Abstract: A plasmon antenna of the present invention is used in a thermally assisted magnetic head that includes: a medium-facing surface set, parallel to an XY plane; a magnetic pole for writing, extending toward the medium-facing surface, and a plasmon antenna comprising a pair of small metal bodies irradiated with excitation light for near-field light generation propagating in a Z-axis direction. Respective corners of the small metal bodies are spaced apart opposite each other along a TE mode direction of the excitation light. A distance between the corners gives the shortest distance between the small metal bodies, and a distance from each corner to the leading end of the magnetic pole gives a shortest distance from the small metal bodies to the leading end.

Abstract: A thermally assisted magnetic head according to the present invention includes: a medium-facing surface, a main magnetic pole provided on the medium-facing surface, and a plasmon antenna provided on the medium-facing surface in the vicinity of the main magnetic pole, wherein the plasmon antenna is shaped as a triangular flat plate having first, second and third corners, such that the distance from the first corner to the main magnetic pole is shorter than the distance from the second corner to the main magnetic pole and the distance from the third corner to the main magnetic pole, and the interior angle ? of the first corner, the interior angle ? of the second corner and the interior angle ? of the third corner satisfy relationships ?<?, ?<? and ???.

Abstract: Provided is a near-field light generating element capable of avoiding excessive temperature rise, which comprises a waveguide and a near-field light generating layer. The layer comprises: a propagation surface on which surface plasmon excited by the light propagates; and a near-field light generating end at which near-field light is generated. The end is one end of the propagation surface. And a portion of the side surface of the waveguide is opposed to a portion of the propagation surface of the near-field light generating layer with a predetermined spacing so that the light propagating through the waveguide is coupled with the near-field light generating layer in a surface plasmon mode. The near-field light generating layer is preferably tapered toward the near-field light generating end.

Abstract: A planar plasmon antenna is formed on a YZ plane including a Z-axis, the Z-axis being a propagation direction of excitation light for near-field light generation. The longitudinal direction of the planar plasmon antenna is oblique relative to the Y-axis, and the angle of a corner of the planar plasmon antenna in the YZ plane is an acute angle. The corner, which forms an acute angle, generates intense near-field light in response to excitation light irradiation.

Abstract: Provided is a manufacturing method of heat-assisted magnetic recording head, in which a light source unit can be easily joined to a slider with sufficiently high accuracy, under avoiding the excessive mechanical stress. The manufacturing method comprises the steps of: moving relatively the light source unit and the slider, while applying a sufficient voltage between an upper electrode of the light source and an electrode layer provided in the slider; and setting the light source unit and the slider in desired positions in a direction perpendicular to the element-integration surface of the slider substrate. The desired positions are positions where the light source just emits due to a surface contact between: the protruded portion of the lower surface of the light source; and the upper surface of the electrode layer, which is a portion of the wall surface of a step formed on the head part.

Abstract: Provided is a heat-assisted magnetic recording head constituted of a light source unit and a slider, which can be easily joined to each other with sufficiently high accuracy of joining position. The slider comprises a head part including a waveguide having an incident center on its end. The surface including an emission center of the light source is protruded from a joining surface of the unit substrate. And a step is provided on an end surface of the head part. The protruded portion of a lower surface of the light source has a surface contact with a wall surface of the step. Further, the distance between the wall surface of the step and the incident center of the waveguide is set to be equal to the distance between the emission center of the light source and the protruded portion of the lower surface of the light source.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polarized light mode converter which can be provided within a two-dimensional photonic crystal or can be smoothly connected to a two-dimensional photonic crystal. In a two-dimensional photonic crystal made of a slab-like main body provided with a plurality of different refractive index regions (for example, holes 22) arranged in a lattice in the main body, where the different refractive index regions have a refractive index different from that of the main body, a polarized light conversion waveguide 23 is formed which is comprised of defects of the different refractive index regions arranged linearly whose a cross-sectional shape is asymmetrical in a vertical and in a horizontal direction. The polarized light conversion waveguide 23 can be, for example, realized by providing, on a side of the waveguide, holes 221 and 222 extending in a direction oblique to a the main body surface.

