Patent ID: 8240025

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head in which a light source unit including a light source provided in a unit substrate and a slider including an optical system provided in a slider substrate are joined to each other, the manufacturing method comprising the steps of: adhering by suction a unit back surface of the unit substrate with a back holding jig including a suction means, the unit back surface being opposite to a source-installation surface of the unit substrate; moving the back holding jig close to the slider to bring the light source unit adhered to the back holding jig by suction into contact with a slider back surface of the slider, the slider back surface being opposite to an opposed-to-medium surface of the slider and including a light-receiving end surface of the optical system; applying a load to a load application surface of the unit substrate by a loading means to bring a joining surface of the light source unit into conformity with the slider back surface of the slider at least in a track width direction, the load application surface being opposite to the joining surface that is to be joined to the slider; stopping applying the load, moving the back holding jig away from the slider to position the light source unit at a distance from the slider, and then aligning a light-emitting center of the light source with the light-receiving end surface of the optical system in directions in a plane of the slider back surface; moving the back holding jig again close to the slider to bring the light source unit into contact with the slider back surface of the slider; and applying a load again to the load application surface of the unit substrate by the loading means to bring the joining surface of the light source unit into conformity with the slider back surface of the slider.