Saile Ackerman LLC
Polarization rotator for thermally assisted magnetic recording
A waveguide structure with a light polarization rotator section for converting transverse electric light from a TE light source to transverse magnetic light which is subsequently coupled to a plasmon generator (PG) is disclosed. Wavelengths above 800 nm are advantageously used to reduce resistive heating in the PG, and in adjacent cladding and write pole layers to improve the thermally assisted magnetic recording head lifetime. The light polarization rotator section has a length determined by TE LD light wavelength, and the effective mode index of the two orthogonal fundamental modes, and preferably has a symmetric structure including a sloped side with a 45 degree angle with respect to a bottom surface. A vertical side of the light polarization rotator section may be coplanar with sides of adjacent waveguide sections. Offsets to the cross-track width are used to improve symmetry for higher TE to TM polarization conversion efficiency.
Headway Technologies, Inc.
Y G G G G G G G
Y10T G02B G11B G02B G11B G11B G11B G02B
additional additional inventional inventional inventional inventional additional additional
Hiroyuki Xuhui Yoshitaka Shigeki
Ito Jin Sasaki Tanemura