JP4191458B2 - Manufacturing method of near-field optical head - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical information recording / reproducing head that performs near-high-density recording / reproduction exceeding the diffraction limit of light using near-field light, and in particular, a certain minute flying height from the surface of the medium due to air levitation force from a rotating recording medium. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a slider head that accesses the surface of a medium while flying above.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Since an optical head using near-field light has a resolution that does not depend on the diffraction limit of light, it is expected to be applied to a next-generation ultrahigh-density data storage device. The concept of a typical near-field optical data storage device 1 is shown in FIG. The near-field optical head 3 is adhered to the tip of the suspension arm 2 in the same manner as the magnetic head of the conventional magnetic recording apparatus, and the suspension arm 2 can be moved in the radial direction of the recording medium 4 by the voice coil motor 5. The near-field optical head 3 floats with a small flying height from the surface of the recording medium 4 by the air flying force from the rotating recording medium 4 and interacts with a minute region on the medium surface via near-field light.
[0003]
A cross section of the near-field optical head 3 is shown in FIG. A slider 6 for realizing stable flying is formed on the bottom surface of the substrate 7, so that it floats with a flying height of several to several tens of nm from the medium surface. Similarly, a conical tip 11 is formed on the bottom surface of the substrate 7, and its side surface is covered with a light shielding film 9. Since the tip 11 is not covered with the light shielding film 9, the tip 11 is an optical opening 8. Light from a laser (not shown) is guided to the near-field optical head 3 by an optical fiber (not shown) or an optical waveguide (not shown), and becomes incident light 10 to the near-field optical head 3.
[0004]
A conventional method for producing a near-field optical head is processed by rotating a substrate while observing one by one using a high-precision fine processing technique such as FIB (focused ion beam) (for example, patents). Reference 1).
[0005]
In another conventional method for producing a near-field optical head, a large number of sliders and tips are produced simultaneously by isotropic etching of a substrate (see, for example, Patent Document 2). This method is simplified and described with reference to FIG. First, in step S <b> 901, a resist 12 is applied to the lower surface of the transparent substrate 7. In step S902, the tip mask 13 and the slider mask 14 are patterned by exposure, and isotropic etching is performed in step S903. Step S904 is an etching state until the tip of the tip 11 is sharpened, and the ABS (Air Bearing Surface) of the slider 6 uses the lower surface of the original substrate 7. Thereafter, when the etching is advanced, the tip of the tip 11 becomes lower from the substrate 7 than the ABS of the slider 6 as in step S905. Next, after depositing the light shielding film 15 in step S906, patterning is performed so that the light shielding film 15 is left only in the vicinity of the tip 11 in step S907. Finally, in step S908, the light shielding film 15 is plastically deformed by pressing a hard flat plate such as a glass plate against the tip of the tip 11, and the optical opening 8 is formed.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-265520 (page 7, lines 12-14, FIG. 9)
[0007]
[Patent Document 2]
Republication 2000-28536 (page 74, lines 17-25, FIG. 40)
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
According to the method cited in Patent Document 1, a shape having an accuracy depending on the processing accuracy of the FIB can be produced. On the other hand, it is basically produced one by one and is not suitable for mass production. According to Patent Document 1, page 7, lines 10 to 11, it takes about 10 minutes to manufacture one opening and a slider, and the cost for a skilled engineer to operate an expensive device is considerably high. .
[0009]
According to the method cited in Patent Document 2, the tip end is etched in the process from step S904 to step S905 in FIG. 10, and the optical aperture 8 is formed from the ABS of the slider 6 in the head completed in step S908. Located in a retreated place. Since near-field light is attenuated strongly depending on the distance from the optical aperture 8, in optical recording and reproduction using near-field light, it is important to make the optical aperture 8 as close as possible to the recording medium. It becomes. When the optical aperture 8 is retracted from the ABS as shown in FIG. 9, the intensity of near-field light interacting with the medium decreases, and the near-field light distribution is also spatially widened on the medium surface. As a result, the obtained signal strength and resolution are lowered, and a high-performance head cannot be realized. In step S904, it is impossible to stop etching at the moment when the tip end is sharpened, as long as the sharpened moment cannot be detected. The etching time until sharpening can be calculated based on the etching rate, but due to the variation in etching rate, it is impossible to manufacture the tip 11 tip with precision of several nm from ABS. It is. If the etching is stopped before the tip 11 is sharpened, the size of the optical opening 8 formed in step S908 is defined by the size of the tip 11 tip, so that a minute opening cannot be formed.
