Metal-insulator-metal near-field transducer for heat-assisted magnetic recording

Abstract

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) device comprising a waveguide and a near-field transducer (NFT) coupled to the waveguide. The NFT comprises a core layer comprising an insulator, a first metal layer adjacent to the core layer, and a second layer adjacent to the first metal layer, wherein the second layer comprises a material that is substantially mechanically and thermally stable and thereby functions as a hard jacket to mitigate deformation of the NFT. The first metal layer may comprise a plasmonic metal, such as gold. The second layer may comprise tungsten, chromium, or a dielectric material.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.