6032results about "Optical beam guiding means" patented technology

An optical transducer comprises an optical element for directing an electromagnetic wave to a focal region and a metallic nano-structure having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to an electric field of the electromagnetic wave, the metallic nano-structure being positioned outside of the optical element, wherein the electromagnetic wave produces surface plasmons on the metallic nano-structure. A cladding material having a refractive index differing from the refractive index of the optical element can be positioned adjacent to a surface of the metallic nano-structure. Magneto-optical recording heads that include the transducers and disc drives that include the magneto-optical recording heads are also included.

A solid immersion lens integrated on a flexible support such as a cantilever or membrane is described, together with a method of forming the integrated structure.

An energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) transducer coupled with a laser is described. The EAMR transducer has an air-bearing surface (ABS) residing near a media during use. The EAMR transducer includes optical and writer modules. The optical module includes a waveguide and a near field transducer (NFT). The waveguide directs the energy from the laser toward the ABS. The NFT focuses the energy onto the media. The optical and writer modules are physically separate such that no portion of the waveguide is interleaved with a magnetic portion of the writer module. The writer module includes a write pole and coil(s). The write pole includes a pole-tip portion for providing a magnetic field to the media and a yoke. The pole-tip portion has an ABS-facing surface, a sloped surface, and a NFT-facing surface therebetween. The sloped surface is at least twenty-five and not more than sixty-five degrees from the NFT-facing surface.

A method and system for providing an energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) head are described. The EAMR head includes a laser, a slider, and an EAMR transducer. The laser has a main emitter and at least one alignment emitter. The slider includes at least one alignment waveguide, at least one output device, and an air-bearing surface (ABS). The alignment waveguide(s) are aligned with the alignment emitter(s). The EAMR transducer is coupled with the slider and includes a waveguide aligned with main emitter. The waveguide is for directing energy from the main emitter toward the ABS.

A near field transducer (NFT) for use in an energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) head and configured to direct energy to a recording media is disclosed. The NFT comprises a disk section; and a pin section extending towards an air bearing surface (ABS) from the disk section. The pin section has a proximal end adjoining the disk section and a distal end opposite to the proximal end and facing the ABS, wherein the distal end of the pin section has a non-rectangular cross section in a plane parallel to the ABS and the proximal end of the pin section has a rectangular cross section in the plane parallel to the ABS.

A method and system provide an EAMR transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) that resides near a media during use. The EAMR transducer includes a write pole, coil(s), a near field transducer (NFT), a waveguide, and a reflective grating. The write pole writes to a region of the media. The coil(s) energize the write pole. The NFT is proximate to the ABS and focuses the energy onto the media. The waveguide is configured to direct the energy from the laser toward the NFT at an incident angle with respect to the ABS. A first portion of the energy reflects off of the ABS at a reflected angle. The reflective grating receives the first portion of the energy at the reflected angle from the ABS and reflects a second portion of the energy toward the ABS. The NFT resides between at least part of the waveguide and the reflective grating.

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.

An optical pickup apparatus comprises first, second and third light sources to emit light fluxes of wavelength lambda1, lambda2 and lambda3 for conducting recording and / or reproducing information for first, second and third optical information recording mediums having respective protective substrates of thickness t1, t2 and t3 and a diffractive optical element located on a common optical path for the first, second and third light sources. A converged-light spot is formed on the first optical information recording medium with m-th order diffracted-light ray of the wavelength lambda1, on the second optical information recording medium with n-th order diffracted-light ray of the wavelength lambda2, and on the third optical information recording medium with k-th order diffracted-light ray of the wavelength lambda3 generated by the diffractive optical element respectively, wherein one of m, n and k is different from one of other two numbers.

An apparatus for concentrating electromagnetic energy comprises a metallic transducer including a first section and a second section, wherein the first section is wider than the second section and has a width to length aspect ratio greater than or equal to a width to length aspect ratio of the second section, and a condenser for directing electromagnetic radiation onto the transducer. A magnetic storage device that includes the apparatus is also provided.

A heat assisted magnetic recording head having a planar waveguide for heating a recording medium proximate to where a write pole of the recording head applies a magnetic write field thereto. The planar waveguide includes at least one edge, which may have a substantially parabolic shape, that is shaped to reflect an electromagnetic wave to a focal point within the planar waveguide. The planar waveguide includes a truncated end adjacent the focal point such that the truncated end intersects the focal point.

A switchable optical element has a fluid chamber including immiscible first and second bodies of fluid disposed relative to one another along an optical axis of the element. The second body of fluid is movable in a direction away from the optical axis (A) by electro-wetting action, giving the switchable optical element a changeable transmissivity along the optical axis.

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.

A first diffractive optical element pattern with a pattern pitch that is no greater than a wavelength of incident light is formed on a first main surface of substrate such as a glass plate. Second diffractive optical element patterns are formed at positions that are respectively incident to positive first-order diffracted light and negative first-order diffracted light produced by the first diffractive optical element pattern. Negative first-order diffracted light produced by each second diffractive optical element pattern is incident upon a boundary face of the substrate at an angle that is smaller than the critical angle, and so exits the substrate.

An image pickup lens assembly comprises three lens groups, from the object side to the image side: a first lens group, a second lens group, and a third lens group. The first lens group includes two lenses with refractive power, namely, a first lens with positive refractive power, and a second lens with negative refractive power. The front surface of the first lens is convex, and the rear surface of the second lens is concave. The second lens group includes a meniscus third lens with positive refractive power, the rear surface of the third lens is convex. The third lens group includes a fourth lens with negative refractive power, the front surface of the fourth lens is convex, and the rear surface of the fourth lens is aspheric. An aperture stop is located between the first lens and the second lens of the first lens group for controlling the brightness of the optical system.

To provide an optical pickup device and optical disk device capable of realizing at least one of thickness reduction, size reduction and suppression against characteristic deterioration even where coping with various wavelengths of laser including a blue laser. An optical pickup device comprising light sources for respectively emitting a plurality of different wavelengths of light, unit structured for causing at least a part of the light emitted from the light sources to pass a same optical path; and focusing unit for focusing the light. The focusing unit includes at least first and second focusing parts, the first focusing part being to focus mainly a wavelength of light different from a wavelength of light to be mainly focused by the second focusing part.

A method and miniaturizable device is described to read / write information to an optical storage medium (11). A device comprises one or more light sources (12) bounded up with an access unit (10) which is arranged to be controllable to a position, in which light beams (21, 22) are transmitted transversal towards an optical storage medium, and reflected light beams (33) are analysed by a detector element (18, 26) which further informs the access unit whether to move or stand still to keep light beams in focus and on track. A device according to the invention is possible to implement in a small size and low weight due to reduced component count and thin access unit geometries. A communication device (80) according to the invention may be implemented to fulfil a crucial need for ultraminiature range of communication devices.

An apparatus includes a waveguide having an end adjacent to an air bearing surface, first and second poles positioned on opposite sides of the waveguide, and wherein the first pole includes a first portion spaced from the waveguide and a second portion extending from the first portion to the air bearing surface, with the second portion being structured such that an end of the second portion is closer to the waveguide than the first portion.