Patent ID: 8713710
Filing Date: 2014-04-29
Classification: B82Y,G01Q,G11B

Abstract:
1. 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 thermal assist type magnetic head device and to generate near-field light from a near-field light emitter; a scattered light detection unit that detects scattered light generated from the surface of the probe of the cantilever, on which the magnetic film is formed, caused by the near-field light generated from the near-field light emitter of the thermal assist type magnetic head device with the signal outputted from the signal output 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 with the scattered light detection unit, and inspects at least one of the intensity distribution of the near-field light generated 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.