Abstract: A recording head includes a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head. A light delivery waveguide extends from an energy source to the near-field transducer. The light delivery waveguide includes, proximate the near-field transducer, a C-shaped core of a first dielectric material. The C-shaped core has a hollow aligned with the near-field transducer. A cladding of a second dielectric material surrounds the C-shaped core.

Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording head includes a near-field transducer, a waveguide, and a solid immersion mirror. The near-field transducer is configured to focus and emit an optical near-field. The waveguide is configured to receive electromagnetic radiation and propagate the electromagnetic radiation toward and proximal to the near-field transducer. The solid immersion mirror is disposed proximal to the near-field transducer and along a media-facing surface of the heat-assisted magnetic recording head. The solid immersion mirror includes a first segment and a second segment disposed on opposite sides of the near-field transducer relative to a cross-track dimension of the heat-assisted magnetic recording head. The solid immersion mirror includes a thermally robust metal having a melting temperature of at least 1500 degrees Celsius. The thermally robust metal is a primary material of the solid immersion mirror.

Abstract: A recording head has a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head. A waveguide overlaps and delivers light to the near-field transducer, the light having a near-infrared wavelength. Two subwavelength focusing mirrors are at an end of the waveguide proximate the media-facing surface. The subwavelength mirrors are on opposite crosstrack sides of the near-field transducer and separated from a peg of the near-field transducer by a gap. The subwavelength focusing mirrors each include a core having a first edge exposed at the media-facing surface. The core formed of a core material that is resistant to mechanical wear and corrosion, such as a dielectric or robust metal. A liner covers a second edge of the core facing the near-field transducer. The liner includes a plasmonic metal that is has a plasmonic frequency in the ultraviolet range.

Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording head includes a near-field transducer including a plasmonic disk and a multilayer near-field emitter. The multilayer near-field emitter is configured to produce a hot spot on a proximal magnetic disk. The multilayer near-field emitter is disposed in a down-track direction relative to and coupled to the plasmonic disk.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a slider configured for heat-assisted magnetic recording comprising an air bearing surface (ABS). The slider comprises a write pole at or near the ABS, and a near-field transducer (NFT) at or near the ABS and proximate the write pole. A main waveguide is configured to receive light from a laser source and communicate the light to the NFT. An optical power sensor comprises a tap waveguide optically coupled to the main waveguide and comprising a first end and an opposing second end. The optical power sensor also comprises a bolometer optically coupled to the tap waveguide and configured to receive a portion of the light extracted from the main waveguide by the tap waveguide.

Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording head includes a near-field transducer (NFT). The NFT includes a plasmonic disk and a near-field oscillator pair. The near-field oscillator pair includes a receiving oscillator and an emitting oscillator. The receiving oscillator is operatively coupled to the plasmonic disk and configured to receive localized surface plasmons from the plasmonic disk and amplify a near field of the localized surface plasmons. The emitting oscillator is configured to receive the near field from the receiving oscillator and emit the near field toward a surface of a magnetic disk.

Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording head includes a near-field transducer (NFT). The NFT includes a plasmonic disk and a near-field oscillator pair. The near-field oscillator pair includes a receiving oscillator and an emitting oscillator. The receiving oscillator is operatively coupled to the plasmonic disk and configured to receive localized surface plasmons from the plasmonic disk and amplify a near field of the localized surface plasmons. The emitting oscillator is configured to receive the near field from the receiving oscillator and emit the near field toward a surface of a magnetic disk.

Abstract: A recording head has a light source that emits light at a wavelength in a wavelength range of 260 nm to 460 nm inclusive. A slider body of the light source includes a magnetic pole extending to a media-facing surface of the recording head and integrated photonics that deliver the light to a recording medium. The integrated photonics include a waveguide that couples the light from the light source to the media-facing surface of the slider and a near-field transducer coupled to receive the light from the waveguide. The near-field transducer has a surface plasmon plate and a peg extending from the surface plasmon plate. The surface plasmon plate is formed of a first material having a first plasmonic quality factor (Q-factor) above 5 in the wavelength range, the peg formed of a second material having a second Q-factor above 1.2 in the wavelength range.

Abstract: A recording head includes a nanorod configured to heat a hotspot on a recording media, a plasmonic plate configured to concentrate an electric field to excite the nanorod, and a heat sink configured to dissipate heat from the nanorod. The recording head includes a first diffusion barrier plate configured to resist diffusion of materials between the plasmonic plate and the nanorod and a second diffusion barrier plate configured to resist diffusion of materials between the heat sink and the nanorod. The first diffusion barrier plate is disposed between the nanorod and the plasmonic plate and is coupled to a bottom surface of the nanorod. The second diffusion barrier plate is disposed between the heat sink and the nanorod and is coupled to the top surface of the nanorod.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a slider configured for heat-assisted magnetic recording comprising an air bearing surface (ABS). The slider comprises a write pole at or near the ABS, and a near-field transducer (NFT) at or near the ABS and proximate the write pole. A main waveguide is configured to receive light from a laser source and communicate the light to the NFT. An optical power sensor comprises a tap waveguide optically coupled to the main waveguide and comprising a first end and an opposing second end. The optical power sensor also comprises a bolometer optically coupled to the tap waveguide and configured to receive a portion of the light extracted from the main waveguide by the tap waveguide.

