JPH0441432B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention provides a practical method for holding a magnetic head and stably facing a recording medium with a predetermined gap between the magnetic heads and performing good magnetic recording and reproduction. Regarding a highly flexible floating head slider.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

2. Description of the Related Art Magnetic disk storage devices using so-called hard disks as recording media are often used as large-capacity storage devices for information processing systems. This device rotates a hard disk at high speed while a magnetic head is placed opposite the information recording surface of the hard disk with a small gap therebetween, thereby performing magnetic recording and reproducing of information at high speed. Conventionally, therefore, a floating head slider has been exclusively used to make the magnetic head face the information recording surface of the disk across the minute gap. In this floating head slider, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, a magnetic head 3 is attached to the end of a slider body 2, which has two parallel smooth surfaces 1a and 1b formed on the surface facing the information recording surface. It is something. The smooth surfaces 1a and 1b are provided in the direction of relative movement between the magnetic head 3 and the disk, and the front end thereof, that is, the end opposite to the mounting part of the magnetic head 3, is cut out to increase pressure. The tapered surfaces 4a and 4b serve as mechanisms.

According to the floating head slider holding the magnetic head 3 having such a structure, when it is placed facing the information recording surface of the disk 5 as shown in FIG. Accompanied by
Air flows between the information recording surface and the smooth surfaces 1a and 1b, and the air compressed through the tapered surfaces 4a and 4b generates a pressure as shown in FIG. 2b as a floating force of the slider. be done. This floating force and the load applied to the slider work together to set a predetermined minute gap between the smooth surfaces 1a, 1b and the information recording surface.

By the way, when performing magnetic recording and reproducing using the magnetic head 3 held by such a floating head slider, the minute gap between the information recording surface and the information recording surface set by the head slider has a very important meaning. have For example, if the load is increased and the gap is narrowed, the followability of the head 3 to the disk 5 will improve and good magnetic recording and reproducing will be possible, but on the other hand, when the disk 5 starts rotating or stops rotating, the levitation force disk 5 because it does not occur sufficiently.
There will be more friction with the As a result, the smooth surfaces 1a, 1
b and the magnetic head 3, resulting in a significant deterioration in their lifespan and operational stability. Furthermore, if the load is lightened to widen the minute gap, good magnetic recording and reproduction cannot be expected. Therefore, it is very difficult to optimally set the above-mentioned load to enable good magnetic recording and reproduction.

In addition, the tapered surfaces 4a and 4b that obtain the above-mentioned levitation force
The taper angle of is very small, usually around (0°20'). Therefore, such tapered surfaces 4a, 4b
It was very difficult to form the film with high precision, and there was also the problem that the manufacturing yield was low.

In other words, the floating head slider of the conventional structure has problems such as not only being difficult to manufacture, but also requiring highly accurate adjustment when incorporated into a device. It has been difficult to prevent this wear and to always perform stable and good magnetic recording and reproduction.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to stably set a minute gap between the recording medium and prevent its wear, thereby enabling good magnetic recording and reproduction. To provide an inexpensive and highly practical floating head slider.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention provides a slider body that holds a magnetic head facing a recording medium and has a smooth surface facing the recording medium, and a slider body that is provided on the smooth surface of the slider body to create a gap between the smooth surface and the recording medium. It is equipped with a pressure adjustment groove that controls the floating gap between the smooth surface and the recording medium by adjusting the pressure of the flowing air, and in particular, the pressure adjustment groove is It consists of a set of at least two grooves that are inclined in different directions and have intersection points on the smooth surface, and a part of the pressure adjustment groove has a groove separating the inside of the groove and the surrounding area. This is characterized in that a barrier is formed so as to form a constricted flow path for the flowing air.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Thus, according to the present invention, the pressure adjustment grooves provided on the smooth surface are a set of at least two grooves formed so that they are inclined in different directions with respect to the air flow direction and have intersection points on the smooth surface. Therefore, the circulating air can be effectively collected at the intersection of the grooves. Therefore, by effectively utilizing the air flowing between the recording medium and the recording medium, it is possible to stably obtain a good pressure for setting the flying clearance of the head.
In addition, the barrier provided at the groove end of the pressure adjustment groove prevents fine dust mixed in the air flow from entering the groove, and prevents it from staying and accumulating in the groove. The function of the adjustment groove can always work stably. Furthermore, the pressure regulating groove provided with the barrier can be formed simply and with high precision by using etching technology, for example, so that the floating head slider can be manufactured at a high yield and at low cost. Therefore, great practical effects such as ensuring the dynamic stability of the slider and enabling good recording and reproduction by the magnetic head can be achieved.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a floating head slider according to an embodiment, and the same parts as those of the conventional head slider shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals. This floating head slider is characterized by having conventional tapered surfaces 4a, 4 on the smooth surfaces 1a, 1b of the slider body 2 facing the magnetic recording medium 5.
Instead of forming the pressure increasing grooves 11a, 1
1b, 12a, 12b and pressure reducing grooves 13a, 13b
The point is that The pressure increasing grooves 11a, 11
b is provided on the front side of the smooth surfaces 1a and 1b, and is realized as a so-called ``dog''-shaped groove that has a tapered shape on the rear side in the direction of relative movement with the magnetic recording medium 5. ing. Also, the other boosting groove 1
2a and 12b also have a similar shape, and are provided on the rear side of the smooth surfaces 1a and 1b. The pressure reducing grooves 13a and 13b are formed by the smooth surfaces 1a and 13b.
1b, that is, the pressure increasing groove 11a,
A dogleg-shaped groove that widens toward the rear in the relative movement direction is provided at an intermediate position between 11b, 12a, and 12b. These grooves 11
a, 11b, 12a, 12b, 13a, 13b
are provided, for example, at positions that equally divide the smooth surfaces 1a and 1b into four in the longitudinal direction.

