Abstract: A method for manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head is provided, in which a light source unit including a light source and a slider including an optical system are bonded. A unit substrate is made of a material transmitting light having a predetermined wavelength, and an adhesion material layer is formed on the light source unit and/or the slider. The manufacturing method includes: aligning the light source unit and the slider in such a way that a light from the light source can enter the optical system and the adhesion material layer is sandwiched therebetween; irradiating the adhesion material layer with a light including the predetermined wavelength through the unit substrate; and bonding them. The adhesion material layer melted by the light including the predetermined wavelength and transmitted through the unit substrate can ensure high alignment accuracy as well as higher bonding strength and less change with time.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head is provided, in which a light source unit including a light source and a slider including an optical system are bonded. A unit substrate is made of a material transmitting light having a predetermined wavelength, and a unit adhesion material layer that contains Sn, Sn alloy, Pb alloy or Bi alloy is formed on the light source unit and/or the slider. The manufacturing method includes: aligning the light source unit and the slider in such a way that a light from the light source can enter the optical system and the unit adhesion material layer is sandwiched therebetween; and causing a light including the predetermined wavelength to enter the unit substrate to melt the unit adhesion material layer. The unit adhesion material layer melted by the light including the predetermined wavelength can ensure high alignment accuracy as well as higher bonding strength and less change with time.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head is provided, in which joined are: a light source unit that includes a light source having a surface including a light-emission center on the joining surface side of a unit substrate; and a slider that includes an optical system having a light-receiving end surface reaching a back surface opposite to the opposed-to-medium surface. This method utilizes “semi-active alignment” that uses an alignment light, and comprises steps of: causing a light to enter the light source from a surface opposite to the light-emission center; detecting the light that has passed through the light source and is emitted from the light-emission center to align the light-emission center with the light-receiving end surface of the slider; and bonding the light source unit to the slider. This manufacturing method can achieve the alignment with a sufficiently high alignment accuracy in a short processing time.

Abstract: Provided is a light source unit the weight of which can be reduced while ensuring power supply to the light source. The light source is configured to form a thermally-assisted magnetic recording head by being joined with a slider including an optical system that propagates light for thermal assist. The light source unit comprises: a unit substrate including a joining surface that faces an power-supply electrode of the slider; a first electrode provided on the joining surface; a second electrode provided on a source-installation surface and electrically connected to the first electrode; and a light source that includes two electrode layers and a light-emission center located in a light-emitting surface. The first and second electrodes eliminate the provision of a terminal electrode for light source on the source-integration surface. As a result, the weight of the light source unit can be reduced.

Abstract: A thermally-assisted magnetic recording head is provided, in which the light-source output can be adjusted according to its variation by environmental influences and over time. The head comprises: a light source; a write head element provided in a element-integration surface; an optical system provided in the element-integration surface and configured to guide a light emitted from the light source to the vicinity of one end of the write head element; and a light detector for monitoring the light-source output, provided in the element-integration surface and comprising a light-receiving surface covering an area directly above at least a portion of the optical system. This light detector with such a light-receiving surface can detect a leakage light emitted from the optical system as a monitoring light. Therefore, feedback adjustment of the light-source output can be realized to stabilize the intensity of light for thermal-assist applied to a magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: A steam valve is provided with a valve body, a valve seat, and a valve rod provided for the valve body. The valve body has a bottom portion to which a recessed portion is formed, and the recessed portion has an edge, which is positioned on an upstream side of a place at which a shock wave is generated in steam flowing through a steam path defined by the valve body and the valve seat.

Abstract: A steam valve has: a valve casing; a valve seat; a main valve body slidable to abut to or to detach from the valve seat; a bypass valve body slidably disposed in the main valve body; a cylindrical flow guide surrounding the annular wall of the bypass valve body; and a strainer surrounding the main valve body and the flow guide. The bypass valve body has a steam passage and the annular wall that protrudes out of the main valve body when the bypass valve body is in an open position. The annular wall has steam inlet ports. The flow guide guides steam from outside to flow through a space between the annular wall and the flow guide so as to admit steam into the steam passage in the bypass valve body through whole peripheral part of the annular wall.

Abstract: In a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery and an active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes: a positive electrode containing a positive-electrode active material; a negative electrode containing a negative-electrode active material; and a nonaqueous electrolyte, wherein molybdenum dioxide whose particles have an average aspect ratio of two or less is used as the positive-electrode active material or the negative-electrode active material where the aspect ratio is the ratio between the major axis length and the minor axis length of a particle-equivalent ellipse equivalent to the cross-sectional area or the two-dimensional projection image of each of the observed particles (major axis length/minor axis length), the particle-equivalent ellipse being an ellipse having the same area and the same first and second moments as the observed particle.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for adjusting static attitude of a thin film magnetic head attached to a flexure of a head arm assembly. The apparatus has an adjusting unit for bending the flexure, a laser emitter unit for irradiating a laser beam to a bent area of the flexure a measuring unit for measuring a static attitude angle of the thin film magnetic head, and a computer system including a CPU and a memory unit in which adjustment conditions corresponding to static attitude angles of the thin film magnetic head are previously ranked and memorized. The CPU is configured to retrieve from the memory unit a particular adjustment condition corresponding to a measured angle supplied from the measuring unit and supply the retrieved adjustment condition to the adjusting unit, enabling the adjusting unit to bend the flexure based on the retrieved adjustment condition supplied from the computer system.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solder ball bonding method and a solder ball bonding apparatus, which can enhance efficiency of bonding processing and in which plural electrodes formed on objects to be bonded are bonded to each other by melting a solder ball. In the present invention, the solder balls are picked up by a pick-up nozzle having a plurality of pick-up openings corresponding to electrode areas on the objects to be bonded and the solder balls are conveyed on the electrode areas. A laser radiating unit disposed independently above the pick-up nozzle is shifted along an arrangement direction of the pick-up openings and a laser beam from the laser radiating unit is irradiated onto the solder ball through a transparent member of the pick-up nozzle and through the pick-up opening of the pick-up nozzle, thereby melting the solder ball on the electrode area.

