body;
• a flattening step of flattening the surface of the laminated body by polishing the surface of the laminated body until a surface of the optical waveguide is exposed;
• a third dielectric substance layer forming step of forming a third dielectric substance layer on the surface of the laminated body;
• an interposed layer forming step of forming an interposed layer from the first dielectric substance layer, and the second dielectric substance layer and the third dielectric substance layer left by removing parts of the second dielectric substance layer and the third dielectric substance layer outside the first dielectric substance layer;
• and
• a near-field light generating layer forming step of forming a near-field light generating layer by forming an expanded part having extended base parts connected with the embedded metal layer and a base part connected with the extended base parts, and forming a near-field light generating part having the generating end part in a manner to be connected with the base part.

A head gimbal assembly comprising a slider having a thermally assisted magnetic head formed thereon,

• wherein the thermally assisted magnetic head comprising:
• a main magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole end face arranged within a medium-opposing surface opposing a magnetic recording medium;
• a near-field light generating layer having a generating end part arranged within the medium-opposing surface, the generating end part generating near-field light for heating the magnetic recording medium;
• and an optical waveguide guiding light to the near-field light generating layer,
• wherein the optical waveguide has a waveguide end face arranged within the medium-opposing surface, and extends in a depth direction intersecting the medium-opposing surface from the waveguide end face, and has an upper end face on a side closer to the main magnetic pole layer,
• wherein an interposed layer which is in direct contact with an outer surface of the optical waveguide including the upper end face is provided,
• wherein the near-field light generating layer has a near-field light generating part having the generating end part and formed above the upper end face of the optical waveguide via the interposed layer, and an expanded part connected with the near-field light generating part at a position more distant from the medium-opposing surface than is the near-field light generating part and formed on an outer surface of the interposed layer, and
• wherein the expanded part has a base part formed above the upper end face via the interposed layer, and an extended base part formed above a side face of the optical waveguide wherein the side face is connected with the upper end face via the interposed layer and connected with the base part.

A hard disk drive comprising a head gimbal assembly having a thermally assisted magnetic head, and a magnetic recording medium opposing the thermally assisted magnetic head,

• wherein the thermally assisted magnetic head comprising:
• a main magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole end face arranged within a medium-opposing surface opposing a magnetic recording medium;
• a near-field light generating layer having a generating end part arranged within the medium-opposing surface, the generating end part generating near-field light for heating the magnetic recording medium;
• and an optical waveguide guiding light to the near-field light generating layer,
• wherein the optical waveguide has a waveguide end face arranged within the medium-opposing surface, and extends in a depth direction intersecting the medium-opposing surface from the waveguide end face, and has an upper end face on a side closer to the main magnetic pole layer,
• wherein an interposed layer which is in direct contact with an outer surface of the optical waveguide including the upper end face is provided,
• wherein the near-field light generating layer has a near-field light generating part having the generating end part and formed above the upper end face of the optical waveguide via the interposed layer, and an expanded part connected with the near-field light generating part at a position more distant from the medium-opposing surface than is the near-field light generating part and formed on an outer surface of the interposed layer, and
• wherein the expanded part has a base part formed above the upper end face via the interposed layer, and an extended base part formed above a side face of the optical waveguide wherein the side face is connected with the upper end face via the interposed layer and connected with the base part.