Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Intel Corporation

Western Digital (fremont), Inc.

The Provost, Fellows, Foundation Scholars, and the Other Members of Board, of the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth Near Dublin

The Provost, Fellows, Scholars and Other Members of Board of Trinity College Dublin

Alexander Krichevsky

Christopher B Wolf

Boping Xie

Frank D Bello

Fenghua Zong

John Donegan

Kyle Ballantine

Michael L Mallary

Daniel S Wolf

Robert J Johnson

David McCloskey

David Michael Owen McCloskey

John Heck

Ansheng Liu

Sergei L Sochava

Harel Frish

Olufemi I Dosunmu

Davide Guarisco

Kelly Christopher Magruder

Jonathan Doylend

In one embodiment, a package includes: a substrate; a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) adapted to the substrate, the PIC including at least one optical circuit, a first plurality of waveguides, a second plurality of waveguides, and a laser to output optical energy via the first plurality of waveguides; and a prism assembly adapted to the substrate to reflect the optical energy output from the first plurality of waveguides to the second plurality of waveguides, the prism assembly including a prism and at least one isolator. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

System, apparatus and method for integrating laser and optical circuitry on a photonics integrated circuit using an assembly having a prism and isolator

Technologies for coupling to and from a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) with an optical isolator are disclosed. In one embodiment, light beams from waveguides on a PIC die are reflected towards flat mirrors on the bottom surface of the PIC die. The flat mirrors reflect the light towards curved mirrors defined in a top surface of the PIC die, which collimate the beam and direct the collimated beams out the bottom surface of the PIC die. An optical isolator below the PIC die can allow the beams to pass while blocking beams in the opposite direction.

Technologies for coupling from photonic integrated circuits with an optical isolator

A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) package comprising a first die, the first die comprising a first optical waveguide and a first trench extending from a first edge of the first die to the first optical waveguide. The first trench is aligned with the first optical waveguide. A second die comprises a second optical waveguide and a second trench extending from a second edge of the second die to the second optical waveguide. The second trench is aligned with the second optical waveguide. An optical wire comprising an uncladded glass fiber comprises a first terminal portion extending within the first trench and a second terminal portion extending within the second trench. The first terminal portion is aligned with the first optical waveguide and the second terminal portion is aligned with the second optical waveguide.

Wire-bonding methodologies utilizing preformed glass optical wires for making chip-to-chip optical interfaces

An optical system can include a optical receiver comprising an optical waveguide, an optical lid adjacent the waveguide, and a reflective surface proximate an output of the optical waveguide to direct light from the waveguide towards an output of the optical lid. The optical system can also include a photodetector (PD) die comprising a substrate, a concave mirror, and a photodetector. The concave mirror is formed on a first side of the substrate and the photodetector is disposed on a second side of the substrate, the first side opposite the second side, wherein the photodetector is disposed on the second side of the PD die offset from the optical axis of the optical element.

Shallow-profile optical elements for photonics receivers

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to an optical transceiver within a single device. The optical transceiver incorporates an optical isolator, thus eliminating the need for an external isolator unit. In embodiments, transmitter channels and receiver channels share a single lens array and incorporate a compensator block to equalize the transmitter and receiver optical signals in the transceiver. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Optical transceiver integrated circuit

Optical receiver packages and device assemblies that include photodetector (PD) chips having focus lenses monolithically integrated on PD die backsides are disclosed. An example receiver package includes a support structure, a PD die, and an optical input device. The PD die includes a PD, integrated proximate to a first face of the PD die, and further includes a lens, integrated on, or proximate to, an opposite second face. The first face of the PD die faces the support structure, while the second face ('backside') faces the optical input device. The optical receiver architectures described herein may provide an improvement for the optical alignment tolerance issues, especially for high-speed operation in which the active aperture of the PD may have to be very small. Furthermore, architectures described herein advantageously enable integrating a focus lens in a PD die that may be coupled to the support structure in a flip-chip arrangement.

Optical receiver package with backside lens-integrated photodetector die

There is disclosed in one example a computing apparatus, including: a fiber-optic transmitter including a laser source; an input waveguide to receive a modulated laser pulse from the laser source; an output waveguide to direct the modulated laser pulse to an external communication element; and an isolator bridge optically coupled to the input waveguide and output waveguide, the isolator bridge including an input lens, an input-side folding prism, an isolator element, an output-side folding prism, and an output lens, wherein an input light pulse through the input lens is to be redirected by the input-side folding prism through the isolator element to the output-side folding prism, and redirected by the output-side folding prism through the output lens.