[0010]
Further, when the head contacts the surface of the recording medium due to external vibration or the like, the optical aperture 8 may be fatally damaged. In order to prevent this, it is conceivable to provide a tip protector in the vicinity of the optical aperture 8, but this tip protector must protrude beyond the optical aperture 8 toward the recording medium surface, and Strict conditions are required that the amount of protrusion must be small. If such a structure is manufactured by the method cited in Patent Document 1, it takes a very long time and a high cost. Moreover, it is impossible to produce by the method cited in Patent Document 2.
[0011]
As described above, a high-performance near-field optical head must have a structure that stably floats with the optical aperture as close as possible to the recording medium. In addition, a method for manufacturing such a structure at low cost is required. As described above, the conventional manufacturing method cannot satisfy these conditions at the same time.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has a slider that receives air levitation force from the surface of a rotating recording medium and a cone-shaped tip having an optical opening at the tip, and is generated from the optical opening. In a method of manufacturing a near-field optical head that interacts with the surface of the recording medium via near-field light, the substrate is processed to form the substrate Surface facing the recording medium Partially Different height plural Flat part Process to have The plurality of planar portions of the processed substrate Out of 1 of height have With the first plane At the same time that the slider is manufactured, Flat part Out of 2 of height have With the second plane A method of manufacturing a near-field optical head, comprising the step of manufacturing the tip.
[0013]
As a result, the optical aperture that generates near-field light and the distance of the slider surface from the surface of the recording medium can be set separately, and the set value can be made to match with high accuracy, and the head can be manufactured. Design in which the resolution does not depend on the flying height of the slider surface is possible. In addition, it is possible to manufacture a large amount of such a head at a low cost.
[0014]
In the method of manufacturing the near-field optical head, the first 1 of height Said 2 of height than Low The height Is smaller than the flying height of the slider from the surface of the recording medium.
[0015]
Thereby, the distance between the optical aperture and the recording medium becomes shorter than the distance between the slider and the recording medium, and the optical aperture can be brought close to the recording medium without reducing the flying height of the slider.
[0016]
In the method of manufacturing the near-field optical head, the first 1 of height Said 2 of height than High It is characterized by that.
[0017]
As a result, the distance between the optical aperture and the recording medium is longer than the distance between the slider and the recording medium, and even if the slider contacts the recording medium, the opening is prevented from contacting the recording medium, which is highly reliable. A near-field optical head can be realized.
[0018]
In any one of the above-described methods for producing a near-field optical head, the step of producing the slider and the tip simultaneously is performed by etching the substrate.
[0019]
As a result, both the optical aperture and the slider can be simultaneously manufactured only by using a conventional semiconductor process, and a high-performance near-field optical head can be mass-produced at a low cost.
[0020]
A slider that receives air levitation force from the surface of the rotating recording medium; a cone-shaped tip having an optical opening at a tip; and a tip protector having a height equal to or higher than the tip near the tip; In a method of manufacturing a near-field optical head that interacts with the recording medium surface via near-field light generated from an optical aperture, the substrate is processed to form the substrate Surface facing the recording medium Partially Different height plural Flat part Process to have The plurality of planar portions of the processed substrate Out of 1 of height have With the first plane At the same time that the slider is manufactured, Flat part Out of 2 of height have With the second plane Making the tip, and simultaneously, the plurality of Flat part The third of height have With the third plane Producing the tip protector.
[0021]
Thereby, even when the head contacts the recording medium, a highly reliable near-field optical head having a structure in which the tip protector protects the opening can be manufactured.
[0022]
In the method of manufacturing the near-field optical head, the first 2 of height And said 3 of height Are equal to each other.
[0023]
Thus, even when the head contacts the recording medium, the tip protector protects the opening, and when the head is slightly separated from the recording medium, the tip protector does not contact the recording medium. A near-field optical head having a structure that can be brought very close to the surface of the recording medium can be manufactured.
