US20140092715A1 - Method and system for improving laser alignment and optical transmission efficiency of an energy assisted magnetic recording head - Google Patents
Method and system for improving laser alignment and optical transmission efficiency of an energy assisted magnetic recording head Download PDFInfo
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- US20140092715A1 US20140092715A1 US13/631,641 US201213631641A US2014092715A1 US 20140092715 A1 US20140092715 A1 US 20140092715A1 US 201213631641 A US201213631641 A US 201213631641A US 2014092715 A1 US2014092715 A1 US 2014092715A1
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- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 title 1
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 title 1
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- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 8
- 229910052581 Si3N4 Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910052681 coesite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910052906 cristobalite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000000377 silicon dioxide Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910052682 stishovite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 4
- PBCFLUZVCVVTBY-UHFFFAOYSA-N tantalum pentoxide Inorganic materials O=[Ta](=O)O[Ta](=O)=O PBCFLUZVCVVTBY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
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- 239000010410 layer Substances 0.000 description 69
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 6
- 238000007796 conventional method Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000012544 monitoring process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 229910000679 solder Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 3
- 229910001635 magnesium fluoride Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 230000002411 adverse Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003667 anti-reflective effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B5/00—Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor
- G11B5/48—Disposition or mounting of heads or head supports relative to record carriers ; arrangements of heads, e.g. for scanning the record carrier to increase the relative speed
- G11B5/58—Disposition or mounting of heads or head supports relative to record carriers ; arrangements of heads, e.g. for scanning the record carrier to increase the relative speed with provision for moving the head for the purpose of maintaining alignment of the head relative to the record carrier during transducing operation, e.g. to compensate for surface irregularities of the latter or for track following
- G11B5/60—Fluid-dynamic spacing of heads from record-carriers
- G11B5/6005—Specially adapted for spacing from a rotating disc using a fluid cushion
- G11B5/6088—Optical waveguide in or on flying head
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B5/00—Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor
- G11B2005/0002—Special dispositions or recording techniques
- G11B2005/0005—Arrangements, methods or circuits
- G11B2005/0021—Thermally assisted recording using an auxiliary energy source for heating the recording layer locally to assist the magnetization reversal
Definitions
- EAMR energy assisted magnetic recording
- a laser provides energy used to heat the media for magnetic recording.
- the laser typically takes the form of a laser diode.
- the laser diode may be desired to be aligned with a waveguide on the slider and bonded with the slider.
- FIG. 1 depicts a conventional method 10 for aligning a conventional laser diode (or substrate on which the laser diode resides) and a slider.
- FIG. 2 depicts a conventional EAMR head 50 during fabrication using the conventional method 10 .
- FIG. 2 depicts a plan view of the slider 60 and laser 70 .
- the slider 60 and laser 70 include conventional alignment marks 62 and 72 , respectively. Also shown are the laser output 74 on the laser and the corresponding laser spot 76 on the slider once alignment has been completed.
- the slider includes a waveguide 64 which is to be aligned to the laser spot 76 .
- the slider 60 and laser 70 are aligned using alignment marks 62 and 72 as well as the laser output 66 from the slider, via step 12 .
- this process includes aligning the alignment marks 62 on the laser 60 with the alignment marks 72 on the slider substrate 72 .
- a coarse alignment may be achieved.
- this coarse alignment is typically insufficient to align the laser spot 76 with the waveguide 64 .
- the laser output 66 is monitored.
- the laser output 66 outputs light from the laser 60 that has traversed the waveguide 64 to the ABS and returned to the back side of the slider 60 . When the energy from the laser output 66 is a maximum, alignment in step 12 is completed.
- step 14 includes heating the laser 70 and/or slider 60 to reflow the solder pads (not shown in FIG. 2 ). Mechanical and electrical connection is made between the substrates 60 and 70 by solder pads, which have been reflowed together.
