Plasmon generator with metallic waveguide blocker for TAMR
First Claim
1. A TAMR (thermally assisted magnetic recording) write head comprising:
- an induction type magnetic writer having a main write pole emerging at a distal ABS (air-bearing surface);
a waveguide, having a dielectric core, formed adjacent to said main write pole for directing electromagnetic radiation at a plasmon generator;
said plasmon generator formed alongside and adjacent to said waveguide and beneath said main pole and said plasmon generator being electromagnetically coupled to said waveguide at a distal end of said waveguide, whereby plasmon modes are excited within said plasmon generator due to mode beating, said modes having near-field energy that is directed at a confined region of a recording medium immediately adjacent to said ABS of said main write pole within which confined region said near fields produce Joule heating;
a scalable, bottom tapered metallic peg emerging distally from said plasmon generator for further concentrating said near-field plasmon energy at said confined region of said recording medium;
a waveguide blocker formed on a heat sink layer and abutting against said distal end of said waveguide and configured to prevent radiative energy emitted from a distal end of said waveguide from being transferred to said confined region of said recording medium and its surroundings;
whereinsaid waveguide blocker is of triangular cross-section, having a horizontal base that physically and thermally contacts said heat sink layer and wherein said waveguide blocker has a planar tapered side that is formed at a blocker angle, BWA, to said horizontal base, wherein said planar tapered side is adjacent to and conformal with a similarly tapered side formed on said distal end of said waveguide and separated from said distal end by a dielectric filled uniform gap said dielectric having a smaller refractive index than a dielectric index of said waveguide core.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A TAMR (thermal assisted magnetic recording) write head has a metal blocker formed against a distal end of a waveguide. The waveguide focuses optical radiation on an adjacent plasmon generator where it excites plasmon modes that heat the recording medium. Although the plasmon generator typically heats the recording medium using the plasmon near field to supply the required Joule heating, an unblocked waveguide would also send optical radiation to the medium and surrounding structures producing unwanted heating and device unreliability. The role of the blocker is to block the unwanted optical radiation and, thereby, to limit the heating to that supplied by the plasmon near field.
54 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A TAMR (thermally assisted magnetic recording) write head comprising:
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an induction type magnetic writer having a main write pole emerging at a distal ABS (air-bearing surface); a waveguide, having a dielectric core, formed adjacent to said main write pole for directing electromagnetic radiation at a plasmon generator; said plasmon generator formed alongside and adjacent to said waveguide and beneath said main pole and said plasmon generator being electromagnetically coupled to said waveguide at a distal end of said waveguide, whereby plasmon modes are excited within said plasmon generator due to mode beating, said modes having near-field energy that is directed at a confined region of a recording medium immediately adjacent to said ABS of said main write pole within which confined region said near fields produce Joule heating; a scalable, bottom tapered metallic peg emerging distally from said plasmon generator for further concentrating said near-field plasmon energy at said confined region of said recording medium; a waveguide blocker formed on a heat sink layer and abutting against said distal end of said waveguide and configured to prevent radiative energy emitted from a distal end of said waveguide from being transferred to said confined region of said recording medium and its surroundings;
whereinsaid waveguide blocker is of triangular cross-section, having a horizontal base that physically and thermally contacts said heat sink layer and wherein said waveguide blocker has a planar tapered side that is formed at a blocker angle, BWA, to said horizontal base, wherein said planar tapered side is adjacent to and conformal with a similarly tapered side formed on said distal end of said waveguide and separated from said distal end by a dielectric filled uniform gap said dielectric having a smaller refractive index than a dielectric index of said waveguide core. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification