Surface plasmon-enhanced read/write heads for optical data storage media

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United States of America Patent

PATENT NO 6834027
SERIAL NO

09721694

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ATTORNEY / AGENT: (SPONSORED)

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Abstract

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A read/write head for an optical storage medium is provided. The read/write head comprises a waveguide having an end face and a plasmon-enhanced device provided on the end face of the waveguide. The plasmon-enhanced device comprises a metal film having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface being fixed to the waveguide end face, the metal film having an aperture provided therethrough. The metal film has a periodic surface topography provided on at least one of the first and second surfaces of the metal film. Light incident on one of the surfaces of the metal film interacts with a surface plasmon mode on at least one of the surfaces of the metal film thereby enhancing transmission of light through the aperture in the metal film which is directed onto and/or collected from the optical storage medium. A read/write head with an integral light source is also provided. The invention also provides an array of precisely aligned read/write heads, and an array of precisely aligned read/write heads with integral light sources, as well as side-emitting lasers and vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) with enhanced transmission.

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Patent Owner(s)

Patent OwnerAddress
NEC CORPORATION7-1 SHIBA 5-CHOME MINATO-KU TOKYO 108-8001

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Inventor(s)

Inventor Name Address # of filed Patents Total Citations
Ebbesen, Thomas W Strasbourg, FR 9 547
Lezec, Henri J Strasbourg, FR 13 342
Linke, Richard A Princeton, NJ 11 264
Sakaguchi, Mitsuhito Princeton, NJ 4 103
Thio, Tineke Princeton, NJ 18 913

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