Therefore, each of these grooves 11a, 11b, 12
a, 12b, 13a, 13b are smooth surfaces 1a, 1 using ion etching method or sputter etching method.
The positional accuracy and shape accuracy of the groove pattern are extremely high, comparable to the error of the digital micrometer used to create the original pattern. In addition, the depth of the groove is determined by the cutting speed of 1 to 1 per hour.
It is specified by controlling the etching time under conditions as small as 2 μm, and the desired dimensions are determined within an error range of ±0.1 μm or less.

In this way, the smooth surface 1 of the slider body 2
Pressure increasing grooves 11a, 11b, 12a, 1 in a, 1b
2b and pressure-reducing grooves 13a, 13b are incorporated into a magnetic disk device,
When the recording medium 5 is rotated at high speed while facing the magnetic disk recording medium 5, the pressure of the air flowing between the smooth surfaces 1a and 1b and the recording medium 5 increases as shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b. As a result, the head slider floats above the recording medium 5 while forming a predetermined minute gap. That is, the pressure increasing grooves 11a, 11b, 12a, 1
2b locally compresses the flowing air;
This generates a positive floating force and lifts the slider body 2. At the same time, the pressure reducing groove 13
a, 13b locally expands the flowing air;
Generate negative pressure. This negative pressure is applied to the slider body 2
This has the effect of narrowing the gap between the smooth surfaces 1a, 1b and the recording medium 5.

However, these grooves 11a, 11b, 12a,
The pressure distribution between the recording medium 5 and the smooth surfaces 1a, 1b due to the circulating air generated by the air flow generated by the air flow generated by the air flow generated by the air flow generated by the pressure distributions 12b, 13a, 13b is approximately as shown in FIG. The main body 2 floats while stably forming a predetermined minute gap between its smooth surfaces 1a, 1b and the recording medium 5.

By the way, the pressure increasing grooves 11a, 11b, 12
a, 12b and pressure reducing grooves 13a, 13b each exhibit their functions as follows. That is,
As described above, the pressure increasing grooves 11a, 11b, 12a, and 12b have a tapered shape on the rear side in the relative movement direction. Therefore, the smooth surfaces 1a, 1b and the recording medium 5
The air flowing from the front side in the relative movement direction between the above-mentioned pressure increasing grooves 11a, 11b, 12a,
When it enters 2b, it is gradually compressed due to its drawing shape. This compressed air seeks an escape route on the upper surface of the groove and attempts to return to its original state, and this force causes a floating force (positive pressure) on the slider. On the other hand, since the pressure reducing grooves 13a and 13b have a shape that widens toward the rear in the relative movement direction, the flowing air that has entered the pressure reducing grooves 13a and 13b is
Contrary to the case of 11b, 12a, and 12b, the expansion process gradually follows. As a result, a negative pressure is generated to reduce the effective cross-sectional area of the groove so that the air returns to its original state. Therefore, the pressure increasing grooves 11a, 11b, 12a, 12 that generate pressure in this way
It can be said that the shape of the grooves 13b and 13a and 13b for pressure reduction plays a very important role.

