Lapping apparatus and lapping method

Abstract

A lapping apparatus includes a lapping plate having a lapping surface thereon that moves relative to a work. The lapping apparatus can adjust an inclination of the work in a latitudinal direction, thereby obtained preferable parallelization of both a reading elements and writing element to the lapping surface. As a result, the lapping apparatus can provide magnetic heads suitable for the perpendicular recording.

1 . A lapping apparatus for lapping a work, comprising:
 a lapping plate having a lapping surface thereon that moves relative to the work;   a lapping base having a bottom face contacting the lapping surface of said lapping plate;   an adaptor having an arm supported at a given support point positioned on said lapping base and extending in a horizontal direction from the support point and a supporting portion extending downwards from an end of the arm for holding an under surface of the work contacting with said lapping surface; and   a tilt mechanism for adjusting a contact angle of the work held by said supporting portion with said lapping surface of the lapping plate by adjusting a height of said support point.   
     
     
         2 . The lapping apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the work has a rectangle shape, and when the work is held by said supporting portion the work's longitudinal axis extends in a direction which crosses the direction in which said plate extends; and   wherein said tilt mechanism adjusts an inclination of the lapped surface of the work to said lapping surface in a latitudinal direction.   
     
     
         3 . The lapping apparatus according to  2 ,
 wherein said lapping base has a pivot to support the support point positioned under said adaptor; and   wherein said tilt mechanism is a linear actuator having a body and a rod that controls the position of the body by a control signal, the body being embedded in the arm, and a head of the rod touching the pivot to adjust a height of the support point positioned under the adaptor finely according to the stroke length of the rod.   
     
     
         4 . The lapping apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a plurality of actuators arranged in a horizontal direction to apply a load from above said plate; and   an inclination correcting mechanism to correct the inclination of the lapped surface of the work to said lapping surface of the lapping plate in a longitudinal direction by adjusting distributed lapping load in said second horizontal direction.   
     
     
         5 . The lapping apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a holder which the work is bonded, wherein the work is affixed to said holder and the work is held by said support point positioned under the lapping plate by attaching said holder to said supporting portion, wherein said holder has a bend correcting mechanism to correct a bend of the work.   
     
     
         6 . The lapping apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the work has a writing element and a reading element separately arranged in a latitudinal direction thereof, a plurality of the writing elements and the reading elements are arranged in a longitudinal direction, and the work has a plurality of resistance elements for said writing elements and read elements whose resistance values vary as lapping is progressing; and   wherein said tilt mechanism adjusts the inclination of the lapped surface of the work to the lapping surface in the latitudinal direction based on resistance values of said resistance element for the writing element and of the resistance element for the reading element.   
     
     
         7 . The lapping apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a control device to adjust the inclination of the lapped surface of the work to said lapping surface of the lapping plate in the latitudinal direction by controlling the tilt mechanism according to a value configured by a user.   
     
     
         8 . A lapping method to lap a work comprising steps of:
 contacting the work in which a plurality of heads are arranged along the longitudinal direction on a lapping surface of a lapping plate;   rotating the lapping plate; and   lapping the work, adjusting the contact angle of the lapped surface of the work to the lapping surface about a latitudinal direction.   
     
     
         9 . The lapping method according to  claim 8 , further comprising a step of:
 adjusting a lapping load on the work by applying the load from above said plate before adjusting the contact angle.   
     
     
         10 . The lapping method according to  claim 8 , further comprising a step of:
 adjusting a speed of said lapping plate before adjusting the contact angle.   
     
     
         11 . The lapping method according to  claim 8 , wherein said adjusting step adjusts the contact angle gradually by a degree greater than 0, and equal or less than 0.01 degree at a time. 
     
     
         12 . The lapping method according to  claim 8 ,
 wherein the work has a writing element and a reading element separately arranged in a latitudinal direction thereof, a plurality of the writing elements and the reading elements are arranged in a longitudinal direction, and the work has a plurality of resistance elements for said writing elements and read elements whose resistance values vary as lapping is progressing; and   wherein said adjusting step adjusts inclination of the lapped surface of the work to the lapping surface in the latitudinal direction based on the resistance values of the resistance elements.