- the conventional method 10 may function, the method 10 may be problematic. Alignment between the laser spot 76 and the waveguide 64 may be difficult and time consuming to achieve. Thus, production and/or yield of the conventional EAMR head 50 may be adversely affected. In addition, back reflections from the waveguide 64 to the output 74 of the laser may damage the laser 70 . Thus, performance and reliability of the conventional EAMR head 50 may suffer. Some conventional EAMR heads 50 cover the surface of the conventional slider 60 that faces the conventional laser 70 with an antireflective coating (ARC) layer. Although this may mitigate issues due to back reflections, manufacturability of such a conventional EAMR head 50 may still suffer
- An EAMR disk drive includes a media, a laser, and a slider coupled with the laser.
- the laser for provides energy.
- the slider has an air-bearing surface, a laser input side, an EAMR transducer and an antireflective coating (ARC) layer occupying a portion of the laser input side.
- the ARC layer is configured to reduce back reflections of the energy.
- the EAMR transducer includes a write pole, a waveguide optically coupled with the laser and at least one coil.
- the waveguide has a waveguide input.
- a portion of the ARC layer resides between the laser and the waveguide input.
- a method aligns the laser to the ARC layer, and then aligns the laser to the waveguide input.
- the laser may then be coupled to the slider.
- FIG. 1 is a flow chart depicting a conventional method for bonding a conventional laser diode and a conventional slider.
- FIG. 2 depicts plan views of the conventional laser diode and slider during bonding.
- FIGS. 3-6 depict views of an exemplary embodiment of an EAMR disk drive.
- FIG. 7 depicts another exemplary embodiment of a portion of a slider for an EAMR disk drive.
- FIG. 8 depicts another exemplary embodiment of a portion of a slider for an EAMR disk drive.
- FIG. 9 depicts another exemplary embodiment of an ARC layer for use on a portion of the laser-facing surface of a slider for an EAMR disk drive.
- FIG. 10 is a flow chart depicting an exemplary embodiment of a method for aligning a laser to a slider.
- FIGS. 3-6 depict an exemplary embodiment of an EAMR disk drive 100 .
- FIGS. 3-6 are not to scale. For simplicity not all portions of the EAMR disk drive 100 are shown.
- the EAMR disk drive 100 is depicted in the context of particular components other and/or different components may be used. Further, the arrangement of components may vary in different embodiments.
- FIGS. 3 and 6 are side views of the EAMR disk drive 100 during and after, respectively, alignment of components.
- the EAMR disk drive 100 includes a slider 110 , a media (not shown) such as a disk and a laser assembly 120 .
- the laser assembly 120 is separated from the slider by a certain distance.
- the laser assembly 120 has been affixed to the slider 110 .
- the laser assembly 120 includes a laser diode 130 and a laser sub-mount 140 .
- the laser diode 130 includes a laser cavity 132 and emission exit 134 .
- Laser light is generated in the laser cavity 132 and is output via the emission exit 134 .
- Emitted laser light 136 is also shown.
- the submount 140 may be used to provide mechanical stability for the laser diode 130 and to mount the laser diode 130 to the slider 120 . In another embodiment, the submount 140 may be omitted and/or another type of laser 130 used.
- the emitted laser light 136 forms a laser spot 136 on the slider 110 .
- the slider 110 includes an air-bearing surface (ABS), a laser input side 113 , an EAMR transducer 111 and an antireflective coating (ARC) layer 116 .
- the laser input side 113 faces the laser 130 .
- the laser input side 113 is opposite to the ABS.
- the laser input side 113 could have another relationship to the ABS.
- the EAMR transducer 111 includes a waveguide 112 , a write pole 117 and coil(s) 119 .
- the write pole 117 and coil(s) 119 are simply shown as blocks in the EAMR transducer 111 .
- FIG. 4 depicts a portion of the laser input side 113 of the slider 100 .
- the ARC layer 116 is on the laser input side 113 and resides between the laser 130 and the input 114 of the waveguide 112 .
- the slider 110 may optionally include alignment marks 118 used in aligning the slider 110 with the laser assembly 120 .
- the laser assembly 120 may also include alignment marks (not shown) corresponding to the alignment marks 118 on the slider 110 .
- the laser light forms a spot 136 on the laser input side 113 of the slider 110 .
- FIG. 5 depicts a portion of the EAMR disk drive 100 that includes the waveguide 112 and the ARC layer 116 .
- the waveguide 112 includes the input 114 as well as an output 115 .