[0024]
In the method of manufacturing the near-field optical head, the first 1 of height Said 2 of height than Low The height Is smaller than the flying height of the slider from the surface of the recording medium.
[0025]
Thus, even when the head comes into contact with the recording medium, the near-field optical head has a structure in which the tip protector protects the opening and the distance between the opening and the recording medium surface can be smaller than the flying height of the slider. Can be made.
[0026]
In the method of manufacturing the near-field optical head, the first 1 of height Said 2 of height than High It is characterized by that.
[0027]
This makes it possible to produce a highly reliable near-field optical head in which the tip protector protects the opening even when the head contacts the recording medium, and the opening does not contact even when the slider contacts the recording medium. it can.
[0028]
In the method of manufacturing the near-field optical head, the step of simultaneously manufacturing the slider, the tip, and the tip protector is performed by etching the substrate.
[0029]
As a result, even when the head contacts the recording medium, the tip protector protects the aperture, and both the optical aperture and the slider can be fabricated simultaneously using only a conventional semiconductor process. Optical head can be mass-produced at low cost.
[0030]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a near-field optical head 21 manufactured by the method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The near-field optical head 21 has a size of about 1 mm in length, 1 mm in width, and a thickness of about 0.3 mm, for example. The near-field optical head 21 has a conical tip 23 and a slider 24 on the lower surface of the transparent substrate 22. The tip 23 is covered with a light shielding film 25 on the side surface. Since the tip of the tip 23 is not covered with the light shielding film 25, the tip 23 is an optical opening 27. Light emitted from a laser (not shown) is guided by an optical fiber or an optical waveguide (both not shown) and becomes incident light 30 to the near-field optical head 21. If necessary, a minute mirror or lens may be arranged on the path until the light from the laser reaches the near-field optical head 21. The lower surface of the slider 24 is an air bearing surface (ABS) 28. The slider 24 receives an air levitation force generated when the near-field optical head 21 is brought close to the surface of the rotating recording medium. The near-field optical head 21 floats away from the surface of the recording medium by a certain minute distance due to the balance with the load applied to the recording medium.
[0031]
A feature of the near-field optical head 21 manufactured by the method according to the present embodiment is that the optical aperture 27 protrudes from the ABS 28 by ΔH. The ABS 28 floats from the recording medium with a flying height of, for example, 30 nm, and ΔH is, for example, 20 nm. That is, in this case, the optical aperture 27 floats with a flying height of 10 nm from the recording medium. Near-field light is generated downward from the optical aperture 27, and its intensity is attenuated exponentially depending on the distance from the optical aperture 27. Also, the spatial spread of near-field light depends on the distance from the optical aperture 27, and the spread increases as the distance increases. This means that the resolution and S / N ratio, which are important performances of the head, depend on the distance between the optical aperture 27 and the recording medium, that is, the flying height of the optical aperture 27. In order to realize a high-performance head, it is required to make the flying height of the optical aperture 27 as small as possible. In the near-field optical head 21 having the structure shown in the present embodiment, the flying height of the optical aperture 27 is made smaller than that of the ABS 28, and the difference ΔH is manufactured with high accuracy.
[0032]
FIG. 2 shows a manufacturing method of the near-field optical head 21 of the present embodiment. In step S101, the transparent substrate 22 is wet-etched so that the tip pedestal 31 is higher than the slider pedestal 32 by ΔH. The tip pedestal 31 is, for example, a square with a side of 20 μm, and ΔH is, for example, 20 nm. This step is the etching of the substrate, and the etching amount can be controlled with high accuracy by controlling the etching time. When the ΔH is designed to be 20 nm, the etching can be performed as designed with an accuracy of several nm. Next, a resist 33 is applied in step S102. In step S103, the tip mask 35 is patterned on the tip pedestal 31, and the slider mask 34 is patterned on the slider pedestal 32, respectively. In step S104, the transparent substrate 22 is isotropically etched to remove the resists 34 and 35. In step S105, the tip 23 and the slider 24 are formed. Thereafter, in step S106, the light shielding film 36 is deposited, and in step S107, only the periphery of the tip 23 is left and the light shielding film 36 is removed. Finally, in step S108, the optical opening 27 is formed by applying mechanical pressure to the tip of the tip 23. The optical aperture 27 protrudes from the ABS 28 by ΔH.
