Cantilever of scanning probe microscope and method for manufacturing the same, method for inspecting thermal assist type magnetic head device and its apparatus

An inspection apparatus for inspecting a thermal assist type magnetic head device, comprising:

• a table unit that is movable in a plane while carrying the thermal assist type magnetic head device as a sample;
• a cantilever, having a probe with a magnetic film formed on its surface, to scan a surface of a sample placed on the table unit;
• a vibration drive unit that vibrates the cantilever in a vertical direction with respect to the surface of the sample;
• a displacement detection unit that emits light on a surface of the cantilever, vibrated with the vibration drive unit, opposite to a side where the probe is formed, to detect reflection light from the cantilever, so as to detect vibration of the cantilever;
• a signal output unit that outputs a signal to generate an alternating current magnetic field from a magnetic field generator of the sample;
• a laser emission unit that emits laser on the cantilever;
• a scattered light detection unit that detects scattered light generated from the surface of the sample caused by near-field light generated from the probe of the cantilever on which the laser is emitted with the laser emission unit;
• and
• a processing unit that processes the signal obtained by the detection of the displacement with the displacement detection unit and the signal obtained by the detection of the scattered light generated from the surface of the sample with the scattered light detection unit, and inspects at least one of the surface shape of the sample which generated the scattered light and the positional relation between the magnetic field generator and a near-field light emitter.

A method for inspecting a thermal assist type magnetic head device comprising the steps of:

• placing the thermal assist type magnetic head device as a sample on a table that is movable in a plane of a scanning probe microscope apparatus;
• generating an alternating current magnetic field from a magnetic field generator of the sample and generating near-field light from a near-field light emitter;
• detecting the alternating current magnetic field generated from the thermal assist type magnetic head device and scattered light caused by the near-field light by moving the table in the plane in a state where the cantilever of the scanning probe microscope, having a probe with a magnetic film formed its surface, is vibrated vertically in the close vicinity of a surface of the sample;
• and
• inspecting at least one of the intensity distribution of the near-field light emitted from, the near-field light emitter of the thermal assist type magnetic head device, the surface shape of the near-field light emitter and the positional relation between the magnetic field generator and the near-field light emitter, using occurrence position information of the detected alternating current magnetic field and occurrence position information of the near-field light based on the detected scattered light.

A method for inspecting a thermal assist type magnetic head device, comprising the steps of;

• placing the thermal assist type magnetic head device as a sample on a table that is movable in a plane of a scanning probe microscope apparatus;
• generating an alternating current magnetic field from a magnetic field generator of the sample and emitting laser on a cantilever of the scanning probe microscope apparatus having a probe with a magnetic film formed on its surface to generate near-field light from the probe;
• detecting the alternating current magnetic field generated from the thermal assist type magnetic head device by moving the table in the plane in a state where the cantilever is vertically vibrated in the close vicinity of the surface of the sample and detecting scattered light generated from the thermal assist type magnetic head device in the close vicinity of the generated near-field light;
• and
• inspecting the surface shapes of the magnetic field generator and the near-field light emitter of the sample and the positional relation between the magnetic field generator and the near-field light emitter using occurrence position information of the detected alternating current magnetic field and detection information of the scattered light generated with the near-field light.