- the waveguide 112 thus directs laser light 136 from the input 114 to the ABS.
- a significant portion of the laser light is coupled out to the media, for example using a near-field transducer (not shown).
- a portion of the light is also directed to the output 115 .
- the light emitted from the output 115 may be used in aligning the laser 130 to the waveguide input 114 as described below.
- the ARC layer 116 resides between the laser 130 and the input 114 of the waveguide 112 .
- the ARC layer 116 may include at least one of a MgF 2 layer, a Ta 2 O 5 layer, a SiO 2 layer and a Si 3 N 4 layer.
- the ARC layer 116 is a single layer.
- the ARC layer 116 is a multilayer.
- the total thickness of the ARC layer 116 is generally one-fourth of the wavelength of the light emitted by the laser 130 .
- the ARC layer 116 thus can reduce back reflections for the laser light 136 incident on the waveguide input 114 .
- the ARC layer 116 also occupies only a portion of the laser input side 113 of the slider 110 .
- the area of the laser input side 113 occupied by the ARC layer 116 is larger than the waveguide input 114 but significantly smaller than the total area of the laser input side 113 of the slider 110 .
- the portion of the laser input side 113 occupied by the ARC layer 116 is larger than the laser spot size 136 .
- the ARC layer 116 is at least twice the laser spot size 136 .
- the region of the laser input side 113 occupied by the ARC layer 116 terminates within a laser spot diameter of the edges of the input 114 of the waveguide.
- the ARC layer 116 has edges that are not more than one micron from the edges of the waveguide input 114 .
- the ARC layer 116 is rectangular in shape. In some embodiments, the rectangle is least eight microns long and eight microns wide. In some such embodiments, the rectangle is least ten microns long and ten microns wide. However, in other embodiments, the ARC layer 116 may have another shape and/or another size. For example, the ARC layer 116 may be a square, an ellipse, a circle or have another shape. In some embodiments, the shape of the ARC layer 116 is substantially the same as the shape as the laser spot 116 .
- the ARC layer 116 may facilitate alignment of the laser 130 and the waveguide 112 of the EAMR transducer 111 .
- the laser spot 136 from the laser may be aligned with the ARC layer 116 .
- the ARC layer 116 covers a small portion of the laser input side 113 of the slider 110 that includes the waveguide input 114 . Aligning the laser spot 136 with the ARC layer 116 thus performs a coarse alignment. A fine alignment may then be carried out, for example by monitoring the light at the waveguide output 115 . A maximum in the signal at the waveguide output 115 corresponds to the laser spot 136 being aligned with the waveguide input 114 .
- the laser assembly 120 may then be affixed to the slider 110 . Such a situation is depicted in FIG. 6 .
- the EAMR disk drive 100 may function as desired.
- the laser 130 provides energy to the input 114 of the waveguide 112 in the form of laser light/the laser spot 136 .
- the waveguide 112 directs the energy from the laser 130 to the ABS.
- the energy is directed to a near-field transducer (not shown).
- the energy from the laser is focused onto a region of the media (not shown), which is heated.
- the write pole 117 is energized by the coils 119 and writes to the heated region of the media.
- the manufacturability, performance and reliability of the EAMR disk drive 100 may be improved.
- Use of the ARC layer 116 may reduce back reflections. Consequently, the laser 130 may be less subject to damage. Reliability of the EAMR disk drive 100 may thus be improved.
- the reduction in back reflections also corresponds to a larger percentage of light from the laser 130 being coupled into the waveguide 112 . Thus, the coupling efficiency of the laser 130 may be improved. Performance of the laser 130 and, therefore, the EAMR disk drive 100 may thus be improved.
- the ARC layer 116 may also be used in aligning the laser 130 to the waveguide input 114 . A coarse alignment may thus be more easily and rapidly performed. Consequently, fabrication of the EAMR disk drive 100 may be facilitated.
- FIG. 7 is a diagram depicting a laser input side of an exemplary embodiment of a slider 110 ′ for an EAMR disk drive 100 ′.
- the EAMR disk drive 100 ′ is analogous to the EAMR disk drive 100 .