[0033]
As described above, a step having a preset height is formed on the substrate 22 with high accuracy by etching, and the step is finally made to be the difference in height between the optical opening 27 and the ABS 28. Thus, it is possible to manufacture a structure in which the optical aperture 27 protrudes with high accuracy as designed. This manufacturing method is suitable for batch processing by a semiconductor process, and makes it possible to manufacture a high performance near-field optical head in a large amount at a low cost.
[0034]
(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a near-field optical head 41 manufactured by the method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Description of parts similar or identical to those in FIG. 1 described in Embodiment 1 is simplified or omitted. In the structure of the near-field optical head 41, a tip 43 and a slider 44 are formed on the lower surface of the transparent substrate 42. The side surface of the tip 43 is covered with a light shielding film 45, and the portion not covered with the light shielding film at the tip is optical. The target opening 47 is formed. Incident light 50 enters the near-field optical head 41, and near-field light is generated from the optical aperture 47. The difference from FIG. 1 is that the optical aperture 47 is not protruded but retracted from the ABS 48 by ΔH. ΔH is, for example, 10 nm.
[0035]
When recording or reproducing information on the recording medium using the near-field optical head 41, even if the head contacts the recording medium surface due to some disturbance such as external impact, the optical aperture 47 does not contact, ABS 48 contacts. Since the slider 44 has much higher mechanical strength than the optical aperture 47, it is not easily damaged even if it contacts the surface of the recording medium. The near-field optical head 41 having such a structure has high reliability and a long product life. If ΔH is too large, the resolution and the S / N ratio are adversely affected as described above, but the optimum ΔH can be set from the desired resolution, S / N and reliability.
[0036]
FIG. 4 shows a manufacturing method of the near-field optical head 41 of the present embodiment. Description of parts similar or identical to those in FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment is simplified or omitted. The difference from FIG. 2 is that when the transparent substrate 42 is wet-etched in step S201, the tip pedestal 31 is lower than the slider pedestal 32 by ΔH. ΔH is, for example, 10 nm. The reason why ΔH can be manufactured with high accuracy is described in Embodiment Mode 1. Thereafter, the same process as in FIG. 2 is performed. That is, the resist 33 is applied in step S202, the tip mask 35 and the slider mask 34 are formed by resist patterning in step S203, the substrate isotropically etched in step S204, and the resist is removed in step S205. The formation of the slider 44, the deposition of the light shielding film 36 in step S206, the patterning of the light shielding film in step S207, and finally the formation of the optical aperture 47 in step S208. As a result, the optical aperture 47 is set back from the ABS 48 by ΔH.
[0037]
As described above, a step having a preset height is formed on the substrate 42 with high accuracy by etching, and the step is finally made to be the difference in height between the optical opening 47 and the ABS 48. Thus, it is possible to manufacture a structure in which the optical aperture 47 is retracted with high accuracy as designed. This manufacturing method is suitable for batch processing by a semiconductor process, and makes it possible to manufacture a high performance near-field optical head in a large amount at a low cost.
[0038]
(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a near-field optical head 51 manufactured by the method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Description of parts similar or identical to those in FIG. 1 described in Embodiment 1 is simplified or omitted. The difference from FIG. 1 is that the height difference ΔH between the optical aperture 57 and the ABS 58 is much larger than the height of the slider 54. ΔH is, for example, 100 nm or more. Since the slider 54 has a length of several hundreds μm in the longitudinal direction and the tip 53 is several μm, the flying characteristics when the near-field optical head 51 floats from the surface of the recording medium are basically determined by the slider 54. It is prescribed. Therefore, if the flying height of the ABS 58 is, for example, 110 nm and ΔH is 100 nm, the distance between the optical aperture 57 and the recording medium surface, that is, the flying height of the optical aperture 57 is 10 nm. By adopting such a structure, the flying height of the entire near-field optical head 51 remains large, and only the optical aperture 57 can be brought very close to the recording medium surface.
