Abstract: An apparatus for detaching a head slider bonded onto a mounting plate of a suspension includes a platform on which a head gimbal assembly is mounted; a heating device for heating a joint section between the head slider and the suspension to decrease the bonding force; a latching part for latching the mounting plate at a position on a center line of the mounting plate in the lengthwise direction and/or at positions symmetric about the center line; and a clamp device for moving the head slider in a direction along the center line with the heating to detach the head slider from the mounting plate.

Abstract: A magnetic head assembly in which a slider can be removed with deformation of a suspension suppressed and the posture angle of a magnetic head can be maintained stably and a magnetic disk drive mounted with the magnetic head assembly. A head gimbal assembly (HGA) according to an embodiment includes a suspension, a magnetic head slider provided with a magnetic head element section, and a gimbal retaining the slider and connected to the suspension. The gimbal includes a spacer formed around a conductive adhesive application area. A nonconductive adhesive application area having a planar dimension not larger than that of the conductive adhesive application area is formed outside the spacer. The gimbal and the slider are brought into conduction through a conductive adhesive applied to the conductive adhesive application area and are adhered to each other with a nonconductive adhesive applied to the nonconductive adhesive application area.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a head gimbal assembly manufacturing method which can attach another magnetic head slider to a suspension to be reused without addition of solder. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a head gimbal assembly (HGA) is attached to a jig. Both sides of a portion close to the rear end of a magnetic head slider are gripped with hot tweezers heated at about 200° C. They are heated for about four seconds while applying force in a direction of peeling off the magnetic head slider from gimbals, thus removing the magnetic head slider from the gimbals. When another magnetic head slider is attached to the suspension, an adhesive adhered to the gimbals is removed and another adhesive is applied to the gimbals. The back of another magnetic head slider is pressed to the adhesive, whereby the magnetic head slider is fixed to the gimbals. Next, the solder fillet left on the gimbals is irradiated with laser beams to be melted and joined to an electric terminal.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention help to prevent deformation of a gimbal in detaching a head slider from a suspension. In an embodiment of the present invention, after a head slider has been mounted on a suspension, a test on the assembly is conducted. If a defect head slider is found in the test, the head slider is detached from the suspension. The head slider is discarded but the suspension is reused and a new head slider is mounted on the suspension. In detaching the head slider, a pin inserted in a through-hole on the center line of a gimbal tongue latches the gimbal tongue.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a head gimbal assembly manufacturing method which can attach another magnetic head slider to a suspension to be reused without addition of solder. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a head gimbal assembly (HGA) is attached to a jig. Both sides of a portion close to the rear end of a magnetic head slider are gripped with hot tweezers heated at about 200° C. They are heated for about four seconds while applying force in a direction of peeling off the magnetic head slider from gimbals, thus removing the magnetic head slider from the gimbals. When another magnetic head slider is attached to the suspension, an adhesive adhered to the gimbals is removed and another adhesive is applied to the gimbals. The back of another magnetic head slider is pressed to the adhesive, whereby the magnetic head slider is fixed to the gimbals. Next, the solder fillet left on the gimbals is irradiated with laser beams to be melted and joined to an electric terminal.

Abstract: Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide a magnetic head assembly in which a slider can be removed with deformation of a suspension suppressed and the posture angle of a magnetic head can be maintained stably, and a magnetic disk drive mounted with the magnetic head assembly. A head gimbal assembly (HGA) according to an embodiment includes a suspension, a magnetic head slider provided with a magnetic head element section, and gimbal retaining the slider and connected to the suspension. The gimbal includes a spacer formed around a conductive adhesive application area. A nonconductive adhesive application area having a planar dimension not larger than that of the conductive adhesive application area is formed outside the slider. The gimbal and the slider are brought into conduction through a conductive adhesive applied to the conductive adhesive application area and are adhered to each other with a nonconductive adhesive applied to the nonconductive adhesive application area.

Abstract: In a magneto-optical recording and reproducing apparatus using a magnetic recording medium having a perpendicular magnetization layer, a magnetization direction detecting apparatus for detecting the magnetization direction of its perpendicular magnetization layer is provided to correctly carry out the recording, reproducing and erasing. In this magnetization direction detecting apparatus, a rectilineally polarized laser light (14) is made incident on a perpendicular magnetization layer (11-2) of a magnetic recording medium magnetized in the same direction previously and a reflected light of this laser light from the perpendicular magnetization layer is detected through an analyzer (19) by a photo detecting element (21) to thereby detect the magnetization direction of the perpendicular magnetization layer by the output level from the photo detecting element.