- the EAMR disk drive 100 ′ thus includes a slider 110 ′, EAMR transducer 111 ′, waveguide input 114 ′, waveguide output 115 ′, ARC layer 116 ′ and, optionally, alignment marks 118 ′ that correspond to the slider 110 , EAMR transducer 111 , waveguide input 114 , waveguide output 115 , ARC layer 116 and alignment marks 118 , respectively.
- the ARC layer 116 ′ is on the laser input side 113 ′ and resides between the laser (not shown in FIG. 7 ) and the input 114 ′ of the waveguide 112 ′.
- the ARC layer 116 ′ has an elliptical shape that corresponds to the shape of the laser spot 136 ′.
- the waveguide input 114 ′ is not centered in the ARC layer 116 .
- the ARC layer 116 still covers the waveguide input 114 ′.
- the waveguide input 114 ′ is centered in the ARC layer 116 ′.
- the EAMR disk drive 100 ′ shares the benefits of the EAMR disk drive 100 .
- the ARC layer 116 ′ may reduce back reflections and facilitate alignment of the laser 130 ′ and waveguide input 114 ′.
- reliability, performance and manufacturability of the EAMR disk drive 100 ′ may be improved.
- FIGS. 8-9 depicting a laser input side of an exemplary embodiment of a slider 110 ′′ and a side view of an ARC layer 116 ′′ for an EAMR disk drive 100 ′′.
- FIGS. 8-9 are not to scale.
- the EAMR disk drive 100 ′′ is analogous to the EAMR disk drives 100 and 100 ′.
- the EAMR disk drive 100 ′′ thus includes a slider 110 ′′, EAMR transducer 111 ′′, waveguide input 114 ′′, waveguide output 115 ′′, ARC layer 116 ′′ and, optionally, alignment marks 118 ′′ that correspond to the slider 110 / 110 ′, EAMR transducer 111 / 111 ′, waveguide input 114 / 114 ′, waveguide output 115 / 115 ′, ARC layer 116 / 116 ′ and alignment marks 118 / 118 ′, respectively.
- the ARC layer 116 ′′ is on the laser input side 113 ′′ and resides between the laser (not shown in FIGS. 8-9 ) and the input 114 ′′ of the waveguide 112 ′′.
- the ARC layer 116 ′′ includes two layers 116 A and 116 B. In another embodiment, additional layers may also be included.
- the ARC layer 116 ′′ is thus a multilayer.
- Each of the layers 116 A and 116 B may be an MgF 2 layer, a Ta 2 O 5 layer, a SiO 2 layer and/or a Si 3 N 4 layer. In other embodiments, other antireflective materials and/or another number of layers may be used.
- the ARC layer 116 ′′ may include four sublayers.
- the EAMR disk drive 100 ′′ may share the benefits of the EAMR disk drives 100 and 100 ′.
- the ARC layer 116 ′′ may reduce back reflections and facilitate alignment of the laser and waveguide input 114 ′′.
- reliability, coupling efficiency and fabrication of the EAMR disk drive 100 ′′ may be improved.
- use of the multilayer ARC layer 116 ′ may enhance the ability of the ARC layer 116 ′′ in reducing back reflections. Fluctuations in the coupling efficiency with distance between the laser and waveguide input 114 ′′ may also be reduced.
- performance and manufacturability of the EAMR disk drive 100 ′′ may be further improved.
- FIG. 10 is a flow chart depicting an exemplary embodiment of a method 200 for aligning a laser with a waveguide in fabrication of an EAMR head. For simplicity, only some steps are shown. Further, the steps may include one or more substeps. Steps may also be combined, interleaved, and/or performed in another order.
- the method 200 is described in the context of fabricating the EAMR disk drive 100 of FIGS. 3-6 . However, the method 200 may be used to form another device including but not limited to the EAMR disk drives 100 ′ and 100 ′′.
- the method 200 may start after the alignment marks 118 have been used to roughly align the laser 130 to the ARC layer 116 .
- the laser spot 136 may still be far from the waveguide input 114 .
- the laser spot 136 may overlap the ARC layer 116 .
- the use of alignment marks may be omitted.