[0039]
Since the method of manufacturing the near-field optical head 51 is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, the illustration is omitted. The difference from FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment is that ΔH in the first step is increased to, for example, 100 nm. The reason why this is feasible is the same as that described in the first embodiment. Subsequent steps are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a near-field optical head having the structure shown in FIG. 5 is finally produced.
[0040]
As described above, the step 2 having a preset height is formed on the substrate 2 so as to be very large, and the step is finally made to be the difference in height between the optical opening 57 and the ABS 58. Thus, it is possible to manufacture a near-field optical head having a structure in which the optical aperture 57 protrudes greatly from the ABS 58.
[0041]
(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a near-field optical head 61 manufactured by the method according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. 6A is a bottom view of the near-field optical head 61, FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG. 6A, and FIG. 6C is FIG. It is sectional drawing in the straight line shown by BB '. Description of parts similar or identical to those in FIG. 1 described in Embodiment 1 is simplified or omitted. In FIG. 6A, a slider 64, a tip 63, and a tip protector 69 are formed on the bottom surface of the near-field optical head 61. In FIG. 6B, the side surface of the tip 63 is covered with the light shielding film 65, and the tip portion of the tip 63 has an optical opening 67 that is not covered with the light shielding film 65. The optical aperture 67 protrudes by ΔH from the ABS 68 which is the bottom surface of the slider 64. ΔH is, for example, 20 nm. When the ABS 68 floats, for example, 30 nm from the surface of the recording medium, the optical aperture 67 floats at a distance of 10 nm from the surface of the recording medium. Further, the near-field optical head 61 has a tip protector 69 as shown in FIG. The tip protector 69 protrudes from the optical aperture 67 by ΔH ′ as shown in FIG. ΔH ′ is, for example, 5 nm. Accordingly, even when the head contacts the surface of the recording medium due to some disturbance during the operation of the head, for example, an external impact, the optical opening 67 does not contact the recording medium, and the tip protector 69 contacts. Even if the tip protector 69 is slightly damaged, the performance as a head is not affected. In FIG. 6, the tip protector 69 is a quadrangular pyramid adjacent to the tip 63 in the direction of the tip of the head (left in the figure), but may be a U-shape surrounding the tip 63 or a donut shape. But it ’s okay. The important point is that the tip protector 69 is in the vicinity of the tip 63 and slightly protrudes from the tip 63.
[0042]
FIG. 7 shows a manufacturing method of the near-field optical head 61 of the present embodiment. In FIG. 7, the right shows a cross section taken along line AA ′ in FIG. 6A, and the left shows a cross section taken along line BB ′. In step S401, the tip pedestal 71, the slider pedestal 72, and the tip protector pedestal 70 are patterned by wet etching of the transparent substrate 62. The height difference ΔH between the tip pedestal 71 and the slider pedestal 72 is, for example, 30 nm. Further, the tip protector pedestal 70 is higher than the tip pedestal 71 by ΔH ′. ΔH ′ is, for example, 10 nm. Such a step can be formed by performing a plurality of times of etching with the mask shape accuracy by photolithography and the etching time managed as described in the first embodiment. Next, a resist 73 is applied in step S402. In step S403, the tip mask 75, the slider mask 74, and the tip protector mask 79 are patterned. In step S404, isotropic etching is performed to form a tip 63 and a slider 64 as shown in step S405. In step S406, the light shielding film 76 is deposited, and in step S407, the light shielding film 77 is left only in the vicinity of the tip 63. Finally, in step S407, the optical opening 67 is formed by applying mechanical pressure to the tip of the tip 63, and the light shielding film 65 is left on the side surface of the tip 63. The difference in height between the optical aperture 67 and the lower surface of the slider 64 is ΔH. Further, the difference in height between the tip protector 69 and the optical aperture 67 is ΔH ′.
[0043]
According to such a method, the structure in which the optical opening 67 is closer to the recording medium than the flying height of the slider 64 from the surface of the recording medium and the tip protector 69 slightly protrudes from the optical opening 67 is easy. Can be made.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the slider that receives the air levitation force from the surface of the rotating recording medium and the cone-shaped tip having an optical opening at the tip have near-field light generated from the optical opening. A method of manufacturing a near-field optical head that interacts with the surface of the recording medium via a step of processing the substrate so that the substrate partially has a plurality of thicknesses, and a first of the plurality of thicknesses And manufacturing the slider from a portion having a thickness, and simultaneously manufacturing the tip from a portion having a second thickness among the plurality of thicknesses. .
