Abstract: An optical medium reproducing apparatus that optically reproduces an optical medium on which a plurality of tracks is formed in which a beam returning from the optical medium is divided into a first region of an outside portion and a second region of an inside region, according to the shape of the pupil of an object lens, and crosstalk between the tracks is reduced by using a first detection signal of the first region and a second detection signal of the second region.

Abstract: An optical information reproduction apparatus using holography can appropriately correct an angle and a wavelength of a reference beam in a direction perpendicular to multiplexing while data is reproduced. In the optical information reproduction apparatus which reproduces information from an optical information recording medium by using holography, an angular error signal in the direction perpendicular to multiplexing of the reference beam is generated by using a signal detected by a light detecting unit. A perpendicular angle adjustment element adjusts an angle of the reference beam in the direction perpendicular to multiplexing, based on the angular error signal. A wavelength error signal is generated from a signal detected by the light detecting unit, and a wavelength is adjusted based on the wavelength error signal.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for performing flexible virtual defect padding of bad sectors on recording media of a storage device. A defective sector on a data track of a recording medium in the storage device is detected. The size and position of a physical defect within the defective sector are determined, and one or more sectors adjacent to the defective sector on the data track are mapped as virtual defects based on the size and position of the physical defect within the defective sector.

Abstract: An optical signal emitter includes a transmitting lens; a lens supporting portion, extending from an edge of the transmitting lens to defined a containing space surrounded by the transmitting lens and the lens supporting portion; a lens carrier, for carrying the transmitting lens and the lens supporting portion, wherein a coupling surface is defined on the lens carrier and at least a part of the lens supporting portion is coplanar with the lens carrier with respect to the coupling surface; a light transmitter, disposed in the containing space and coaxially with the transmitting lens, so as to define an light transmission path for light passing through coupling surface by an alignment between the light transmitter and the transmitting lens; at least one engagement portion, disposed on the coupling surface; at least one magnet, disposed on the lens carrier.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a light source 1; a diffraction element 2 for generating a write main beam and a read sub-beam via diffraction; an objective lens 5; a wavelength plate 9; a polarization hologram element 7 having a plurality of diffraction regions with different diffraction characteristics, designed so that each diffraction region separates a light beam reflected from the optical storage medium and transmitted through the wavelength plate into a 0th order light beam and ±1st order light beams; an actuator 11; and a photodetector 10 configured to detect a light beam reflected from the optical storage medium 6 and diffracted by the polarization hologram element 7.

Abstract: A thermally-assisted magnetic recording medium or a microwave-assisted magnetic recording medium includes: an orientation control layer (104) that is formed on a substrate (101); an underlayer (10) that is formed on the orientation control layer (104); and a magnetic layer (108) that is formed on the underlayer (10) and contains an alloy having an L10 type crystal structure as a main component, in which the underlayer (10) includes an MgO underlayer (107) that contains MgO and has a (100) orientation and a nitride underlayer (106) that contains at least one nitride selected from the group consisting of TaN, NbN, and HfN and has a (100) orientation.

Abstract: Embodiments provide a lens moving apparatus including housing to support a driving magnet, a bobbin provided at an outer circumferential surface thereof with a coil located inside the driving magnet, the bobbin being moved in a first direction parallel to an optical axis within the housing via electromagnetic interaction between the driving magnet and the coil, a lower elastic member to connect a lower portion of the housing and a lower portion of the bobbin to each other, both ends of the coil being electrically connected to the lower elastic member, the lower elastic member having a first terminal electrically connected to an external power source so as to supply external power to the ends of the coil, and a printed circuit board provided at one side surface of the housing, the printed circuit board having a second terminal electrically connected to the external power source.

Abstract: A method of controlling laser output in a heat assisted magnetic recording device can be performed by control circuitry in a data storage device. The method includes measuring a temperature, measuring laser output power of a laser, determining a power error by subtracting an optimal laser output power from the measured laser output power and comparing the power error to at least one threshold to determine whether an applied current to the laser needs to be adjusted. The at least one threshold is related to how great the power error can be while maintaining the integrity of data on a recording medium.

Abstract: Provided is a recording apparatus including a light radiating unit that radiates light to an optical recording medium, a recording unit that performs light emission control of the light radiating unit, and performs recording on the optical recording medium, and a control unit that controls the recording unit in a manner that recording of remaining data starts from a position over a defect occurrence area, according to occurrence of a defect, in a state in which a logical address space and a physical address space are defined with respect to a recording area of the optical recording medium, and controls the recording unit in a manner that, when the buffer area is consumed and data is not completely recorded, a recording area of the remaining data that is not completely recorded is replaced with the spare area and the remaining data is recorded on the spare area.

Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) transducer is coupled with a laser for providing energy and has an air-bearing surface (ABS) configured to reside in proximity to a media during use. The HAMR transducer includes a write pole, at least one coil, and an inverse tapered waveguide optically coupled with the laser. The write pole is configured to write to a region of the media. The coil(s) energize the write pole. The inverse tapered waveguide includes an entrance distal from the ABS, a bottom proximate to the ABS, a first side and a second side opposite to the first side. The first side and the second side diverging such that at least a portion of the inverse tapered waveguide between the bottom and the top is wider than the entrance.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and information processing apparatuses. The medium stores instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method including automatically reading first management data from a first recording medium. The first management data identifies tracks of source data recorded on the first recording medium. One of the tracks of source data is automatically identified based on the first management data and second management data, which identifies files of ripped data recorded on a second recording medium. The one of the tracks of source data is absent from the second recording medium. The one of the tracks of source data is automatically transferred to the second recording medium and becomes one of the files of ripped data. The method further includes automatically displaying transferring status of the one of the tracks of source data by a symbolic figure.

