Waveguide multilayer core structure for use in heat assisted magnetic recording
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorChubing Peng
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Described are recording heads for heat assisted magnetic recording that include a light delivery waveguide that delivers light for excitation of a near-field transducer, where the waveguide has a multilayer core. The multilayer core includes a top outer layer nearest to the near-field transducer that has a lower refractive index than an inner layer of multilayer core. The described waveguides having a multilayer core can improve NFT coupling efficiency, which in turn can allow the use of lower optical power density, and thus provide better reliability for recording head components such as the near-field transducer.
Claims19
A recording head for heat assisted magnetic recording, comprising:
- a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head, the near-field transducer configured to generate plasmons upon excitation by light coupled into the near-field transducer, wherein the near-field transducer comprises an emitter disk disposed between a middle disk and a sunken disk;
- and
- a light delivery waveguide extending from an energy source to the sunken disk of the near-field transducer and configured to couple light from the energy source into the near-field transducer, the light delivery waveguide comprising a multilayer core, the multilayer core comprising an inner core layer of a first dielectric material disposed between a top outer core layer of a second dielectric material a bottom outer core layer of a third dielectric material, wherein the multilayer core is oriented such that the top outer core layer is nearest to the near-field transducer, and wherein the first dielectric material has a first refractive index and the second dielectric material has a second refractive index that is lower than the first refractive index.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.