Abstract: A recording head includes a nanorod configured to heat a hotspot on a recording media, a plasmonic plate configured to concentrate an electric field to excite the nanorod, and a heat sink configured to dissipate heat from the nanorod. The recording head includes a first diffusion barrier plate configured to resist diffusion of materials between the plasmonic plate and the nanorod and a second diffusion barrier plate configured to resist diffusion of materials between the heat sink and the nanorod. The first diffusion barrier plate is disposed between the nanorod and the plasmonic plate and is coupled to a bottom surface of the nanorod. The second diffusion barrier plate is disposed between the heat sink and the nanorod and is coupled to the top surface of the nanorod.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a slider configured for heat-assisted magnetic recording comprising an air bearing surface (ABS). The slider comprises a write pole at or near the ABS, and a near-field transducer (NFT) at or near the ABS and proximate the write pole. A main waveguide is configured to receive light from a laser source and communicate the light to the NFT. An optical power sensor comprises a tap waveguide optically coupled to the main waveguide and comprising a first end and an opposing second end. The optical power sensor also comprises a bolometer optically coupled to the tap waveguide and configured to receive a portion of the light extracted from the main waveguide by the tap waveguide.

Abstract: A recording head includes a dielectric waveguide that extends towards a media-facing surface of the recording head. A hybrid waveguide is near the media-facing surface and includes the dielectric waveguide and a heat spreader plate having a crosstrack dimension that is at least twice that of a core of the dielectric waveguide. The hybrid waveguide is operable to combine a total internal reflection of the dielectric waveguide with a surface plasmon confinement of the heat spreading plate to excite TM-even mode in the hybrid waveguide. A surface-plasmonic plate is in contact with the heat spreader plate, the second surface-plasmonic plate has a peg extending from an enlarged portion. Light energy from the TM-even mode propagating from the hybrid waveguide to the surface-plasmonic plate causes the surface plasmonic plate to focus the light energy to heat a recording medium.

Abstract: A recording head comprises a waveguide core extending to an air-bearing surface, and a near-field transducer is centrally aligned with the waveguide core and positioned proximate a first side of the waveguide core in a down-track direction. First and second mirror portions form a mirror surrounding the near-field transducer in a cross-track direction with a gap therebetween. The mirror extends in the direction normal to the air-bearing surface a first distance that is less than a second distance the near-field transducer extends in the direction normal the air-bearing surface. First and second reflective heatsink structures are respectively coupled to the first and second mirror portions. The heatsink structures are spaced apart from the near-field transducer in the cross-track direction and extend in a direction normal the air-bearing surface, such that proximate the air-bearing surface the first and second reflective heatsink structures extend substantially parallel to, or converge toward, each other.

Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording head includes a write pole tip that extends to a media-facing surface and a heat sink that is thermally coupled to a side of the write pole tip. A surface plasmonic plate is in contact with a side of the heat sink that faces away from the write pole and is recessed from, the media-facing surface. A nanorod extends from a surface of the surface plasmonic plate and towards the media-facing surface.

Abstract: A write head includes a first surface-plasmonic plate proximate a magnetic pole and recessed from a media-facing surface of the write head. A bottom surface of the first surface-plasmonic plate faces away from the magnetic pole and towards a waveguide core. The first surface-plasmonic plate is formed of a first material having lower-loss in plasmonic coupling than a second material, the second material being more mechanically robust than the first material. A second surface-plasmonic plate is formed of the second material and located on the bottom surface of the first surface-plasmonic plate. A lower edge of the second surface-plasmonic plate extends closer to the media-facing surface than the first surface-plasmonic plate. An upper edge of the second surface-plasmonic plate is slanted in a downtrack direction.

Abstract: The embodiments disclose a stack feature of a stack configured to confine optical fields within and to a patterned plasmonic underlayer in the stack configured to guide light from a light source to regulate optical coupling.

Abstract: A recording head includes a waveguide configured to deliver light from a light source to a media-facing surface of the recording head. A near-field transducer is at the media-facing surface the proximate the waveguide. The near-field transducer includes a plasmonic structure with at least two opposing internal surfaces. A dielectric material fills a region between the at least two opposing internal surfaces. A dielectric slit extends between the at least two opposing internal surfaces. The dielectric slit is substantially parallel to the media-facing surface and includes a transparent material with a refractive index different than that of the dielectric material.

Abstract: A recording head has a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head. A waveguide core overlaps and delivers light from a light source to the near-field transducer. The waveguide core has a dielectric cavity proximate the near-field transducer. The cavity is filled with a cladding material and reduces optical feedback to the light source.

Abstract: A recording head has a near-field transducer overlapping a core near a media-facing surface of the recording head. The near-field transducer has an enlarged portion formed of a plasmonic material and a peg extending from the enlarged portion. The enlarged portion includes a stacked feature that reduces the emission of a polarization rotated portion of light to a recording medium.