Abstract: The present invention has been made for providing a photonic crystal capable of multiplexing or demultiplexing light within a wavelength band having a certain width. It includes a slab-shaped body 21 provided with plural forbidden band zones 211 and 212, and holes 221 and 222 having different sizes are arranged in the forbidden band zones with different cycles, respectively. Also formed are a trunk waveguide 24 extending along the direction inclined by +30 degrees from a perpendicular of the boundary 23 between the forbidden-band zones 211 and 212, and a branch waveguide 25 extending along the direction inclined by ?30 degrees.

Abstract: When first and second near-field light-generating portions are irradiated with laser light or other energy rays, near-field light is generated at the tips of both the near-field light-generating portions. By means of the near-field light thus generated, a magnetic recording medium opposing the medium-opposing surface is heated, and the coercivity of the magnetic recording medium is lowered. Since at least a portion of the main magnetic pole is positioned within the spot region including the region between the first and second near-field light-generating portions, the tips of both the near-field light-generating portions and the main magnetic pole can be brought extremely close together, and high-density recording can be performed.

Abstract: A method comprises an opposing step of arranging a light-shielding film 50 having a recessed surface 52 and a pinhole 54 formed within the recessed surface 52 such that an end face 54X of the pinhole 54 of the light-shielding film 50 on the recessed surface 52 side and a light exit surface 4B oppose each other, while the shortest distance A52 between the light-shielding film 50 and a medium-opposing surface S in a thickness direction of the light-shielding film 50 is shorter than the shortest distance A54 between the end face 54X of the pinhole 54 on the side opposite from a transparent substrate 58 and the light exit surface 4B; a light-emitting step of causing a light-emitting device 3 to emit emission light 3A; and a detecting step of detecting the light transmitted through the pinhole 54 after being emitted from the light exit surface 4B.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a two-dimensional photonic crystal in which a complete photonic band gap (PBG), i.e. a photonic band gap that is effective for both a TE-polarized light and a TM-polarized light within a predetermined wavelength range, is created and an adequate width of the complete PBG can be ensured. A slab-shaped body 21 consisting of a birefringent material is provided with holes 22 periodically arranged in a triangular lattice pattern, where a plane shape of the hole is an equilateral triangle. The PBG for the TE-polarized light and the PBG for the TM-polarized light can be independently set by adjusting anisotropy in the refractive index of the body 21, i.e. a refractive index in a direction vertical to the body 21 and a refractive index in a direction parallel to the body 21. This construction makes it possible to ensure an adequate width of the complete PBG.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a two-dimensional photonic crystal which can be used for optical path changeover switches or the like to allow switching of a path. A first area 121 and a second area 122 provided with holes 131 and 132 having a difference in the period and size are created on a body 11, and a main waveguide 15 is formed to obliquely cross a boundary 14 between these areas. A branch waveguide 17 branched from the main waveguide 15 into the first area 121 side is also formed by using a crossing point between the main waveguide 15 and the boundary 14 as a starting point. The second area 122 is heated to change a refractive index of the body within the area, so that a frequency band which can be passed through the main waveguide 15 of the second area 122 is changed.

Abstract: A substarate processing apparatus capable of reducing the capacity of a space in an internal chamber. The internal chamber is housed in a space in an external chamber. A gas supply unit supplies a process gas into the space in the internal chamber. The space in the external chamber is under a reduced pressure or filled with an inert gas. An enclosure being movable and included in the internal chamber defines the space in the internal chamber with a stage heater included in the internal chamber. When a wafer is transferred in and out by a transfer arm used to transfer the wafer, the enclosure exits out of a motion range within which the transfer arm can move.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a two-dimensional photonic crystal in which conditions for both the TE-polarized light and the TM-polarized light can be easily satisfied. A body includes a first area having a triangular lattice pattern arrangement of a circular hole and a second area having a triangular lattice pattern arrangement of an equilateral triangular holes. Therefore, the TE-PBG which is a photonic band gap (PBG) for the TE-polarized light is created in the first area, and the TM-PBG which is a PBG for the TM-polarized light is created in the second area. Parameters such as the period and size of the holes can be independently set for the first area and the second area, so that an energy region common to the TE-PBG and the TM-PBG (i.e. absolute PBG) can be made larger and easily created.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a two-dimensional photonic crystal in which a complete photonic band gap (PBG), i.e. a photonic band gap that is effective for both a TE-polarized light and a TM-polarized light within a predetermined wavelength range, is created and an adequate width of the complete PBG can be ensured. A slab-shaped body 21 consisting of a birefringent material is provided with holes 22 periodically arranged in a triangular lattice pattern, where a plane shape of the hole is an equilateral triangle. The PBG for the TE-polarized light and the PBG for the TM-polarized light can be independently set by adjusting anisotropy in the refractive index of the body 21, i.e. a refractive index in a direction vertical to the body 21 and a refractive index in a direction parallel to the body 21. This construction makes it possible to ensure an adequate width of the complete PBG.