Optical isolator bridge

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) device comprising a waveguide and a near-field transducer (NFT) coupled to the waveguide. The NFT comprises a core layer comprising an insulator, a first metal layer adjacent to the core layer, and a second layer adjacent to the first metal layer, wherein the second layer comprises a material that is substantially mechanically and thermally stable and thereby functions as a hard jacket to mitigate deformation of the NFT. The first metal layer may comprise a plasmonic metal, such as gold. The second layer may comprise tungsten, chromium, or a dielectric material.

Metal-insulator-metal near-field transducer for heat-assisted magnetic recording

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) device comprising a waveguide and a near-field transducer (NFT) coupled to the waveguide in a direct-fire configuration. The NFT comprises an insulator core encased in a metal portion. The insulator core comprises a rectangular portion and a tapered portion, wherein the rectangular portion is between the waveguide and the tapered portion. The metal portion comprises a plasmonic metal.

Architecture for metal-insulator-metal near-field transducer for heat-assisted magnetic recording

A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) write apparatus is coupled with a laser that provides energy. The HAMR write apparatus includes a pole, at least one coil, a waveguide, a near-field transducer (NFT) and at least one antireflective mechanism. The pole writes to a region of the media and includes a media-facing surface. The coil(s) energize the pole. The waveguide is optically coupled with the laser and includes a core and cladding. The waveguide is for directing a portion of the energy toward the NFT, which is located in a transmission direction from the core of the waveguide. The antireflective mechanism(s) are in at least one of a first position in the waveguide, a second position in the NFT and a third position between the waveguide and the NFT.

Method and system for reducing undesirable reflections in a HAMR write apparatus

A focusing structure including an array of localized optical alterations that alter the propagation of light through the waveguide to diffractively focus the light as it exits the focusing structure. The array of optical alterations may be formed along either a straight or a curved line within a cross section of the focusing structure. In energy assisted magnetic recording apparatus a laser beam propagates through the waveguide to a near field transducer. The waveguide comprises a focusing element that includes an array of localized optical alterations that alter the propagation of the laser beam through the waveguide to diffractively focus the laser beam approximately at the near field transducer.

System and method of diffractive focusing of light in a waveguide

A method, system and apparatus are described for increasing areal density and track density for a data storage system. Media with high magneto-crystalline anisotropy is heated locally during writing, utilizing heating methods such as heat-assisted magnetic recording, energy assisted magnetic recording, thermally assisted recording. In an aspect, high-power heated tracks of a magnetic recording layer are heated and written, and then low-power heated tracks are heated and written. The high-power heated tracks and the low-power heated tracks are interlaced, such that a low-power heated track is situated between two high-power heated tracks. In an aspect, media rewriting speed is increased. In an aspect, the high-power heated tracks and low-power heated tracks are written to at substantially the same data rate and linear density. In an aspect, any erasure of any portion of the high-power heated tracks from heating the low-power heated tracks is avoided, or minimized.

Heat assisted magnetic recording withinterlaced high-power heated and low-power heated tracks

Systems and methods for measuring ambient and laser temperature in heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) systems are provided. One such system includes a slider having a write head, a laser diode coupled to the slider and configured to direct energy to a magnetic medium, and a preamplifier circuit including a voltage measurement circuit configured to measure a voltage drop across the laser diode, and a current measurement circuit configured to measure a current through the laser diode, where the preamplifier circuit is configured to store calibration information including a plurality of temperatures corresponding with measurements of the voltage drop across the laser diode and measurements of the current through the laser diode, and calculate a temperature based on the measured voltage drop across the laser diode, the measured current through the laser diode, and the calibration information.

Systems and methods for measuring ambient and laser temperature in heat assisted magnetic recording

A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk and a head comprising a laser configured to heat the disk while writing to the disk. At least one transmission line couples a laser driver to the laser. Data is written to the disk by pulsing the laser driver, wherein the transmission line comprises an impedance that results in a target pulse shape of optical power output by the laser.

Disk drive comprising laser transmission line optimized for heat assisted magnetic recording

A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head is coupled with a laser for providing energy and has an air-bearing surface (ABS) configured to reside in proximity to a media during use. The HAMR head includes a slider coupled with the laser and a HAMR transducer coupled with the slider. The HAMR transducer includes a write pole that writes to a region of the media, coil(s) for energizing the write pole and an interferometric waveguide (IWG) optically coupled with the laser. The IWG includes a splitter, a recombination region and arms between the splitter and the recombination region. The arms have multiple optical path lengths. The IWG is configured to provide the energy from the laser to the media by forming an interference pattern in the recombination region. An antinode of the interference pattern is at a region of the media and heats the region of the media for a write operation.

Growing community of inventors

Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Alexander Krichevsky