Abstract: Devices and techniques for placing and bonding identical elements to holes in a substrate where spacer balls and a reference surface are used to achieve the desired accuracy.

Abstract: This application describes structures of storage media for optical storage systems, including systems in the near-field configuration to couple radiation between the optical head and the media at least in part by evanescent fields. Disk cartridges for various optical disk drives are also described.

Abstract: Devices and methods for using surface or acoustic waves in a recording head to prevent particles from settling down on an interfacing surface on the head.

Abstract: Structures of storage media for optical storage systems, especially for systems in the near-field configuration to couple radiation between the optical head and the media at least in part by evanescent fields.

Abstract: A driver in a far-field magneto-optical (“MO”) system has a read/write head that includes an objective lens for focusing a laser beam onto an MO disk. The objective lens is housed in an objective lens holder. A magnetic biasing coil is mounted to the bottom of the objective lens holder, between the objective lens and the MO disk. The coil includes an aperture to allow the laser beam to pass through the coil and onto a surface of the disk. The objective lens holder is moved up and down as the disk spins by an actuator to maintain the laser beam in focus on the MO disk surface. This maintains the objective lens and the coil precisely at predetermined distances from the MO disk surface, despite irregularities in the disk and disk wobble.

Abstract: Methods for providing a highly repeatable loading/unloading pathway for a read/write head of a disk drive.

Abstract: An electro-optical storage system based on air-bearing-suspended optical head in a near-field configuration. The optical head effects a lens having front and rear focal planes. The head is spaced from an optical medium by a fraction of a wavelength. An imaging lens is positioned relative to the optical head so that the image of a beam steering element is at a focal plane of the optical head close to the imaging lens to form a telecentric system to minimize beam walk. More preferably, the imaging lens is positioned to deviate the image plane of the beam steering element away from the focal plane of the optical head by a desired spacing to form a pseudo telecentric system to minimize energy asymmetry in the reflected beam.

Abstract: Techniques and devices based on second surface optical recording using thermomagentic writing in a magneto-optic recording layer and first surface magnetic reading of written data in the recording layer.

Abstract: A magneto-optical recording medium in a near-field optical storage system is provided. A flying optical head is suspended over the medium by a cushion of gas. The medium includes a magneto-optical recording layer including at least one recording track for magneto-optical recording of information. A tracking feature is associated with the recording track. An upper transparent dielectric layer is provided having an upper surface which is substantially planar over a recordable area of the medium above the recording track and the tracking feature. A reflector layer is positioned below the magneto-optical layer above a base substrate.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus to provide controlled horizontal and vertical movements of a disk shuttle inside a disk drive, and also to open/close an access door on the shuttle for accessing one or more recording media inside the shuttle.

Abstract: A laser driver circuit for a light source in an optical recording system to maintain the read current at a substantially constant level. This circuit can reduce a recovery transient time for a transition from the write mode to the read mode.

Abstract: An optical disk drive having a cleaning mechanism to clean the optical head by contact with a selected surface or in close proximity of a surface of the storage medium.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for dampening resonant vibrations of a disk drive. The apparatus includes a disk cartridge including a top shell and a bottom shell forming an enclosure. A disk is contained within the enclosure where the inner surfaces of the top and bottom shells and the top, bottom and edge surfaces of the disk form a gap sufficiently tight to provide aero damping.

Abstract: A monolithic optical head facilitates reading and writing optical data on an optical recording medium. The optical head includes a monolithic substrate formed of an optically transparent material. The substrate has a first side and a second flat side opposing the first side. The first side includes a central region that has a curved surface to produce a lensing effect, and a peripheral region. The second flat side has a central portion opposing the curved surface to couple radiation from and to the curved surface through the substrate. The second flat side also has a peripheral portion opposing the peripheral region of the first side.

Abstract: An electro-optical storage system based on an optical head and a multilayer storage medium in a near-field configuration. The heat generated by absorption of a read/write beam adversely affects the interfacing between the optical head and the medium. The medium has a thermal insulation dielectric layer and/or a heat-dissipating layer to reduce thermal feedback from the medium to the optical head.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical system for an optical disk drive for reading/writing data from/in an optical disk. The optical system includes a light source emitting a parallel laser beam, a deflector having a rotatable mirror surface. The parallel laser beam emitted by the light source is incident on the mirror surface of the deflector and is deflected towards an objective lens system which faces the optical disk. A relay lens system is provided between the deflector and the objective lens system such that the mirror surface and a front principal plane of the objective lens system have a substantially conjugate relationship.

Abstract: Structures of storage media for optical storage systems, especially for systems in the near-field configuration to couple radiation between the optical head and the media at least in part by evanescent fields. Manufacturing methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: Optical heads having a monolithic layer for interfacing storage media and methods for manufacturing such heads. In one embodiment, the substrate has first and second surfaces to define a through hole which forms an optical path and a lens with a spherical surface and a flat surface opposing the spherical surface is disposed in the optical path in the through hole. The flat surface is coplanar with a flat portion of the second surface. The optical head also includes a transparent layer contiguously formed over both the flat surface of the lens and the second surface of the substrate to form a monolithic layer. The refractive index of the additional layer may match that of the lens. In addition, the additional layer may have a material hardness greater than that of the lens to protect the lens and to reduce wear.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for providing a highly repeatable loading/unloading pathway for a read/write head of a disk drive.

Abstract: An optical read/write head system having a support structure, an optical coupling element and a magnetic data coupling element is disclosed. The optical coupling element is provide on the support structure and is configured to couple optical signal to and from a recording medium. The magnetic data coupling element is also provided on the support structure and is configured to couple magnetic signal to and from the recording medium. The two elements operate in combination to provide more effective reading and writing than with either element alone.