Seagate Technology Incorporated

International Business Machines Corporation

Iolon, Inc.

Read Rite Corporation

Vmedia Research, Inc.

Vmo Systems Inc.

Jerry E Hurst, Jr

John F Heanue

Jeffrey P Wilde

Joseph Eugene Davis

Terry Wayne McDaniel

Jeff Drazan

Kurt Edward Petersen

John H Jerman

Karl Arnold Belser

Joseph D Drake

Stephen J Hrinya

Alexander Tselikov

Viatcheslav Izraelian

Stephen Mark Rossnagel

James Patrick Doyle

Steven Bernard Volk

John J Donelon

Glen Alan Jaquette

Edward Charles Gage

Robert J Von Gutfeld

Kurt A Rubin

Yonglin Huang

Gregory D Volan

David A Thompson

John J Ritsko

Modest M Oprysko

Ronald Evan Gerber

Anthony Juliana

David E Call

Jill D Berger

George R Gray

Warren D Grobman

Yaffa Tomkiewicz

David C Cheng

Radley Wahl Olson

Yongwei Zhang

Michael R Madison

Yenyu Hsieh

Jeffery P Wilde

Fahfu Ho

John F Heanuc

A miniature optical disc drive includes a DVD-compatible optical controller and a cartridge load module designed to hold a cartridge containing a 32 mm optical data storage disc.

Miniaturized disc drive containing DVD-compatible optical controller

A battery-operated, hand-held disc drive for an optical data storage disc contains a radio transceiver. Data read from the disc, for example a game or movie, are delivered to the transceiver and transmitted, preferably using a WiFi protocol, to a host device, such as a smartphone, PDA, ultra-light tablet or notebook computer, or digital TV. Preferably, the compression factor of the data on the disc and the transfer rate of the data from the disc drive to the host device are set such that that disc drive has a low duty cycle, thereby conserving battery power while providing the user with an extended usage period. To provide a high-quality experience, the data on the disc are compressed using a highly efficient data compression algorithm such as MPEG-4.

Method of operating a disc drive and a host device

An optical data storage system utilizes optical fibers for transfer of information to and from storage media. The storage media includes magneto-optical storage disks. The optical fibers are single-mode polarization maintaining optical fibers. A single frequency laser diode provides a source of polarized light. Accordingly, a polarization state conveyed by the polarization maintaining optical fiber is accurately reproduced with reduced noise, as compared to use of a Fabry-Perot laser diode.

Single frequency laser source for optical data storage system

An optical head utilizes a micro-machined element in combination with a light source and a lens to write and read data onto a storage disk. The micro-machined element may include a steerable micro-machined mirror or a micro-actuator. A beam of laser light transmitted from the light source to the optical head and a reflected light from the storage disk is altered by a movement of the micro-machined element. In this manner a focused optical spot is scanned back and forth in a direction which is approximately parallel to the radial direction of the storage disk.

Optical head using micro-machined elements

An optical data storage and retrieval system uses a flying head. The flying head is supported on a moving media having information stored in a plurality of stored data locations thereon. Information is stored in each of the plurality of media locations as physical structures capable of modulating the polarization state of incident light into one of two output polarization states. The flying head includes an optical processing assembly which directs an incident light beam having a source polarization state onto the moving media, accessing successive data locations. A reflected light beam having the source polarization state of the incident light beam modulated by a respective polarization modifying data location into one of the output polarization states is received by the flying head. The optical processing assembly optically transforms the modulated output polarization state of the reflected light beam into two return light beams having differentially modulated intensity related to the output polarization state of the reflected light beam. The two intensity modulated return light beams are optically coupled to a distal differential detector which outputs digital data representing the stored data information for the subject data location. A preferred embodiment includes optical fibers for coupling the incident and return light beams between the detector and the flying head. The optical assembly of a preferred embodiment includes an optical plate having pre-shaped and dimensioned recesses for automatically locating and aligning multiple optical components comprising the assembly. The flying head may also include a servo-controlled micro machined mirror for directing the incident and reflected light beams to and from the media.

