Abstract: A monocular holographic storage device or system to provide for compact recording and/or reading of data pages in a holographic storage medium. Also provided are methods for carrying out such data storage and/or data recovery using a monocular holographic storage device or system. Further provided are articles including holographic storage media for recording or for reading recorded data using such devices or systems.

Abstract: A HAMR head includes an anti-reflecting (AR) coating on a side opposite (e.g., a flex side) of the air bearing surface (ABS). The anti-reflective coating may include one or more anti-reflective layers. The anti-reflective coating reduces the amount of light reflected back towards a light source unit. A shading layer may be disposed on the anti-reflective coating and may function as a contact electrode as well as reducing stray light escaping from the laser, thus reducing the amount of stray light reaching the ABS.

Abstract: A method for performing recording on a multilayered optical disk which has three or more recordable or rewritable information recording layers with a first recording layer and a second recording layer located nearer to a light incident surface than the first recording layer, and which respectively has a first test area configured by a plurality of segments in the first recording layer and in the second recording layer, wherein a predetermined radial distance L is defined beforehand. When an arbitrary segment in the second test area is test-recorded, a segment in the first test area, the radial distance of which from the recorded test area in the second test area is within the range of the predetermined radial distance L, is set as a segment in which test recording is not performed.

Abstract: A microwave assisted magnetic recording head includes a recording magnetic pole unit that produces a recording field for writing to a perpendicular magnetic recording medium, and a high-frequency magnetic field oscillator that produces a high-frequency magnetic field. The recording magnetic pole unit includes a magnetic core with a write gap portion at which a main recording field component is concentrated, and the high-frequency magnetic field oscillator is disposed in the write gap.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a HAMR head. The HAMR head includes an anti-reflecting (AR) coating on a side opposite (e.g., a flex side) of the air bearing surface (ABS). The anti-reflective coating may include one or more anti-reflective layers. The anti-reflective coating reduces the amount of light reflected back towards a light source unit. A shading layer may be disposed on the anti-reflective coating and may function as a contact electrode as well as reducing stray light escaping from the laser, thus reducing the amount of stray light reaching the ABS.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a HAMR head. The HAMR head includes an anti-reflecting (AR) coating on a side opposite (e.g., a flex side) of the air bearing surface (ABS). The anti-reflective coating may include one or more anti-reflective layers. The anti-reflective coating reduces the amount of light reflected back towards a light source unit. A shading layer may be disposed on the anti-reflective coating and may function as a contact electrode as well as reducing stray light escaping from the laser, thus reducing the amount of stray light reaching the ABS.

Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head gimbal assembly (HGA) protects the associated HAMR heating source from unwanted contact, such as from contact with an adjacent HAMR laser in response to a shock event. The HGA is configured such that the distance between the flexure and the top of a load beam flange is greater than the height of a submount associated with the heating source, and the height of the submount may also be greater than the height of the heating source, thus protecting against contact between adjacent heating sources.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a HAMR head. The HAMR head includes an anti-reflecting (AR) coating on a side opposite (e.g., a flex side) of the air bearing surface (ABS). The anti-reflective coating may include one or more anti-reflective layers. The anti-reflective coating reduces the amount of light reflected back towards a light source unit. A shading layer may be disposed on the anti-reflective coating and may function as a contact electrode as well as reducing stray light escaping from the laser, thus reducing the amount of stray light reaching the ABS.

Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) air-bearing slider has an optically-transparent protective film over the near-field transducer (NFT) to protect the NFT from excessive heat caused by the accumulation of carbonaceous material on the slider's overcoat. The NFT is thus separated from the overcoat by the protective film. The protective film does not cover the write pole end, which is covered only by the overcoat, so there is no spacing loss between the write pole end and the recording layer on the disk. In one embodiment the protective film is coplanar with the recording-layer-facing surface of the slider and the overcoat covers both the protective film and the write pole end. In another embodiment the overcoat has a window that surrounds the protective film, with the protective film being substantially coplanar with the air-bearing surface (ABS) of the slider. In both embodiments the smooth topography of the slider's ABS is maintained.

Abstract: In a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) hard disk drive, a heat-dissipating head slider assembly is described in which the slider is stepped on the disk-opposing side and a HAMR laser module is mounted on the lower surface to assist with dissipation of heat from the laser. The lower surface is a surface of the main body of the slider and is composed primarily of a first material, and the slider may include a heat-dissipating plate that forms the higher stepped surface, where the plate is composed of a second material that has a higher thermal conductivity than the first material, such as silicon.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a device includes a laser unit configured to produce laser light, the laser unit having a laser resonator with a length in a direction parallel to laser light emission and a slider having a length in a direction perpendicular to a media-facing surface of the slider, the slider including a main magnetic pole configured to write data to a magnetic medium, a near-field light-generating element configured to produce near-field light when laser light is provided thereto to assist the main magnetic pole in writing data to the magnetic medium by heating a local region of the magnetic medium, and a waveguide configured for guiding the laser light to the element, the waveguide including a cladding surrounding a core, wherein an interval of a longitudinal mode of the laser resonator is equal to within about 5% of an integer multiplier of an optical interference period of the waveguide.

