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US 8,509,037 B1Granted
Layered optical waveguide and near field transducer
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorsXiaoyue Huang, Chubing Peng
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Abstract
A waveguide extends away from a media-facing surface. The waveguide includes top and bottom cladding layers and a core disposed therebetween. The core includes a middle core layer and an outside core layer having respective first and second indices of refraction. The first index of refraction is smaller than the second index of refraction. A near field transducer is disposed within the middle core layer proximate the media-facing surface.
Claims17
An apparatus, comprising:
- a waveguide extending away from a media-facing surface, the waveguide comprising top and bottom cladding layers and a core disposed therebetween, wherein the core comprises a middle core layer and an outside core layer having respective first and second indices of refraction, and wherein the first index of refraction is smaller than the second index of refraction;
- and
- a near field transducer disposed within the middle core layer and proximate the media-facing surface, wherein at least the middle core layer extends over a back edge of the near field transducer that faces away from the media-facing surface.
An apparatus comprising:
- a waveguide extending away from a media-facing surface, the waveguide comprising top and bottom cladding layers and a core disposed therebetween, wherein the core comprises:
- a middle core layer;
- an outside core layer having respective first and second indices of refraction,
- wherein the first index of refraction is smaller than the second index of refraction;
- and
- a second outside layer disposed between the middle core layer and the top cladding layer, wherein the second outside layer has a third index of refraction that is larger than the first index of refraction;
- and
- a near field transducer disposed within the middle core layer and proximate the media-facing surface.
5 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a waveguide extending away from a media-facing surface, the waveguide comprising top and bottom cladding layers and a core disposed therebetween, wherein the core comprises a middle core layer and an outside core layer having respective first and second indices of refraction, wherein the first index of refraction is smaller than the second index of refraction;
- and
- a near field transducer disposed within the middle core layer and proximate the media-facing surface, wherein the first index of refraction is chosen to minimize a red shift in excitation of the near field transducer in response to energy received via the waveguide.
A method, comprising:
- directing light via a waveguide towards a media-facing surface, wherein the waveguide comprises top and bottom cladding layers and a core disposed therebetween, wherein the core comprises a middle core layer and an outside core layer having respective first and second indices of refraction, wherein the first index of refraction is smaller than the second index of refraction;
- and
- causing the light to excite plasmons at a surface of a near field transducer disposed within the middle core layer proximate the media-facing surface, wherein the first index of refraction is chosen to minimize a red shift in excitation of the near field transducer in response to energy received via the waveguide.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a waveguide extending away from a media-facing surface, the waveguide comprising top and bottom cladding layers and a core disposed therebetween, wherein the top and bottom cladding layers have respective top and bottom indices of refraction, wherein the top index of refraction is higher than the bottom index of refraction, wherein the core has a higher index of refraction than both the top and bottom indices of refraction, and wherein the core has at least two layers of differing index of refraction, the at least two layers comprising indices of refraction that are ordered from largest to smallest based on respective proximity to the top and bottom cladding layers;
- and
- a near-field transducer disposed in the top cladding layer proximate the media-facing surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.