Abstract: In a semiconductor device manufacturing method, an etching mask (75b) having a predetermined opening pattern is formed on an etching target film (74) disposed on a target object. Then, an etching process is performed on the etching target film (74) through the opening pattern of the etching mask (75b) within a first process chamber, thereby forming a groove or hole (78a) in the etching target film. Then, the target object treated by the etching process is transferred from the first process chamber to a second process chamber, within a vacuum atmosphere. Then, a silylation process is performed on a side surface of the groove or hole (78a), which is an exposed portion of the etching target film (74), within the second process chamber.

Abstract: The present invention intends to provide a two-dimensional photonic crystal having a wide photonic band gap (PBG). In a slab-shaped body 31, a number of holes 32, whose sectional shape on a plane parallel to the slab surface is an equilateral triangle, are periodically arranged in a triangular lattice pattern. The upper and lower sides of the holes 32 are covered with the material of the body 31. The aforementioned sectional shape is uneven along the direction perpendicular to the slab surface. This construction expands the PBG for TM-polarized light and thereby increases its energy region overlapping with the PBG for TE-polarized light. This overlapping section is the complete PBG. If a ray of light whose wavelength corresponds to an energy level within the complete PBG, neither the TE-polarized nor TM-polarized component of the light can be propagated through the photonic crystal.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a two-dimensional photonic crystal which can be used for optical path changeover switches or the like to allow switching of a path. A first area 121 and a second area 122 provided with holes 131 and 132 having a different in the period and size are created on a body 11, and a main waveguide 15 is formed to obliquely cross a boundary 14 between these areas. A branch waveguide 17 branched from the main waveguide 15 into the first area 121 side is also formed by using a crossing point between the main waveguide 15 and the boundary 14 as a starting point. The second area 122 is heated to change a refractive index of the body within the area, so that a frequency band which can be passed through the main waveguide 15 of the second area 122 is changed.

Abstract: A Faraday rotator and an optical attenuator using the Faraday rotator in which both a fixed magnetic field parallel to and a valuable magnetic field perpendicular to the optical axis are applied to Faraday elements, said optical axis being in the <111> direction of single crystal of garnet, characterized in that three single crystals of garnet of substantially the same thickness having the Faraday effect are used to form Faraday elements and the Faraday elements are arranged in such a manner that a variable magnetic field is applied to one of the Faraday elements, over a range extending 5 deg. each to the left and right of the line connecting the (111) plane in the center of the stereographic projection chart with the (−1−12) plane on the outermost circumference or a plane equivalent thereto in the chart, whereas a variable magnetic field is applied to the remaining two elements, over a range extending 5 deg.

Abstract: A Faraday rotator and an optical attenuator using the Faraday rotator in which both a fixed magnetic field parallel to and a valuable magnetic field perpendicular to the optical axis are applied to Faraday elements, said optical axis being in the <111> direction of single crystal of garnet, characterized in that three single crystals of garnet of substantially the same thickness having the Faraday effect are used to form Faraday elements and the Faraday elements are arranged in such a manner that a variable magnetic field is applied to one of the Faraday elements, over a range extending 5 deg. each to the left and right of the line connecting the (111) plane in the center of the stereographic projection chart with the (−1−12) plane on the outermost circumference or a plane equivalent thereto in the chart, whereas a variable magnetic field is applied to the remaining two elements, over a range extending 5 deg.