Abstract: An optical head includes: a slider which moves relative to a recording medium while the slider is floating above the recording medium; an optical waveguide which is provided on a side surface of an end portion of the slider and which has the focusing function of forming a light spot on the recording medium; and a light guide optical system that guides a light pencil to the optical waveguide. A light pencil coupling portion which receives the light pencil from the light guide optical system is provided in a surface parallel to a direction in which the light pencil is guided by the optical waveguide; and a reflective surface which deflects the light pencil to the light pencil coupling portion is provided in the light guide optical system. The light pencil coupling portion has the function of correcting aberration resulting from oblique incidence of the light pencil obliquely incident from the light guide optical system.

Abstract: A recorder has a recording head which uses light for information recording to a recording medium. The recording head has a slider and an optical waveguide. The slider moves relative to the recording medium while floating thereon. The optical waveguide is provided in the slider and has a refractive index difference of 20% or more between a core and a cladding.

Abstract: Disclosed is a near field light generating device comprising a first medium layer which transmits light from a light source. This near field light generating device generates near field light by using light irradiating a plasmon probe through the first medium. This near field light generating device is characterized in that a second medium layer having a refractive index lower than that of the first medium layer is formed between the first medium layer and the plasmon probe.

Abstract: Provided is a highly reliable optical recording head which has a small fluctuation of a quantity of light applied on a recording medium due to temperature. The optical recording head is provided with a light guide section for guiding light applied from a light source, a slider relatively moving to the recording medium, and a light transmitting section, which is arranged on the slider, transmits the light outputted from the light guide section and outputs the light toward the recording medium. The optical recording head is further provided with an adhesive layer, which is sandwiched between the light transmitting section and the light guide section and fixes the positions of the light transmitting section and the light guide section, and an elastic cohesive layer, which is sandwiched between the portions other than the light transmitting section of the slider and the light guide section.

Abstract: An optical recording head simply structured, enabling a reduction in thickness, and having sufficient efficiency even if a light source with small output is used when a plasmon probe is used. The optical recording head includes a light source section for emitting light, a slider moving relative to a recording medium, and an optical waveguide disposed in the slider, guiding the light from the light source section and irradiating the surface of the recording medium with the light, and having a light emission angle not perpendicular to the surface, of the slider, facing the surface of the recording medium.

Abstract: A halftone type phase shift mask having a semitranslucent film pattern and a shielding film pattern provided on a transparent substrate in this order is constituted in such a manner that each of the reflectances of the transparent substrate, the semitranslucent film pattern and the shielding film pattern for an inspecting light represents a difference which can detect the semitranslucent film pattern and the shielding film pattern based on a reflected light generated when the inspecting light is irradiated on the mask.

Abstract: Provided is an optical recording head in which a light beam from a light source is collected by an optical element and reflected on a reflecting surface to be formed into a spot light. Since a support portion for supporting the light source of the optical element at a predetermined position and the reflection surface for reflecting the light beam are formed integrally with each other, it is not required to perform the positioning thereof, and light can be collected to a very small spot with high efficiency, and an optical recording head and an optical recording apparatus having low heights can be provided.

Abstract: A plurality of diffused resistors and a plurality of wirings (resistive elements) are alternately disposed along a virtual line, and those diffused resistors and wirings are connected in series by contact vias. In the same wiring layer as that of the wirings, a dummy pattern is formed so as to surround a formation region of the wirings and the diffused resistors. A space between the dummy pattern and the wirings is set in accordance with, for example, a minimum space between wirings in a chip formation portion.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor device with a borderless via/wiring structure includes the steps of performing borderless via etching using a resist mask to form a contact hole in an interlevel dielectric layer over a semiconductor substrate so as to expose two different metal materials of lower layer patterns in the contact hole; and performing plasma irradiation using an H2O-containing gas prior to a wet process when removing the resist mask.

Abstract: An optical head having: a graded index lens which receives incident light radiated from a linear optical guide at one end surface of the graded index lens and transmits the incident light from the other end surface of the graded index lens, the graded index lens is adapted to form a light spot at a position that is away from the other end surface from which the incident light is transmitted; a light path deflection section which deflects light transmitted from the graded index lens, the light path deflection section is arranged between the other end surface from which the incident light is transmitted and the position where the light spot is formed; and a slider which floats on a recording medium while moving relative to the recording medium, wherein at least the graded index lens and the light path deflection section are installed on the slider.