Abstract: A microwave-assisted magnetic recording system configured to perform magnetic recording with high density, including a high-frequency magnetic field generation element whose width is narrower than a track width of a main pole. A magnetic field vector from the main pole is perpendicularly incident on a film surface of the high-frequency magnetic field generating unit, by a shield material arranged to have a high magnetic permeability so that the main pole magnetic field is corrected and induced, and a hard bias layer to which a desired static magnetic field is added. Areas having high magnetic field gradients overlap each other by performing an offset of the high-frequency magnetic field generating unit of the magnetic head from the central line of the main pole.

Abstract: The present invention is to realize a proper inner zone layout in a quadruple-layer disk. A test area is provided in the inner zone (inner circumference side area) in each of recording layers. If two test areas closer to the outer circumference, of four test areas, are defined as a first pair and two test areas closer to the inner circumference are defined as a second pair, the test areas of the first pair and the test areas of the second pair are so disposed as to be prevented from overlapping with each other in the layer direction. Two test areas of the first pair have the same consumption direction of the test area, and are so disposed that the areas to be used next hardly overlap with each other in the layer direction. Two test areas of the second pair have the same consumption direction of the test area opposite to the consumption direction of the test area in the first pair, and are so disposed that the areas to be used next hardly overlap with each other in the layer direction.

Abstract: Provided is a thermal-assisted-magnetic-recording head capable of irradiating a magnetic recording medium with light with a spot size reduced on the submicron order with high utilization efficiency. A spot size converter 13 for guiding light emitted from an optical source 4 into a magnetic head is provided at a position adjacent to a magnetic main pole 19 in the magnetic head. In the spot size converter 13, a cover layer 15 having a lower refractive index than those of a core 14 and a clad material 24 is formed between the core 14 and the clad 15 and has a shape composed of a shape substantially rectangular in a light traveling direction and a taper shape having a width increasing toward the bottom surface of the magnetic head.

Abstract: With respect to microwave assisted magnetic recording, high-density information recording is performed by forming a favorable write magnetic domain on a recording medium. The recording medium is placed in a magnetically resonant state by generating a microwave, and information is recorded. A recording medium 7 comprises parts 17 and 18 with differing magnetic anisotropy fields. Recording is performed using, for the frequency of the microwave, a frequency that places the part 17, which has smaller magnetic anisotropy, in a resonant state. Recording density of an information recording apparatus can be increased, while at the same time also improving reliability. Consequently, it becomes possible to reduce costs.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical waveguide element evaluation apparatus in which stray light is separated and the distribution of light angles of an optical waveguide element can be evaluated. An optical waveguide element evaluation apparatus includes optical path setting devices that image a near-field pattern at an end face of emission light from an optical waveguide element in the air; a pinhole plate that includes opening portions which the imaged near-field pattern penetrates; and a detection unit that detects the spread angle of the light at the end face of the emission light using a far-field pattern formed of the light penetrating the pinhole plate.

Abstract: Excellent magnetization switching of a magnetic recording medium is promoted in microwave assisted magnetic recording to provide a highly-reliable high-density information recording device. A receded section from an air bearing surface is arranged at an end section in a write track width direction on an FGL laminate film for generating a high-frequency field. Alternatively, a cross section of the FGL laminate film (plane perpendicular to the direction of the flow of the electric current) has an inverted trapezoid shape or has a structure in which the area of the cross section increases with distance from the main pole. Since an excellent recording pattern is formed on the recording medium, areal recording density in the information recording device can be increased, and the reliability can be improved at the same time. As a result, the cost can be reduced.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium includes a substrate and a magnetic recording layer formed on the substrate. The magnetic recording layer includes a recording region on which a magnetic material is formed as a bit pattern, and a spacing layer which fills a peripheral area of the recording region with a non-magnetic material with relatively higher thermal conductivity than that of the magnetic material.

Abstract: A holographic recording medium in which information can be reproduced by phase conjugate beam without requiring a mirror for obtaining the phase conjugate beam and its driving part and recording density is not reduced. The recording medium includes a recording layer in which an interference pattern is recorded and a light absorption/transmission layer which can be reversibly changed to be in a first state where signal beam and reference beam passed through the recording layer are absorbed at the time of recording of information and a second state where the reference beam is transmitted at the time of reproduction of information, and the reference beam transmitted through the light absorption/transmission layer is reflected by a reflection layer to produce the phase conjugate beam.

Abstract: In a system of detecting an interference light with a light not irradiated onto an optical disc to increase the S/N ratio, it is difficult to stably acquire a reproduced signal with a simple configuration. Since the recording density is not improved, an improvement in transfer rate is difficult. In an optical information recording/reproducing apparatus where two optical beams face each other and are focused at the same place of a recording medium to record a standing wave developed by interference of the two optical beams, a phase difference of the two optical beams is modulated in a multiple stage and recorded. During reproduction, an interference light of a reproduced light from the recording medium and another reproduction reference light is detected as a reproduced signal, and a phase servo control stabilizing the phase of interference during reproduction by using a low frequency component of the reproduced signal is conducted.