Abstract: A heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) assembly includes a slider, a laser diode and solder connections between the laser diode and the slider. The solder connections mechanically and electrically attach the laser diode to the slider. Each solder connection has a total volume per unit area (i.e., height) of less than or equal to about 15 ?m. The solder connections have a first intermetallic zone adjacent to the laser diode, a second intermetallic zone adjacent to the slider, and a eutectic zone of eutectic material between the first and second intermetallic zones. The eutectic zone occupies greater than or equal to about 35% of the total volume per unit area of the solder connection.

Abstract: A heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) assembly includes a slider, a laser diode and solder connections between the laser diode and the slider. The solder connections mechanically and electrically attach the laser diode to the slider. Each solder connection has a total volume per unit area (i.e., height) of less than or equal to about 15 ?m. The solder connections have a first intermetallic zone adjacent to the laser diode, a second intermetallic zone adjacent to the slider, and a eutectic zone of eutectic material between the first and second intermetallic zones. The eutectic zone occupies greater than or equal to about 35% of the total volume per unit area of the solder connection.

Abstract: A small form factor optical disk drive is provided that incorporates a SIL/objective lens assembly. A laser for the small form factor optical disk drive has a coherence function having maxima spaced apart by intervals. The optical disk drive is configured such that a roundtrip optical path through the SIL/objective lens assembly is such that a coherence value for the laser is located in one of the intervals.

Abstract: A small form factor optical disk drive is provided that incorporates a hybrid solid immersion objective lens (SIOL). The SIOL includes a central aspheric lens portion and a surrounding diffractive optical element portion.

Abstract: A small form factor optical disk drive is provided. An OPU is mounted on a sled such that an optical path length to the optical media falls substantially between coherence function maxima.

Abstract: An optical pickup assembly includes an optical pickup unit (OPU), a thermally conductive plate, and a flex circuit. The flex circuit is mounted atop the plate. The OPU is also mounted atop the plate through a cutout of the flex circuit. Alternatively, the flex circuit is mounted below the plate and the OPU is mounted atop the plate. The optical pickup assembly further includes an actuator arm. The OPU is mounted on the actuator arm with a portion of the plate contacting the actuator arm.

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: An optical disk drive having a thermal control mechanism on the optical head to control the spacing between the optical head and the surface of the storage medium.

Abstract: A device for retrieving data from or writing data to a storage medium that includes a heating element to reduce signal distortion in a data storage system. The device includes a head having an interfacing surface that faces a medium surface of the storage medium and interacts with the storage medium. The heating element is disposed on or near the interfacing surface to supply thermal energy to the interfacing surface maintain said interfacing surface at a temperature higher than a temperature of the medium surface.

Abstract: An optical assembly for detecting a light beam returning from an optical storage media and generating a signal representative of the information stored on the storage media wherein the optical assembly includes a first photodetector that is positioned in the path of the returning light beam at a predetermined angle, so that p polarized light contained in the light beam will be absorbed by the first photodetector and s polarized light will be reflected and redirected toward a second photodetector, which is positioned in the path of the redirected s polarized light and perpendicular to the path of the s polarized light, such that substantially all of the s polarized light is absorbed by the second photodetector and the photocurrents produced by the two photodetectors are differenced to produce a signal representative of the information stored on the storage disk.

Abstract: When doing multitrack seek or a single track jump, the midpoint between the maximum and the minimum of a tracking error signal is determined. A peak detector detects the positive peak and the negative peak. These maximum and minimum values are stored in a sample and hold circuit. A summing circuit determines the midpoint between the maximum and the minimum of the tracking error signal. An operational amplifier provides a true error signal to the servo control system that provides the appropriate servo operating point. The invention is based on the fact that even though there is no absolute reference signal indicating the appropriate on-track position, the tracking servo system obtains the track error over the whole range of positions relative to track center when doing a multitrack seek or a single track jump. The appropriate servo operating point is the midpoint between the maximum and the minimum of the track error signal.

Abstract: A magneto optical head assembly combining a single high extinction polarizing beam splitter utilized to separate and analyze a light beam, a pair of half-wave plates, each having a fast axis with respect to the polarization direction of light transmitted through the head assembly, with the angle of the fast axis of one of the half-wave plates preferably being equal but opposite that of the angle of the fast axis of the remaining half-wave plate. The light beam is transmitted through the head assembly polarizing beam splitter to be polarized with one half of the transmitted polarized light passing through one of the half-wave plates and the remaining half of the transmitted polarized light passing through the other half-wave plate. The portion of the transmitted polarized light which passes through each half-wave plate is rotated about the fast axis of each plate and focused upon a point on a magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: An optical assembly incorporating a wedge-shaped optically transparent prism, a 45 degree right isosceles triangular prism which has two thin film coated surfaces, a rhomboidal prism attached to the triangular prism, a second, smaller 45 degree right isosceles triangular prism attached to one end face of the rhomboidal prism and two planoconvex lenses attached to the combination of the rhomboidal and second triangular prisms is mounted within a housing. All of the optical components are cemented to the adjacent component utilizing a transparent optical cement to form an integral unit.