Optical flying head with solid immersion lens having raised central surface facing medium
First Claim
1. An optical air bearing carrying an optical element through which an optical path is defined, the optical element having a bottom surface facing a recording medium contoured such that a central region where the optical path exits the bottom surface is closest to the medium regardless of perturbations in the attitude of the air bearing and neighboring points on the surface surrounding the central region recede but function at least partly as an air bearing.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An air bearing assembly for an optical drive carries a solid immersion lens (SIL) having a bottom surface facing the disk contoured such that a central region where the optical path exits the bottom surface is closest to the recording medium regardless of perturbations in the attitude of the air bearing and neighboring points on the surface surrounding the central region recede for clearance but function at least partly as an air bearing. In one embodiment the bottom surface of the SIL has a radius of about 10 meters.
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Citations
25 Claims
- 1. An optical air bearing carrying an optical element through which an optical path is defined, the optical element having a bottom surface facing a recording medium contoured such that a central region where the optical path exits the bottom surface is closest to the medium regardless of perturbations in the attitude of the air bearing and neighboring points on the surface surrounding the central region recede but function at least partly as an air bearing.
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21. A method of making an optical air bearing comprising
mounting an optical element to an air bearing slider, coating the bottom surface of the optical element with a nontransparent material, and blasting a pinhole through the optical element with a laser beam applied through the optical element.
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24. A method of making an optical air bearing comprising
mounting an optical element to an air bearing slider, and lapping the bottom surface of the optical element to form a curved contour.
Specification