Data storage system having an optical processing flying head

An optical data storage system utilizes optical fibers for transfer of information to and from storage media. The storage media comprises magneto-optical storage disks. The optical fibers are low-birefringence optical fibers. As compared with conventional approaches, a polarization state conveyed by the optical fiber is accurately reproduced with reduced noise. Various noise reduction techniques are provided by substantially decreasing or eliminating spurious reflections (or the effects thereof) at end faces and of an optical fiber. In particular, various techniques, such as index matching, a cover slip method, laser modulation, or angle polishing, may be used to eliminate spurious reflections (or the effects thereof) at the front end face of the optical fiber. Various techniques, such as angle cleaving, index matching, or multi-mode fiber splicing, may be used to eliminate spurious reflections (or the effects thereof) at the back end face of the optical fiber.

Refractive index matching means coupled to an optical fiber for eliminating spurious light

An optical data storage system utilizes optical fibers for transfer of information to and from storage media The storage media comprises magneto-optical storage disks. The optical fibers are low-birefringence optical fibers. As compared to the prior art, a polarization state conveyed by the optical fiber is accurately reproduced with reduced noise.

Low-birefringence optical fiber for use in an optical data storage system

A magneto-optical flying head utilizes a steerable mirror in combination with a light source and a lens to write and read data onto a magneto-optical storage disk. A beam of laser light transmitted from the light source to the optical head is reflected onto a steerable micro-machined folding mirror. The reflected light from the folding mirror is directed through an embedded micro-objective GRIN lens. Fine tracking and short seeks to adjacent tracks are performed by rotating the mirror about an axis of rotation. In this way a focus spot is scanned back and forth in a direction which is approximately parallel to the radial direction of the storage disk.

Flying optical head with dynamic mirror

An optical microswitch for use with a laser beam comprising a support body and first and second output fibers carried by the body. An electrostatic microactuator is carried by the body and extends in a plane. A micromirror is disposed out of the plane. The microactuator has a mirror holder coupled to the micromirror and at least one comb drive assembly coupled to the mirror holder for driving the micromirror about an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the plane between a first position for reflecting the laser beam to the first output fiber and a second position for reflecting the laser beam to the second output fiber.

An optical data storage system,utilizes optical fibers,for transfer of information to and from storage media,The storage media,comprises magneto-optical storage disks. The optical fibers,are low-birefringence optical fibers. As compared to the prior art, a polarization state conveyed by the optical fiber,is accurately reproduced with reduced noise.

An actuator assembly directs a first beam of light towards an optical assembly. A particular angular displacement of the beam of light relative to the optical assembly by the actuator assembly directs the beam of light to exit the optical assembly at a particular output port.

Fiber bundle switch

A system for maximum magneto-optical data storage system is provided. The system utilizes double-sided first surface magnetically-induced super resolution storage media to provide the ability to access a data mark from a plurality of data marks within an optical spot size of an impinging optical beam of light.

Magneto-optical system utilizing MSR media

Optical switching of light is effected between an input and an output utilizing a low-bandwidth actuator and a hi-bandwidth actuator.

Optical switch with coarse and fine deflectors

A system and method for directly measuring the alignment error in a fiber-optic coupler is disclosed. In one embodiment, an optical switch utilizes a beam deflection mirror. When the beam deflection mirror directs an incident light beam to a particular fiber, the incident light beam may enter the fiber at a location offset from the center of the fiber. When the incident beam is reflected at the opposite end of the fiber, the beam returns and exits the fiber exactly at the center of the fiber. The difference between the entry and exit points results in a return beam path different than the incident beam path. This different return beam path may be used to impinge upon a quadrant detector, whose anode currents may then contain a direct measurement of the distance between the entry and exit points on the fiber.

System and method for direct measurement of alignment error in a fiber coupler

A magneto-optical (MO) data storage system has a flying optical head supported over a MO storage medium, the flying head having channels or grooves formed therein and optical elements disposed within the grooves for directing an incident light beam to the storage medium and for receiving a reflected light beam from the storage medium. The flying head may comprise a two-piece assembly comprising a slider body which flies over the surface of the storage medium, and a separate optics mounting block formed to receive the optical elements and to be supported on the flying head. Preferably, the slider body is L-shaped and provides an angled surface for receiving a micro-machined mirror aligned with optical elements on the optics mounting block and controllable for deflecting the light beam to and from the storage medium.

Magneto-optical data storage system having an optical-processing flying

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Jerry E Hurst, Jr