Waveguide with optical isolator for heat-assisted magnetic recording

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11328745-B2
Application number	US-202117362117-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2021
Priority date	Feb 21, 2018
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus includes a substrate. A laser is formed on a non-self supporting structure and bonded to the substrate. A waveguide having a gap portion is deposited proximate the laser. The waveguide is configured to communicate light from the laser to a near-field transducer (NFT) that directs energy resulting from plasmonic excitation to a recording medium. An optical isolator is disposed over the gap portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
depositing one or more cladding layers on a substrate;
depositing a waveguide having a gap portion on the one or more cladding layers;
transfer printing an optical isolator over the gap portion; and
depositing cladding material over the waveguide and the optical isolator.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein transfer printing the optical isolator comprises:
transfer printing a magneto-optical material over the gap portion; and
transfer printing a magnet over the magneto-optical material.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising patterning the magneto-optical material after transfer printing the magneto-optical material over the gap portion.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein transfer printing the optical isolator further comprises depositing cladding material over the magneto-optical material prior to transfer printing the magnet.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing a waveguide further comprises depositing a waveguide core having at least one bend.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transfer printing a laser formed on a non-self supporting structure on the substrate.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the laser and the optical isolator are formed on the same non-self supporting structure and transfer printed together.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the magneto-optical material comprises at least one of YIG, CeYIG, Bi:YIG, TIG, and Bi:TIG.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optical isolator is substantially the same length as the gap portion.

10. An apparatus comprising:
a substrate;
a laser formed on a non-self supporting structure and bonded to the substrate;
a waveguide having a gap portion and at least one bend deposited proximate the laser on the substrate, the waveguide configured to communicate light from the laser to a near-field transducer (NFT) that directs energy resulting from plasmonic excitation to a recording medium; and
an optical isolator integrated over the gap portion.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the optical isolator comprises a magneto-optical material.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a magnet deposited over at least a portion of the magneto optical material.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising one or more cladding layers surrounding the waveguide and the optical isolator.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the optical isolator comprises a Faraday rotator.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the Faraday rotator is configured to rotate the light about 45 degrees.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the laser is configured to deliver a substantially transverse magnetic (TM) mode light to the waveguide.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the optical isolator is configured to convert light received from the laser to a combined TM and transverse electric (TE) mode.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the waveguide comprises a mode converter configured to convert the combined TE and TM mode light to substantially TM mode light.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the waveguide comprises a mode converter configured to convert the combined TE and TM mode light to substantially TE mode light.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the waveguide is configured to deliver the substantially TE mode light to the NFT.

Assignees

• Seagate Technology Llc

Inventors

• Mcgurk John Bernard
• Mehfuz Reyad
• Harvey Christopher Neil
• Goggin Aidan Dominic

Classifications

• G02B2006/12157

  Isolator · CPC title

• G02B6/12002

  Three-dimensional structures · CPC title

• G11B9/12

  using near-field interactions; Record carriers therefor · CPC title

• G11B5/4866 Primary

  the arm comprising an optical waveguide, e.g. for thermally-assisted recording · CPC title

• G11B2005/0021

  Thermally assisted recording using an auxiliary energy source for heating the recording layer locally to assist the magnetization reversal · CPC title