[0045]
As a result, the optical aperture that generates near-field light and the distance of the slider surface from the surface of the recording medium can be set separately, and the set value can be made to match with high accuracy, and the head can be manufactured. Design in which the resolution does not depend on the flying height of the slider surface is possible. In addition, there is an effect that such a head can be manufactured in large quantities at low cost.
[0046]
Further, in the method for producing a near-field optical head, the first thickness is thinner than the second thickness, and the difference in thickness is smaller than the flying height of the slider from the recording medium surface. .
[0047]
As a result, the distance between the optical aperture and the recording medium is shorter than the distance between the slider and the recording medium, and the optical aperture can be brought close to the recording medium without lowering the flying height of the slider. Play.
[0048]
In the method of manufacturing the near-field optical head, the first thickness is thicker than the second thickness.
[0049]
As a result, the distance between the optical aperture and the recording medium is longer than the distance between the slider and the recording medium, and even if the slider contacts the recording medium, the opening is prevented from contacting the recording medium, which is highly reliable. There is an effect that a near-field optical head can be realized.
[0050]
In any one of the above-described methods for producing a near-field optical head, the step of producing the slider and the tip simultaneously is performed by etching the substrate.
[0051]
As a result, both the optical aperture and the slider can be fabricated simultaneously using only the conventional semiconductor process, and the high-performance near-field optical head can be mass-produced at low cost.
[0052]
A slider that receives air levitation force from the surface of the rotating recording medium; a cone-shaped tip having an optical opening at a tip; and a tip protector having a height equal to or higher than the tip near the tip; In a method of manufacturing a near-field optical head that interacts with the recording medium surface via near-field light generated from an optical aperture, processing the substrate so that the substrate partially has a plurality of thicknesses; The slider is manufactured from a portion having the first thickness among the plurality of thicknesses, and at the same time, the tip is manufactured from a portion having the second thickness among the plurality of thicknesses. And a step of producing the tip protector from a portion having a third thickness.
[0053]
Thereby, even when the head comes into contact with the recording medium, there is an effect that a highly reliable near-field optical head having a structure in which the tip protector protects the opening can be manufactured.
[0054]
In the method of manufacturing the near-field optical head, the second thickness and the third thickness are equal.
[0055]
Thus, even when the head contacts the recording medium, the tip protector protects the opening, and when the head is slightly separated from the recording medium, the tip protector does not contact the recording medium. There is an effect that a near-field optical head having a structure that can be brought very close to the surface of the recording medium can be manufactured.
[0056]
Further, in the above method for producing a near-field optical head, the first thickness is thinner than the second thickness, and the difference in thickness is smaller than the flying height of the slider from the recording medium surface. Features.
[0057]
Thus, even when the head comes into contact with the recording medium, the near-field optical head has a structure in which the tip protector protects the opening and the distance between the opening and the recording medium surface can be smaller than the flying height of the slider. There is an effect that it can be produced.
[0058]
In the method of manufacturing the near-field optical head, the first thickness is greater than the second thickness.
[0059]
This makes it possible to produce a highly reliable near-field optical head in which the tip protector protects the opening even when the head contacts the recording medium, and the opening does not contact even when the slider contacts the recording medium. There is an effect that it is possible.
[0060]
In the method of manufacturing the near-field optical head, the step of simultaneously manufacturing the slider, the tip, and the tip protector is performed by etching the substrate.