Abstract: A steam valve is provided with a valve body, a valve seat, and a valve rod provided for the valve body. The valve body has a bottom portion to which a recessed portion is formed, and the recessed portion has an edge, which is positioned on an upstream side of a place at which a shock wave is generated in steam flowing through a steam path defined by the valve body and the valve seat.

Abstract: A steam valve in accordance with the present invention is the steam valve that houses a first valve device 21 composed of a valve seat, a valve body, a valve rod, and a driving device, and a second valve device 22 composed of the valve seat, the valve body, the valve rod, and the driving device, combined with each other in the valve casing 23, and a closing portion 41 to block a part of a main steam flow flowing from outside to inside of a strainer is formed in the strainer 27 that is housed in the valve casing 23 and that surrounds the valve body 29 of the first valve device. According to the above described configuration, the steam valve that is aimed to further decrease a pressure loss can be provided by effectively controlling the steam flow in the strainer housed in the valve casing.

Abstract: Provided is a nozzle unit for use in a bonding device in which bonding between a first member and a second member is effected by providing a bonding member that has been melted by heating at a bonding position where the first member and the second member are to be bonded to each other. The nozzle unit includes: a cylindrical nozzle assembly having an accommodating space accommodating the bonding member, and an opening which allows ejection of the bonding member accommodated in the accommodating space onto the bonding position, which has a diameter larger than the diameter of the bonding member, and which communicates with the accommodating space; and a holding/releasing member for releasably holding the bonding member within the accommodating space.

Abstract: A steam valve assembly has a main-steam stop valve, and a steam control valve connected downstream to the main-steam stop valve via an intermediate flow path. The two valves each has a casing having an inlet port directing horizontally, and an outlet port directing vertically. The valve bodies and the valve stems move up and down in the casings to open and close the flow paths in the valves. The intermediate flow path is configured to guide main steam from the outlet port of the main-steam stop valve in vertically downward direction to the inlet port of the steam control valve in horizontal direction.

Abstract: A pallet main body is provided with a block holding member which presses a positioning surface of an actuator block against a block reference surface formed in the pallet main body, and a movable arm. An insertion member, which can be inserted between a plurality of opposing suspensions, is formed at a distal end of the movable arm. As a suspension to which a slider is to be attached contacts a first contact surface formed on the side in contact with this suspension, a distal end of the suspension to which the slider is to be attached is held at a prescribed height from the block reference surface, thereby forming a gap between this suspension and a suspension opposed to this suspension.

Abstract: A work piece pickup method is for sucking and holding a work piece attached on an adhesive sheet by means of a suction collet that is disposed above the work piece attached on the adhesive sheet in such a way as to be movable up and down for sucking and holding the work piece and a suction member that is disposed below the adhesive sheet in such a way as to be movable up and down so as to detach and transfer the work piece. The method comprises a sheet suction process for sucking and holding a lower surface of the adhesive sheet corresponding to the work piece by the suction member, and a work piece suction process for sucking and holding the work piece by the suction collet under a state in which the suction collet and the work piece are in a positional relationship spaced from each other so as to detach the work piece. A pickup apparatus and a mounting machine operate in accordance with the above method.

Abstract: A steam valve has: a valve casing; a valve seat; a main valve body slidable to abut to or to detach from the valve seat; a bypass valve body slidably disposed in the main valve body; a cylindrical flow guide surrounding the annular wall of the bypass valve body; and a strainer surrounding the main valve body and the flow guide. The bypass valve body has a steam passage and the annular wall that protrudes out of the main valve body when the bypass valve body is in an open position. The annular wall has steam inlet ports. The flow guide guides steam from outside to flow through a space between the annular wall and the flow guide so as to admit steam into the steam passage in the bypass valve body through whole peripheral part of the annular wall.

Abstract: A main steam valve with improved flow characteristic and enhanced reliability comprises a valve seat, a main valve body, and a bypass valve body. A side surface of the bypass valve body slidably fits into the inner surface of the main valve body and forms a steam inlet comprised of a plurality of rows of inlet openings arranged along the side surface. The openings are diametrically symmetrically arranged in the bypass valve, and the positions of the openings in each of the rows are shifted from the positions of openings in the next row.

Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing a magnetic head with which bonding of a slider and a suspension can be performed by taking an ABS pattern, which determines flying characteristics, as a reference, with no special fabrication required on the slider or the suspension. The method relates to a method of manufacturing a magnetic head for attaching a slider, on which an air bearing surface (ABS) is formed, to a suspension. A surface of the slider on which the ABS is formed is photographed, and the ABS and an engraved region formed within the ABS are identified from the photographed image. Then, a reference that serves as a guide in attaching the suspension is computed, and the slider is attached to the suspension based on the reference. It thus becomes possible for positive pressure and negative pressure that occur in the ABS to be well balanced centered about the suspension, making it possible to stabilize flying attitude and electrical characteristics.

Abstract: After introducing a solder ball from a hopper into a receiving hole of a ball separator, the ball separator is slid between blocks, and the solder ball is sent out to a portion outside of the blocks. By suctioning the solder ball from within a projected region on a lower block which is situated inside of the receiving hole at a time when the solder ball is taken into the receiving hole and surrounds a rolling trajectory of the solder ball that has been taken into the receiving hole, the solder ball is forcibly introduced into the receiving hole.