Seiko Instruments Inc

Other

Kunio Nakajima

Norio Chiba

Takashi Niwa

Yasuyuki Mitsuoka

Nobuyuki Kasama

Kenji Kato

Manabu Oumi

Hiroshi Muramatsu

Shuzo Sudo

Masataka Shinogi

Atsushi Sakurai

Hiroyuki Suzuki

Kazuo Sato

Yoshikazu Kojima

Tadashi Sato

Hiroaki Takasu

Masaaki Kamiya

Tadao Iwaki

Susumu Ichihara

Kunihiro Takahashi

Tsuneo Yamazaki

Noritaka Yamamoto

Tatsuya Miyatani

Mizuaki Suzuki

Katsuaki Sato

Akira Egawa

Kouichi Tamura

Mitsuhiro Shikita

Osamu Nishikawa

Yasayuki Mitsuoka

In a recording apparatus for reproducing information recorded on a recording medium by utilizing near-field light, the recording apparatus realizes reliable information reproduction with a simple structure. Illumination lightis illuminated to the recording mediumto create near-field light on a surface of the recording medium. The created near-field light is scattered by a microscopic apertureformed in the aperture elementso that scattering light (propagation light) thereof is detected to create a reproduced signal. Derived from the created reproduced light a distance control signal representative of a distance between the microscopic apertureand the recording medium. Based on the distance control signal, the aperture elementis controlled in position. Due to this, the microscopic apertureis brought into proximity to the recording medium

Recording apparatus

A near-field optical head applied for a head of an information recording/reading apparatus for realizing information recording and reading with high density recording medium at high speed and with reliability through interaction between a near-field light and a recording medium using a slider having a near-field optical probe. A slider () having a near-field optical probe is put into proximity to a recording medium (). Further, a distance is reduced between a light emitting element () and a microscopic aperture (). The microscopic aperture is controlled in protrusion amount from the recording medium () by a piezoelectric element. Due to this, the light intensity in the probe or light detecting section is increased to increase interaction with the recording medium (). This realizes information recording and reading apparatus with high sensitivity and accuracy.

Near-field optical head

A near-field optical probe has a flat support member having opposed flat surfaces, and a tapered through-hole extends through the support member and terminates at one of the flat surfaces in a narrow aperture. A light collecting layer having a plurality of reflective surfaces is disposed on the support member for collecting and focusing light passing through the narrow aperture. An optical detector disposed above the light collecting layer detects light passing through the light collecting layer.

Near-field optical probe

In an information recording apparatus for recording information onto a recording medium by utilizing a technology in a near-field microscope, the information recording apparatus carries out recording with reliability and density. An optical probe () or micro-cantilever () utilized in a near-field microscope is used as a recording probe (). The recording probe () at its tip is heated by laser light () illumination or heating by an electric heating element to radiate microscopic-region thermal energy through the tip to a recording medium (). This makes it possible to record microscopically information onto the recording medium () that varies in physical properties due to heating. Furthermore, thermal energy is provided to a recording position through an auxiliary heat radiating means thereby enabling recording more positively.

Information recording apparatus

The present invention has an object, in a near-field optical probe having a microscopic aperture to generate and/or scatter a near field, to obtain a near-field optical probe easy to be made in an array which increases the intensity of a near field to be generated and/or scattered and is adapted for use as an optical memory head. This near-field optical probe is arranged with a planar lens having microscopic lens on a flat surface substrate having an inverted conical or pyramidal hole formed therethrough such that its apex is made as the microscopic aperture, wherein a light source is further arranged thereon to introduce light to the planar lens. Because the arrangement is made such that the planar lens has a focal point positioned at the microscopic aperture, the light given by the light source can be efficiently collected to the microscopic aperture. Also, the above structure can be arrayed and mass produced using a silicon process, thus being adapted for use as an optical memory head.

In a recording apparatus for reproducing information recorded on a recording medium by utilizing near-field light, the recording apparatus realizes reliable information reproduction with a simple structure. Illumination light is illuminated to the recording medium to create near-field light on a surface of the recording medium . The created near-field light is scattered by a microscopic aperture formed in the aperture element so that scattering light (propagation light) thereof is detected to create a reproduced signal. Derived from the created reproduced light a distance control signal representative of a distance between the microscopic aperture and the recording medium . Based on the distance control signal, the aperture element is controlled in position. Due to this, the microscopic aperture is brought into proximity to the recording medium

A scanning probe microscope comprises scanning control means for controlling raster scanning of an XYZ translator, and displacement detection means for detecting amount of displacement of the XYZ translator, and is configured so that of the two raster scanning axes, only displacement of the XYZ translator along a low frequency scanning axis is feedback controlled, displacement of the XYZ translator along a high frequency scanning axis is made larger than a region to be observed, and sampling of an amount of displacement of the XYZ translator starts at the same time as a relative position of a probe enters into the observation region.

Scanning probe microscope

A near-field optical head comprises a slider body and a cantilever arm extending from the slider body and having a contact pad at an end portion thereof for contacting a surface of a recording medium. The slider body has an air bearing surface which interacts with a film of air moving in a direction adjacent to the surface of the record medium to generate a lift force to fly the slider body over the surface of the record medium and urge the contact pad of the cantilever arm into contact with the surface of the record medium.

Near-field optical head and head support assembly having near-field optical head

A near-field optical probe has a hole penetrating through a substrate and defining a microscopic aperture at an apex thereof for generating or scattering near field light. The probe is simple and inexpensive to produce and may be manufactured in an array form by forming plural holes in the substrate so that it may be used in an optical memory device. A lens is disposed above the microscopic aperture for focusing incident light and a light source is arranged thereover to introduce light to the lens. A focal point of the lens is positioned at the microscopic aperture, so that the light emitted by the light source can be efficiently collected at the microscopic aperture. The structure can be mass produced using known silicon processing techniques, thus being adapted for use as an optical memory head.

Optical probe for proximity field

A near-field optical head which reproduces, with high S/N, information recorded with extreme density and is compact in structure. On an electrode ( ) is formed a recording medium ( ) that emits a light by applying an electric field. Brought into proximity to a recording medium ( ) is a near-field optical head ( ) having a slider ( ) formed with an inverted cone formed hole such that an apex thereof is rendered as a microscopic aperture ( ). A microscopic electrode ( ) is formed on a side surface ( ) of the inverted cone formed hole. An electric field ( ) is applied only to a microscopic region to cause light emission. It is possible at the aperture ( ) to detect a light emitted only by the microscopic region.

Near field optical head and reproduction method

A near-field optical head has a tip end having an edge portion defined by two intersecting planes. Information recorded on a recording medium is reproduced in accordance with an intensity of scattered light of an evanescent field generated when the recording medium is illuminated with light and the tip end of the optical head is brought proximate the recording medium at an interval equal to or smaller than a wavelength of light therebetween.

There is provided a near-field optical memory head for recording and/or reproducing information on a recording medium by utilizing near-field light which is a near-field optical memory head having a compact constitution and is suitable for mass production and array formation. According to the near-field optical memory head , in a planar substrate formed by penetrating at least one hole in a shape of an inverted pyramid such that a top portion thereof constitutes a very small aperture , a near-field light forming system for forming near-field light at a recording medium and a near-field light detecting system for guiding propagating light provided by interactively operating the formed near-field light with the very small aperture to a light detecting element are integrated.

Growing community of inventors

Chiba, Japan

Kunio Nakajima