Patent ID: 8787132
Filing Date: 2014-07-22
Classification: B82Y,G01Q,G11B

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for inspecting a thermal assist type magnetic head, comprising: a scanning probe microscope unit comprising X and Y tables on which a thermal assist type magnetic head element is to be mounted and being movable in an XY plane, and a cantilever having a probe with a magnetic film formed on a surface of a tip portion thereof; a prober unit which supplies an alternating current to a terminal formed on the thermal assist type magnetic head element mounted on the X and Y tables, and applies a pulse drive current or pulse drive voltage to a near-field light emitting part formed on the thermal assist type magnetic head element; an imaging unit which picks up images of the prober unit and the thermal assist type magnetic head element; an image display unit which displays the images of the prober unit and the thermal assist type magnetic head element taken by the imaging unit; a scattered light detection unit having a light detector which detects scattered light generated from the probe of the cantilever when the probe is present in a generation region of near-field light generated from near-field light emitting part formed on the thermal assist type magnetic head element; and a signal processing unit which processes an output signal from the scanning probe microscope unit and an output signal from the scattered light detection unit to inspect the thermal assist type magnetic head element, the scanning probe microscope unit outputs the signal by, in a state that the application of the pulse drive current or pulse drive voltage in the near-field light emitting part from the prober unit is stopped and providing an alternating current to the terminal of the thermal assist type magnetic head element to generate a magnetic field on the surface thereof, scanning the surface of the thermal assist type magnetic head element with the probe of the cantilever, and the scattered light detection unit outputs the signal by scanning the probe of the cantilever on the surface of the thermal assist type magnetic head element while generating near-field light from the near-field light emitting part by applying the pulse drive current or pulse drive voltage to the near-field light emitting part from the prober unit in a state that the supply of an alternating current to the terminal is stopped.