Thermally-assisted magnetic recording head with light detector in element-integration surface

1. A thermally-assisted magnetic recording head comprising:

a substrate including an element-integration surface;

a light source;

a write head element configured to generate a write field;

an optical system configured to guide a light emitted from the light source to a vicinity of an end of the write head element, the end reaching an opposed-to-medium surface of the write head element; and

a light detector for monitoring an output of the light source, the light detector being provided such that the optical system is located between the element-integration surface of the substrate and the light detector with regard to a direction perpendicular to the element-integration surface, the light detector comprising a light-receiving surface covering at least a portion of the optical system from the direction perpendicular to the element-integration surface.

2. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical system includes a spot-size converter configured to change a spot size of propagating light, and the light-receiving surface covers at least a portion of the spot-size converter from the direction perpendicular to the element-integration surface.

3. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the spot-size converter is adjusted so as to emit a predetermined amount of leakage light.

4. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical system includes a waveguide, at least a portion of which curves and extends in such a manner that a light entering the waveguide changes traveling direction to reach an end portion of the waveguide on the opposed-to-medium surface side, and the light-receiving surface covers at least a portion of the waveguide from the direction perpendicular to the element-integration surface.

5. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the waveguide is adjusted so as to emit a predetermined amount of leakage light.

6. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical system includes a diffraction optical element and/or a light-path changer, and the light-receiving surface covers at least a portion of the diffraction optical element and/or the light-path changer from the direction perpendicular to the element-integration surface.

7. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light source is an edge-emitting laser diode.

8. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the head comprises: a slider including the write head element, the optical system and the light detector; and a light source unit joined to the slider and including the light source.

9. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light source is a surface-emitting laser diode provided such that an emitting surface of the surface-emitting laser diode is opposed to the element-integration surface.

10. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a center of gravity of a system consisting of the light source and the light detector is on a center line of the element-integration surface in a track width direction.

11. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical system comprises a near-field optical device configured to receive a light propagating through the optical system and to emit a near-field light from an end that reaches an opposed-to-medium surface.

12. The thermally-assisted magnetic recording head as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the near-field optical device is a surface plasmon generator comprising an edge extending to an end that reaches the opposed-to-medium surface, the edge propagating a surface plasmon excited by the light propagating through the optical system.

13. A head gimbal assembly comprising a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head as claimed in claim 1 and a suspension that supports the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head, wherein the suspension comprises a load beam, a flexure with elasticity fixed to the load beam and a base plate provided on a base portion of the load beam, and wherein the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head is fixed to the flexure.

14. A magnetic recording apparatus comprising: at least one head gimbal assembly as claimed in claim 13 ; at least one magnetic recording medium; and a recording and light-emission control circuit configured to control light-emission operations of the light source by using a monitor output from the light detector, and to control write operations that the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head performs to the at least one magnetic recording medium.

15. A method for controlling light-emission operations of the light source in the thermally-assisted magnetic recording head as claimed in claim 1 , comprising the steps of:

determining a relationship between an intensity of a light emitted from the light source and a monitoring output from the light detector in advance; and

controlling an intensity of the light emitted from the light source, based on an actually-measured monitor output of the light detector, with use of the determined relationship.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the light source is an edge-emitting laser diode, and to determine the relationship, there is measured a relationship between an intensity of a light emitted from an end surface of the laser diode on the side opposite to an end surface from which the monitored light is emitted and a monitoring output of the light detector.

17. A method for screening the thermally-assisted magnetic recording heads as claimed in claim 1 , comprising the steps of:

determining a relationship between an intensity of a light emitted from the light source and a monitoring output from the light detector in advance;

measuring an intensity of the output light emitted from the light source; then calculating a light use efficiency of the optical system in a head, based on a monitoring output of the light detector measured at the time of measuring the intensity of the emitted output light; and

determining the head to be acceptable if the calculated light use efficiency is higher than or equal to a predetermined reference value.

18. A thermally-assisted magnetic recording head comprising:

a substrate including an element-integration surface;

a light source;

a write head element configured to generate a write field;

an optical system configured to guide a light emitted from the light source to a vicinity of an end of the write head element, the end reaching an opposed-to-medium surface of the write head element; and

a light detector for monitoring an output of the light source, the light detector provided such that the optical system is located between the element-integration surface of the substrate and the light detector with regard to a direction perpendicular to the element-integration surface, the light detector comprising a light-receiving surface which extends in parallel to the element-integration surface and which covers at least a portion of the optical system from the direction perpendicular to the element-integration surface.