Optical head slider, method for manufacturing optical head slider, and recording and/or reproducing apparatus

Abstract

Recording/reproducing information signals to/from a recording medium appropriately even though the clearance from the signal recording surface of the recording medium to an optical head slider becomes significantly small. An optical head slider 10 includes a sliding member 11 which is floated and slides on a recording medium 4 at the time of recording/reproducing signals to/from the recording medium 4 , a hemispheric objective lens 12 which is bonded to the sliding member 11 , and a magnetic field generating means 16 , which is mounted to the bottom of the sliding member 11 which faces the recording medium 4 . The sliding member 11 is made of the same material as that of the optical lens 12 , and a flat surface of the optical lens 12 is bonded to the top surface of the sliding member 11.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An optical head slider comprising: 
 a sliding member which is floated and slides on a recording medium at the time of recording/reproducing signals to/from the recording medium;    an optical lens having a spherical surface and a flat surface, which is bonded to the sliding member; and    means for generating a magnetic field, which is mounted to the bottom of the sliding member which faces the recording medium;    wherein the sliding member is made of the same material as that of the optical lens, and the flat surface of the optical lens is bonded to the top surface of the sliding member.    
     
     
         2 . The optical head slider as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the optical lens is bonded to the sliding member by the optical contact.  
     
     
         3 . The optical head slider as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein a reinforcing block being provided with an opening into which the objective lens is fit is bonded to the sliding member.  
     
     
         4 . The optical head slider as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein a thin-film which is made of a material harder than that of the sliding member is formed at the bottom of the sliding member which faces the recording medium.  
     
     
         5 . The optical head slider as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the inside diameter of the magnetic field generating means is smaller the outside diameter of the optical lens.  
     
     
         6 . A method for manufacturing an optical head slider which has a sliding member which is floated and slides on a recording medium at the time of recording/reproducing signals to/from the recording medium, an optical lens having a spherical surface and a flat surface, which is bonded to the sliding member, and means for generating a magnetic field, which is mounted to the bottom of the sliding member which faces the recording medium, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a first step of bonding the optical lens to a basal plate which is to be the sliding member;    a second step of bonding a reinforcing block being provided with an opening into which the objective lens is fit to the basal plate;    a third step of polishing the bottom surface of the basal plate which faces the recording medium so that the sum of the thickness of the optical lens and that of the basal plate becomes the radius of curvature of the spherical surface of the optical lens;    a fourth step of polishing the top surface of the reinforcing block so that the sliding member becomes of a predetermined thickness; and    a fifth step of cutting the basal plate into individual sliding members.    
     
     
         7 . The method for manufacturing an optical head slider as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein the first step is performed in inert gas under a condition in which a pressure is applied and the temperature is raised between the transition point and the submission point of the optical lens.  
     
     
         8 . The method for manufacturing an optical head slider as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein the third step is performed by measuring the lens thickness by the use of an optical length measuring machine employing a Fizeau interferometer.  
     
     
         9 . A recording and/or reproducing apparatus which has an optical head for recording/reproducing information signals to/from a recording medium, 
 wherein the optical head has a head slider for scanning the rotated recording medium and an arm for supporting the head slider,    the head slider has a sliding member which is floated and slides on the recording medium at the time of recording/reproducing signals to/from the recording medium, an optical lens which is bonded to the sliding member, and means for generating a magnetic field, which is mounted to the bottom of the sliding member which faces the recording medium, and    the optical lens has a spherical surface and a flat surface.