Note that these grooves 11a, 11b, 12a, 12
It goes without saying that where on the smooth surfaces 1a, 1b the smooth surfaces 1a, 13b, 13a, 13b are provided is also important in obtaining the desired pressure distribution between the smooth surfaces 1a, 1b and the recording medium 5. . At this time, if the sliding surfaces 1a, 1b and the recording medium 5 become parallel to each other due to the floating force obtained by the pressure increasing grooves 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b, the tracking characteristics of the slider body 2 with respect to the recording medium 5 will improve. . And this means that
This promotes improvement in the recording and reproducing characteristics of the magnetic head 3, and also greatly contributes to prevention of crashes. Moreover, the stability of the slider in the pitching direction is also increased. Therefore, taking these things into consideration, as mentioned above, 2 on each smooth surface 1a, 1b.
Pressure increasing grooves 11a, 11b, 1 provided at different locations
It can be said that it is desirable to set the distance between 2a and 12b as long as possible. However, these grooves 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b are formed on smooth surfaces 1a, 1.
If the smooth surfaces 1a and 1b are provided close to the air inflow end and the air outflow end of b, the smooth surfaces 1a and 1b will come into contact with the recording medium 5 when the recording medium 5 starts or stops rotating. Abrasion or chipping may occur, which may change the groove shape.
Therefore, in consideration of preventing changes in the pressure generation state due to changes in the groove shape, the pressure increasing grooves 11a, 11
It is desirable to set the formation positions of b, 12a, and 12b. Therefore, taking this into consideration, each groove 11
If a, 11b, 12a, 12b, 13a, 13b are respectively provided on the smooth surfaces 1a, 1b, stability in the pitching direction of the slider body 2 is ensured,
It becomes possible to improve the tracking characteristics for the disk recording medium 5 and perform good recording and reproduction.

By the way, the pressure increasing groove and the pressure reducing groove, that is, the pressure regulating groove 15, which basically exhibit the above-mentioned function, are provided with a barrier 15 at the end of the groove, as shown in FIG. . This barrier 15
This separates the inside of the pressure adjusting groove 14 from the surrounding area where the air pressure is different from the inside of this groove. This prevents fine dust mixed in the air flowing between the recording medium 5 and the recording medium 5 from entering the groove, and from staying and accumulating inside the groove.

Note that this barrier 15 can be formed, for example, in the shapes shown in FIGS. 6a to 6d. That is,
As shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b, the fine dust can enter the groove without completely separating the inside of the groove and the surrounding area, so that the air flow acts as a restricting channel for the inside of the groove. It may be possible to prevent this. Further, the height of the barrier 15 may be made lower than the groove depth as shown in FIG. 6c.
Furthermore, the barrier 15 may be formed in multiple stages as shown in FIG. 6d.

Furthermore, in order to discharge minute dust that has entered the inside of the groove, a pressure adjustment groove 14 is installed as shown in FIG.
It is also effective to provide a hole 16 inside the slider body 2 that communicates with the opposite side of the slider body 2.

Thus, as described above, according to the present floating head slider having a structure in which a pressure adjustment groove is provided on the smooth surface and a barrier is provided at the groove end of the pressure adjustment groove, the airflow can be effectively utilized by the pressure adjustment groove. A stable and good flying force of the slider body 2 can be obtained. The action of this pressure adjustment groove increases the dynamic stability of the slider, prevents its wear, and improves the ability to follow the recording medium, allowing the magnetic head to perform good recording and reproduction.
Furthermore, since the barrier provided at the end of the pressure regulating groove effectively prevents dust from entering the groove, there is no risk of functional deterioration due to accumulation or accumulation of dust inside the groove. Therefore, it is possible to reliably ensure the dynamic stability of the slider over a long period of time.

Further, the pressure adjusting groove having the above structure can be easily formed on the smooth surface of the slider body with high precision by using a sputter etching method or an ion etching method. Therefore, unlike conventional tapered surfaces, it can be manufactured at low cost and with good yield, and has extremely high practical advantages.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the groove shape, the groove depth, the groove formation position on the smooth surface, the barrier shape, etc. may be determined according to the specifications. In short, various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional floating head slider, FIGS. 2 a and b are diagrams showing the operating posture of the conventional slider shown in FIG. 1 and the pressure distribution of its floating force, and FIG. A diagram showing a schematic configuration of a floating head slider according to an embodiment, FIGS. 4a and 4b are diagrams showing the operating posture of the embodiment slider and the pressure distribution of its levitation force, and FIG. 5 is a pressure adjustment groove according to the embodiment. FIGS. 6a to 6d are diagrams showing a modification of the barrier provided at the end of the groove, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a pressure regulating groove in which a hole is provided inside the groove. 1a, 1b...smooth surface, 2...slider body, 3
...Magnetic head, 5...Recording medium, 11a, 11
b, 12a, 12b...pressure boosting groove, 13a, 13
b... pressure reduction groove, 14... pressure adjustment groove (pressure increase, pressure reduction), 15... barrier, 16... hole.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A slider body that holds a magnetic head facing a recording medium and has a smooth surface facing the recording medium; a pressure adjustment groove that controls the floating gap between the smooth surface and the recording medium by adjusting the pressure of the air flowing between the medium and the recording medium, and the pressure adjustment groove is arranged in the air flow direction. a set of at least two grooves formed so as to be inclined in different directions with respect to each other and having intersection points on the smooth surface, and a part of the pressure adjusting groove is separated from the inside of the groove and the surrounding area. A floating head slider characterized in that a barrier is formed to form a constricted flow path for flowing air.