[0061]
As a result, even when the head contacts the recording medium, the tip protector protects the aperture, and both the optical aperture and the slider can be fabricated simultaneously using only a conventional semiconductor process. The optical head can be mass-produced at low cost.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a near-field optical head manufactured by a method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing the near-field optical head according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a near-field optical head manufactured by a method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing a near-field optical head according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a near-field optical head manufactured by a method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a near-field optical head manufactured by a method according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
7 is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing a near-field optical head according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a concept of a data storage device using a near-field optical head.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional near-field optical head.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing a conventional near-field optical head 3.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Near-field optical data storage device
2 Suspension arm
3 Near-field optical head
4 recording media
5 Voice coil motor
6 Slider
7 Substrate
8 Optical aperture
9 Shading film
10 Incident light
11 tips
12 resist
13 Tip Mask
14 Slider mask
15 Shading film
21 Near-field optical head
22 Transparent substrate
23 tips
24 Slider
25 Shading film
27 Optical aperture
28 ABS (Air Bearing Surface)
30 Incident light
31 Tip base
32 Slider base
33 resist
34 Mask for slider
35 tip mask
36 Shading film
41 Near-field optical head
42 Transparent substrate
43 tips
44 Slider
45 Shading film
47 Optical aperture
48 ABS
50 Incident light
51 Near-field optical head
53 tips
54 Slider
57 Optical aperture
58 ABS
60 Incident light
61 Near-field optical head
62 Transparent substrate
63 tips
64 slider
65 Shading film
67 Optical aperture
68 ABS
69 Tip Protector
70 Tip protector base
71 Tip base
72 Slider base
73 resist
74 Mask for slider
75 tip mask
76 Shading film
77 Light shielding film near tip
79 Mask for tip protector

Claims (7)

A slider that receives air levitation force from the rotating recording medium surface, and a cone-shaped tip having an optical opening at the tip, interacts with the recording medium surface via near-field light generated from the optical opening. in the method for manufacturing a near-field optical head, the recording medium and the opposing surfaces of the substrate by processing the substrate and the step of processing to have a plurality of flat portions having different partial height, of the plurality of flat portions A step of forming a slider mask used for forming the slider on a first plane portion having a first height, and a second step having a second height of the plurality of plane portions. the flat surface portion, forming a tip mask used to form the tip, and simultaneously etching the first planar portion with a mask for the slider, the tip mask Etching the second planar portion, contacting the slider mask with a portion of the first planar portion, and contacting the tip mask with a portion of the second planar portion. A step of stopping the etching of the first planar portion and the second planar portion in the maintained state, and removing the slider mask that is in contact with a part of the first planar portion A step of producing the slider, and producing the tip by removing the mask for the tip that is in contact with a part of the second plane portion . Manufacturing method.   The near height according to claim 1, wherein the first height is lower than the second height, and a difference in height is smaller than a flying height of the slider from the surface of the recording medium. A method for producing a field-of-view optical head.   The method of manufacturing a near-field optical head according to claim 1, wherein the first height is higher than the second height. A slider that receives air levitation force from the rotating recording medium surface; a cone-shaped tip having an optical opening at the tip; and a tip protector having a height higher than the tip in the vicinity of the tip; In a method of manufacturing a near-field optical head that interacts with the surface of the recording medium through near-field light generated from an aperture, a surface of the substrate facing the recording medium is partially different in height by processing the substrate forming a step of processing to have a plurality of flat portions, the first planar portion having a first height of said plurality of flat portions of the substrate, a slider for a mask used for forming the slider a step of, in a second planar portion having a second height of said plurality of flat portions, and forming a tip mask used to form the tip, of said plurality of planar portions A third planar portion having a third height Chi, forming a tip protective-body mask used to form the tip protector, the first plane portion using a mask for the slider And etching the second plane portion using the tip mask, and etching the third plane portion using the tip protector mask, and the slider mask and the Contact with a part of the first plane part, contact between the tip mask and part of the second plane part, and contact between the tip mask and part of the third plane part are maintained. The step of stopping the etching of the first plane portion, the second plane portion, and the third plane portion in a slanted state, and the slider being in contact with a part of the first plane portion Remove mask Said slider produced by Rukoto, with making the tip by removing the tip mask in contact with a portion of said second planar portion, in contact with a portion of said third planar portion And a step of producing the tip protector by removing the tip protector mask . The method of producing a near-field optical head, comprising: The method of manufacturing a near-field optical head according to claim 4 , wherein the second height and the third height are equal. It said first lower than the height said second height, the difference in the height may be smaller than the flying height from the recording medium surface of the slider, according to claim 4 or 5 Manufacturing method of near-field optical head. The method of manufacturing a near-field optical head according to claim 4 , wherein the first height is higher than the second height.

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