- Step 202 may include monitoring back reflections for the laser 130 . As the alignment between the laser spot 136 and the ARC layer 116 is improved, back reflections are reduced. A minimum in the back reflections may correspond to the laser 130 being aligned with the ARC layer 116 . Thus, the laser spot 136 completely overlaps the ARC layer 116 . In embodiments in which the ARC layer 116 extends less than the laser spot diameter from the waveguide input 114 , step 202 also ensures that the laser spot at least partially overlaps the waveguide input 114 . Thus, a coarse alignment has been performed in step 202 .
- Step 204 may include monitoring the energy output by the waveguide output 115 . A maximum in this energy corresponds to the laser spot 136 being aligned with the waveguide input 114 . Thus, step 204 performs a fine alignment and may determine the final position of the laser 130 /laser spot 136 with respect to the waveguide input 114 .
- Step 206 includes bonding the laser assembly 120 to the slider 110 , for example the laser assembly 120 may be epoxied to the slider 110 .
- the slider 110 and laser assembly 120 are heated to reflow solder pads (not shown). Mechanical and electrical connection is made between the laser 120 and slider 110 .
- fabrication of the EAMR disk drive may be completed.
- the method 200 alignment of the laser 130 to the waveguide 112 may be facilitated.
- the laser spot 136 may be more quickly and easily brought to a position that is close to the desired alignment with the waveguide input 114 .
- use of the ARC layer 116 may also reduce back reflections. Consequently, manufacturability, reliability, and performance of the EAMR disk drive 100 / 100 ′/ 100 ′′ may be improved.
Abstract
Description
- In fabricating disk drives, such as energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) disk drives, it may be necessary to align and bond components. For example, in conventional EAMR disk drives, a laser provides energy used to heat the media for magnetic recording. The laser typically takes the form of a laser diode. The laser diode may be desired to be aligned with a waveguide on the slider and bonded with the slider.
-
FIG. 1 depicts aconventional method 10 for aligning a conventional laser diode (or substrate on which the laser diode resides) and a slider.FIG. 2 depicts aconventional EAMR head 50 during fabrication using theconventional method 10.FIG. 2 depicts a plan view of theslider 60 andlaser 70. Theslider 60 andlaser 70 includeconventional alignment marks laser output 74 on the laser and thecorresponding laser spot 76 on the slider once alignment has been completed. The slider includes awaveguide 64 which is to be aligned to thelaser spot 76. - The
slider 60 andlaser 70 are aligned usingalignment marks laser output 66 from the slider, viastep 12. Typically this process includes aligning thealignment marks 62 on thelaser 60 with thealignment marks 72 on theslider substrate 72. Thus, a coarse alignment may be achieved. However, this coarse alignment is typically insufficient to align thelaser spot 76 with thewaveguide 64. Once the coarse alignment is performed, therefore, thelaser output 66 is monitored. Thelaser output 66 outputs light from thelaser 60 that has traversed thewaveguide 64 to the ABS and returned to the back side of theslider 60. When the energy from thelaser output 66 is a maximum, alignment instep 12 is completed. - Once alignment has been achieved, the
slider 60 andlaser 70 are bonded together, viastep 14. Typically,step 14 includes heating thelaser 70 and/orslider 60 to reflow the solder pads (not shown inFIG. 2 ). Mechanical and electrical connection is made between thesubstrates - Although the
conventional method 10 may function, themethod 10 may be problematic. Alignment between thelaser spot 76 and thewaveguide 64 may be difficult and time consuming to achieve. Thus, production and/or yield of theconventional EAMR head 50 may be adversely affected. In addition, back reflections from thewaveguide 64 to theoutput 74 of the laser may damage thelaser 70. Thus, performance and reliability of theconventional EAMR head 50 may suffer. Some conventional EAMRheads 50 cover the surface of theconventional slider 60 that faces theconventional laser 70 with an antireflective coating (ARC) layer. Although this may mitigate issues due to back reflections, manufacturability of such a conventional EAMRhead 50 may still suffer - Accordingly, what are needed are improved methods and systems for improving manufacturability of EAMR disk drives.
