Seagate Technology Incorporated

Ruoxi Yang

Weibin Chen

James Gary Wessel

Nan Zhou

Michael Allen Seigler

YongJun Zhao

Werner Scholz

Michael Joseph Stirniman

Huaqing Yin

Timothy John Klemmer

Martin Giles Blaber

John Charles Duda

Xiaoding Ma

Tae-Woo Lee

Huan H Tang

Florin Zavaliche

Yang Yang

Paul Max Jones

Pierre Asselin

Zhaohui Fan

Fujian Huang

XiaoPing Yan

Hongbo Wang

Emir R Kazazic

Kyoumarss Damavandi

Chubing Peng

Mourad Benakli

Mark Anthony Gubbins

Aidan Dominic Goggin

Zoran Jandric

Chris Rea

Michael James Hardy

Frank Edgar Stageberg

Choon How Gan

Roberto Fernandez Garcia

Emil John C Esmenda

Michael Allen Siegler

Emil John Catoc Esmenda

Rachel Frakie

A recording head has a near-field transducer that extends a first distance away from a media-facing surface. Two subwavelength focusing mirrors are at an end of a waveguide proximate the media-facing surface and extend a second distance away from the media-facing surface that is less than the first distance. The subwavelength mirrors are on opposite crosstrack sides of the near-field transducer and separated from each other by a crosstrack gap. The subwavelength focusing mirrors each include a first material at the media-facing surface and a plasmonic material that covers an edge of the subwavelength focusing mirror that faces the near-field transducer. The first material is more mechanically robust than the plasmonic material.

Heat-assisted recording head having sub wavelength mirror formed of first and second materials

A recording head includes a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head and a waveguide that overlaps and delivers light to the near-field transducer. The recording head includes subwavelength-sized focusing mirror comprising first and second reflectors disposed on cross track sides of the near-field transducer. Each of the first and second reflectors is spaced apart from the media-facing surface by a distance, D, measured along an axis normal to the media-facing surface.

Recording head with focusing structure

A recording head has a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head. The near-field transducer extends a first distance away from the media-facing surface. A waveguide overlaps and delivers light to the near-field transducer. Two subwavelength focusing mirrors are at an end of the waveguide proximate the media-facing surface. The subwavelength mirrors are on opposite crosstrack sides of the near-field transducer and separated from each other by a crosstrack gap. The subwavelength focusing mirrors each include a first material at the media-facing surface and a liner that covers an edge of the mirror.

A recording head has a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head. The near-field transducer extends a first distance away from the media-facing surface. A waveguide overlaps and delivers light to the near-field transducer. Two subwavelength focusing mirrors are at an end of the waveguide proximate the media-facing surface and extend a second distance away from the media-facing surface that is less than the first distance. The subwavelength mirrors are on opposite crosstrack sides of the near-field transducer and separated from each other by a crosstrack gap. The subwavelength focusing mirrors each include a first material at the media-facing surface; and a second material facing away from the media facing surface and in contact with the first material. The second material includes a plasmonic material, and the first material is more mechanically robust than the second material.

A recording head comprises a waveguide extending to an air-bearing surface, and the waveguide comprises a core surrounded by cladding layers. A near-field transducer is disposed on a first side of the core, and a reflector, comprising a layer of metallic material, is disposed on a second side of the core facing away from the first side. The reflector extends beyond the core in a cross-track direction and extends in a direction normal to the air-bearing surface. The reflector has a thickness in a downtrack direction of less than 200 nm.

Waveguide having reflector for heat-assisted magnetic recording head

An apparatus including a heat sink layer and a magnetic recording layer over the heat sink layer. In addition, a thermochromic layer is over the heat sink layer, wherein the thermochromic layer includes a first optical absorbance at a first temperature and a second optical absorbance at a second temperature.

Apparatuses and methods for absorbing optical energy

An apparatus comprises a slider having an air-bearing surface (ABS), a write pole at or near the ABS, and a reader at or near the ABS and connected to a pair of reader bond pads of the slider. A near-field transducer (NFT) is formed on the slider at or near the ABS, and an optical waveguide is formed in the slider and configured to receive light from a laser source. A sensor is situated proximal of the write pole at a location within the slider that receives at least some of the light communicated along the waveguide. The sensor may be electrically coupled to the reader bond pads in parallel with the reader, and configured to generate a signal indicative of output optical power of the laser source.

Bolometer for internal laser power monitoring in heat-assisted magnetic recording device

An apparatus is includes a near field transducer positioned adjacent a media-facing surface and at the end of a waveguide having at least one core layer and a cladding layer. The apparatus also includes at least one optical reflector positioned adjacent opposing cross-track edges of the near field transducer and/or adjacent a down-track side of the near-field transducer.

Optical reflectors for use with a near-field transducer

Provided herein is an apparatus including a substrate and a magnetic recording layer over the substrate. In addition, a thermochromic layer is over the substrate, wherein the thermochromic layer includes a first optical absorbance at a first temperature and a second optical absorbance at a second temperature.

A dual-slot waveguide receives energy from a coupling waveguide. The dual-slot waveguide includes first and second light propagating regions of low-index material located side-by-side in a direction normal to a light propagation direction. Inner sides of the first and second light propagating regions are separated by a first region of a high-index material. Second and third regions of the high-index material surround outer sides of the first and second light propagating regions. A near-field transducer receives portions of the energy from the first and second light propagating regions.

Slot waveguide that couples energy to a near-field transducer

A write head includes a near-field transducer near a media-facing surface of the write head. The write head includes a waveguide having a core with a first side disposed proximate to the near-field transducer. The core overlaps the near-field transducer at a substrate-parallel plane. The core includes one of a step or a taper on a second side facing away from the first side. The step or the taper causes a reduced thickness of the core normal to the substrate-parallel plane. The write head includes a cladding layer that encompassing the second side of the core and that fills in the step or the taper.

Waveguide of a write head with reduced cross sectional area proximate a near-field transducer

A write head includes a near-field transducer near a media-facing surface of the write head and a waveguide. The waveguide includes a core that overlaps or is co-planer with the near-field transducer at a first region. The core has a second region extending away from the near-field transducer to an energy source. The core has a third region between the first and second regions. The third region has a third crosstrack width that is less than first and second crosstrack widths of the first and second regions.

Waveguide of a write head with reduced crosstrack width proximate a near-field transducer

An apparatus includes a write pole proximate a media-facing surface of a recording head. A near-field transducer is adjacent to the write pole. A waveguide has a core layer extending from an energy source to the media-facing surface. The core layer includes a region of reduced downtrack thickness proximate the near-field transducer. The region of reduced downtrack thickness is defined by a notch facing away from the near-field transducer. A material of the notch has a different index of refraction than an index of refraction of the core layer.

Growing community of inventors

St. Louis Park, MN, United States of America

Ruoxi Yang