Abstract: A rotation control apparatus includes: a controller configured to supply test currents to a plurality of different paths of a motor when the motor is stopped; and a stop position detector configured to detect a rotational position of the motor based on an order of current values of the test currents. The controller causes one of the test currents to flow through one of the plurality of different paths, measure time taken until the corresponding detection voltage reaches a reference voltage, and set electrical conduction time of the test currents based on a result of the measurement.

Abstract: A thermally-assisted magnetic recording head includes a main pole, a waveguide, a plasmon generator, and a heat sink. The heat sink includes a first metal layer, a second metal layer, and an intermediate layer. The intermediate layer is interposed between the first metal layer and the second metal layer. Each of the first and second metal layers is formed of a metal material. The intermediate layer is formed of a material that is higher in Vickers hardness than the metal material used to form the first metal layer and the metal material used to form the second metal layer.

Abstract: A structure for a voice coil motor providing controllable lens tilt capability. The voice coil motor structure comprises a lens mount for fixedly mounting a lens (12), a focusing coil (6), a tilting coil (5, 7) and magnets (8-11), wherein the focusing coil (6) and the tilting coil (5, 7) are respectively and fixedly sleeved on the outer side of the lens mount (12). The magnets (8-11) are distributed around the focusing coil (6) and the tilting coil (5, 7) to allow the focusing coil (6) to interact with the magnets (8-11), so that the focusing coil (6) drives the lens mount (12) to move front and back to realize lens focusing. The tilting coil (5, 7) is interacted with the magnets (8-11) to allow the tilting coil (5, 7) to drive the lens mount (12) to tilt and realize lens shift. By virtue of the structure, the focusing and controllable tilting angle of the lens can be realized at the same time.

Abstract: A method is provided for controlling movement of a tape in a data storage and retrieval system having a tape roller servo subsystem for controlling movement of a tape, and a head servo subsystem for controlling position of a head element mounted on a rotatable carriage unit. The method includes receiving, from the head servo subsystem, a head element position feedback signal at the tape roller servo subsystem; and controlling movement of the tape by the tape roller servo subsystem based, at least in part, on the head element position feedback signal.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an optical disc apparatus including: an optical pickup radiating light having a first wavelength provided for an optical disc medium of a first type and light having a second wavelength which is smaller than the first wavelength and provided for another optical disc medium of a second type; a signal outputting section outputting a signal according to light reflected by the optical disc medium to reflect light radiated by the optical pickup; and a type determination section requesting the optical pickup to radiate light having the first wavelength to an object optical disc medium to acquire the signal output by the signal outputting section and determining the type of the object optical disc medium in accordance with the number of peaks appearing in the acquired output signal output by the signal outputting section while moving the optical pickup in a direction to the object optical disc medium.

Abstract: If a fault, or deterioration in read-out quality, is detected during recording processing with respect to a first recording face, a duplication is made, with respect to the recorded data on the second recording face of the same recording medium, on a separate recording medium.

Abstract: A write operation method for a phase change memory (PCM) is disclosed. The method includes when a PCM performs a write operation, generating a corresponding voltage pulse signal according to to-be-written data, and applying the voltage pulse signal to a phase change material included in a phase change storage unit corresponding to the to-be-written data and applying the voltage pulse signal to a voltage divider resistor serially connected to the phase change material; comparing voltage values at both ends of a sampling resistor with a threshold voltage to generate an indicator value; determining, according to the indicator value, whether data that is stored in the phase change storage unit and is corresponding to the indicator value is the same as the to-be-written data; and skipping writing if the same; or writing if different, thus reducing the delay time of writing data into the phase change storage unit.

Abstract: Disclosed are plasmonic near-field transducers that are useful in heat-assisted magnetic recording. The disclosed plasmonic near-field transducers have an enlarged region and a flared region. In some embodiments the disclosed plasmonic near-field transducer can also include a peg region. The flared region can act as a heat sink and can lower the thermal resistance of the peg region of the near-field transducer, thus reducing its temperature. Also disclosed are methods that include delivering light to a magnetic transducer region via a waveguide, receiving the light at a plasmonic near-field transducer having an output end and disposed in proximity to the magnetic transducer region, and delivering a surface plasmon-enhanced near-field radiation pattern proximate the output end of the plasmonic transducer in response to receiving the light.

Abstract: A thermally assisted magnetic recording head includes core that propagates laser light as propagation light, a near-field light generator that faces a portion of the core and extends to an air bearing surface (ABS), the near-field light generator coupled to the propagation light propagating through the core so as to generate a surface plasmon, propagating the surface plasmon to an end part facing the ABS, and generating near-field light at the end part to irradiate the near-field light to a magnetic recording medium, a main magnetic pole layer provided in the vicinity of the near-field light generator where an end part is positioned on the ABS, a laser diode that generates laser light of wavelength 890 nm to 1,000 nm and enters the laser light into the core, and a photodiode provided on a silicon substrate measures an intensity of the laser light entering from the laser diode to the core.