- An EAMR disk drive includes a media, a laser, and a slider coupled with the laser. The laser for provides energy. The slider has an air-bearing surface, a laser input side, an EAMR transducer and an antireflective coating (ARC) layer occupying a portion of the laser input side. The ARC layer is configured to reduce back reflections of the energy. The EAMR transducer includes a write pole, a waveguide optically coupled with the laser and at least one coil. The waveguide has a waveguide input. A portion of the ARC layer resides between the laser and the waveguide input. A method aligns the laser to the ARC layer, and then aligns the laser to the waveguide input. The laser may then be coupled to the slider.
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FIG. 1 is a flow chart depicting a conventional method for bonding a conventional laser diode and a conventional slider. -
FIG. 2 depicts plan views of the conventional laser diode and slider during bonding. -
FIGS. 3-6 depict views of an exemplary embodiment of an EAMR disk drive. -
FIG. 7 depicts another exemplary embodiment of a portion of a slider for an EAMR disk drive. -
FIG. 8 depicts another exemplary embodiment of a portion of a slider for an EAMR disk drive. -
FIG. 9 depicts another exemplary embodiment of an ARC layer for use on a portion of the laser-facing surface of a slider for an EAMR disk drive. -
FIG. 10 is a flow chart depicting an exemplary embodiment of a method for aligning a laser to a slider. -
FIGS. 3-6 depict an exemplary embodiment of an EAMRdisk drive 100. For clarity,FIGS. 3-6 are not to scale. For simplicity not all portions of theEAMR disk drive 100 are shown. Although theEAMR disk drive 100 is depicted in the context of particular components other and/or different components may be used. Further, the arrangement of components may vary in different embodiments.FIGS. 3 and 6 are side views of theEAMR disk drive 100 during and after, respectively, alignment of components. The EAMRdisk drive 100 includes aslider 110, a media (not shown) such as a disk and alaser assembly 120. InFIG. 3 , thelaser assembly 120 is separated from the slider by a certain distance. InFIG. 6 , thelaser assembly 120 has been affixed to theslider 110. - The
laser assembly 120 includes alaser diode 130 and alaser sub-mount 140. Thelaser diode 130 includes alaser cavity 132 andemission exit 134. Laser light is generated in thelaser cavity 132 and is output via theemission exit 134. Emittedlaser light 136 is also shown. Thesubmount 140 may be used to provide mechanical stability for thelaser diode 130 and to mount thelaser diode 130 to theslider 120. In another embodiment, thesubmount 140 may be omitted and/or another type oflaser 130 used. The emittedlaser light 136 forms alaser spot 136 on theslider 110. - The
slider 110 includes an air-bearing surface (ABS), alaser input side 113, anEAMR transducer 111 and an antireflective coating (ARC)layer 116. Thelaser input side 113 faces thelaser 130. In the embodiment shown, thelaser input side 113 is opposite to the ABS. However, in another embodiment, thelaser input side 113 could have another relationship to the ABS. TheEAMR transducer 111 includes awaveguide 112, awrite pole 117 and coil(s) 119. For simplicity, thewrite pole 117 and coil(s) 119 are simply shown as blocks in theEAMR transducer 111. -
FIG. 4 depicts a portion of thelaser input side 113 of theslider 100. TheARC layer 116 is on thelaser input side 113 and resides between thelaser 130 and theinput 114 of thewaveguide 112. Theslider 110 may optionally include alignment marks 118 used in aligning theslider 110 with thelaser assembly 120. Thelaser assembly 120 may also include alignment marks (not shown) corresponding to the alignment marks 118 on theslider 110. As shown inFIG. 4 , the laser light forms aspot 136 on thelaser input side 113 of theslider 110. -
FIG. 5 depicts a portion of theEAMR disk drive 100 that includes thewaveguide 112 and theARC layer 116. Although a particular configuration for thewaveguide 112 is shown, other configurations including but not limited to multiple waveguides may be used. As can be seen inFIG. 5 , thewaveguide 112 includes theinput 114 as well as anoutput 115. Thewaveguide 112 thus directs laser light 136 from theinput 114 to the ABS. At the ABS, a significant portion of the laser light is coupled out to the media, for example using a near-field transducer (not shown). A portion of the light is also directed to theoutput 115. The light emitted from theoutput 115 may be used in aligning thelaser 130 to thewaveguide input 114 as described below. - As can be seen in
