Metal-insulator-metal near-field transducer for heat-assisted magnetic recording

US10360939B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• Western Digital Technologies, Inc. · US
• The Provost, Fellows, Scholars and Other Members of Board of Trinity College Dublin · IE

Inventors

• Alexander Krichevsky · Centereach, US
• Frank Bello · Jackson, US
• Christopher B. Wolf · San Jose, US
• Fenghua Zong · Pleasanton, US
• Daniel Wolf · San Jose, US
• David McCloskey · Ardee, IE
• Kyle Ballantine · Limerick, IE
• John F. Donegan · Kildare, IE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 23, 2017
• Grant date: Jul 23, 2019
• Expiry date: Dec 23, 2037

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G11B2005/0021
• WIPO field: Audio-visual technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) device comprising a waveguide and a near-field transducer (NFT) coupled to the waveguide. The NFT comprises a core layer comprising an insulator, a first metal layer adjacent to the core layer, and a second layer adjacent to the first metal layer, wherein the second layer comprises a material that is substantially mechanically and thermally stable and thereby functions as a hard jacket to mitigate deformation of the NFT. The first metal layer may comprise a plasmonic metal, such as gold. The second layer may comprise tungsten, chromium, or a dielectric material.