Optical storage systems with flying optical heads for near-field recording and reading
US6243350A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 29, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jun 5, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 29, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B2007/13727
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Optical storage systems based on air-bearing-suspended optical heads in a near-field configuration. Such a system comprises an optical head for reading and writing data and a head positioning system, an optics module including beam relay optics and signal detectors, and a medium holding and loading module to hold an optical medium. An electronic control system is also provided to control the system operation. The optical head includes a near-field lens with a high index of refraction and in a near-field configuration in which the near-field lens has a numerical aperture greater than unity when the spacing between an exit facet of the optical head and a recording layer in the optical medium is a fraction of one wavelength of optical beam.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.