Abstract: A recorder has a recording medium for information recording, a light source, an optical system, a slider, and an optical waveguide. To the optical system, light from the light source enters, and the slider moves relative to the recording medium while not in contact therewith. The optical waveguide is arranged at position facing the recording medium in the slider so that light entering from the optical system is irradiated on the recording medium. Where the mode field diameter of the optical waveguide on the light output side is d and the mode field diameter thereof on the light input side is D, the mode field diameter is converted by smoothly changing the diameter of the optical waveguide to satisfy D>d.

Abstract: A recorder has a recording head which uses light for information recording to a recording medium. The recording head has a slider and an optical waveguide. The slider moves relative to the recording medium while floating thereon. The optical waveguide is provided in the slider and has a refractive index difference of 20% or more between a core and a cladding.

Abstract: A mask with an opening pattern is placed on a substrate, and etching is carried out by use of anisotropy etching of crystal. The opening pattern of the mask is composed of broken lines, each of which is discontinued by discontinuing portions. By the etching, a birefringence optical element with a fine structure, in which trenches, each of which is discontinued by discontinuing portions, are juxtaposed periodically at a specified pitch, is obtained.

Abstract: A halftone type phase shift mask having a semitranslucent film pattern and a shielding film pattern provided on a transparent substrate in this order is constituted in such a manner that each of the reflectances of the transparent substrate, the semitranslucent film pattern and the shielding film pattern for an inspecting light represents a difference which can detect the semitranslucent film pattern and the shielding film pattern based on a reflected light generated when the inspecting light is irradiated on the mask.

Abstract: A mask with an opening pattern is placed on a substrate, and etching is carried out by use of anisotropy etching of crystal. The opening pattern of the mask is composed of broken lines, each of which is discontinued by discontinuing portions. By the etching, a birefringence optical element with a fine structure, in which trenches, each of which is discontinued by discontinuing portions, are juxtaposed periodically at a specified pitch, is obtained.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor device with a borderless via/wiring structure includes the steps of performing borderless via etching using a resist mask to form a contact hole in an interlevel dielectric layer over a semiconductor substrate so as to expose two different metal materials of lower layer patterns in the contact hole; and performing plasma irradiation using an H2O-containing gas prior to a wet process when removing the resist mask.

Abstract: A thermal-assisted magnetic recording head which heats a magnetic bit of a magnetic disk by light radiation in recording magnetic data into the magnetic disk with a magnetic writing element. The magnetic recording head has a reflecting converging element with a surface emitting laser incorporated therein, and a transparent plate serving as a slider. A laser beam emitted from the surface emitting laser is reflected by a mirror surface of the reflecting converging element and is converged on a plasmon probe formed on a bottom surface of the transparent plate. Thereby, near-field light effuses from the plasmon probe into a very small area and heats the magnetic bit of the magnetic disk.

Abstract: A halftone type phase shift mask having a semitranslucent film pattern and a shielding film pattern provided on a transparent substrate in this order is constituted in such a manner that each of the reflectances of the transparent substrate, the semitranslucent film pattern and the shielding film pattern for an inspecting light represents a difference which can detect the semitranslucent film pattern and the shielding film pattern based on a reflected light generated when the inspecting light is irradiated on the mask.

Abstract: A plurality of diffused resistors and a plurality of wirings (resistive elements) are alternately disposed along a virtual line, and those diffused resistors and wirings are connected in series by contact vias. In the same wiring layer as that of the wirings, a dummy pattern is formed so as to surround a formation region of the wirings and the diffused resistors. A space between the dummy pattern and the wirings is set in accordance with, for example, a minimum space between wirings in a chip formation portion.

Abstract: Disclosed herewith is an optical switch provided on an optical path of an optical waveguide and which switches an advancing direction of a light passed through the optical path. The optical switch includes a movable switching member which switches the advancing direction of the light, and a driving member which electrostatically drives said switching member to move in an arbitrary position so that the light passed through the optical path is guided to different directions.