FIGS. 3-6 , theARC layer 116 resides between thelaser 130 and theinput 114 of thewaveguide 112. TheARC layer 116 may include at least one of a MgF2 layer, a Ta2O5 layer, a SiO2 layer and a Si3N4 layer. In some embodiments, theARC layer 116 is a single layer. In other embodiments, theARC layer 116 is a multilayer. The total thickness of theARC layer 116 is generally one-fourth of the wavelength of the light emitted by thelaser 130. TheARC layer 116 thus can reduce back reflections for thelaser light 136 incident on thewaveguide input 114. - The
ARC layer 116 also occupies only a portion of thelaser input side 113 of theslider 110. The area of thelaser input side 113 occupied by theARC layer 116 is larger than thewaveguide input 114 but significantly smaller than the total area of thelaser input side 113 of theslider 110. In addition, the portion of thelaser input side 113 occupied by theARC layer 116 is larger than thelaser spot size 136. In some embodiments, theARC layer 116 is at least twice thelaser spot size 136. In some embodiments, the region of thelaser input side 113 occupied by theARC layer 116 terminates within a laser spot diameter of the edges of theinput 114 of the waveguide. For example, if thelaser spot 136 has a diameter of one micron at thelaser input side 113, then theARC layer 116 has edges that are not more than one micron from the edges of thewaveguide input 114. In the embodiment shown inFIGS. 3-6 , theARC layer 116 is rectangular in shape. In some embodiments, the rectangle is least eight microns long and eight microns wide. In some such embodiments, the rectangle is least ten microns long and ten microns wide. However, in other embodiments, theARC layer 116 may have another shape and/or another size. For example, theARC layer 116 may be a square, an ellipse, a circle or have another shape. In some embodiments, the shape of theARC layer 116 is substantially the same as the shape as thelaser spot 116. - In addition to reducing or substantially eliminating back reflections, the
ARC layer 116 may facilitate alignment of thelaser 130 and thewaveguide 112 of theEAMR transducer 111. During alignment of thelaser 130 with theslider 110, thelaser spot 136 from the laser may be aligned with theARC layer 116. TheARC layer 116 covers a small portion of thelaser input side 113 of theslider 110 that includes thewaveguide input 114. Aligning thelaser spot 136 with theARC layer 116 thus performs a coarse alignment. A fine alignment may then be carried out, for example by monitoring the light at thewaveguide output 115. A maximum in the signal at thewaveguide output 115 corresponds to thelaser spot 136 being aligned with thewaveguide input 114. Thelaser assembly 120 may then be affixed to theslider 110. Such a situation is depicted inFIG. 6 . - Once the
laser 130 has been aligned with and bonded to the slider, as shown inFIG. 6 , theEAMR disk drive 100 may function as desired. In particular, thelaser 130 provides energy to theinput 114 of thewaveguide 112 in the form of laser light/thelaser spot 136. Thewaveguide 112 directs the energy from thelaser 130 to the ABS. In some embodiments, the energy is directed to a near-field transducer (not shown). The energy from the laser is focused onto a region of the media (not shown), which is heated. Thewrite pole 117 is energized by thecoils 119 and writes to the heated region of the media. - The manufacturability, performance and reliability of the
EAMR disk drive 100 may be improved. Use of theARC layer 116 may reduce back reflections. Consequently, thelaser 130 may be less subject to damage. Reliability of theEAMR disk drive 100 may thus be improved. The reduction in back reflections also corresponds to a larger percentage of light from thelaser 130 being coupled into thewaveguide 112. Thus, the coupling efficiency of thelaser 130 may be improved. Performance of thelaser 130 and, therefore, theEAMR disk drive 100 may thus be improved. TheARC layer 116 may also be used in aligning thelaser 130 to thewaveguide input 114. A coarse alignment may thus be more easily and rapidly performed. Consequently, fabrication of theEAMR disk drive 100 may be facilitated. -
FIG. 7 is a diagram depicting a laser input side of an exemplary embodiment of aslider 110′ for anEAMR disk drive 100′. For clarity,FIG. 7 is not to scale. TheEAMR disk drive 100′ is analogous to theEAMR disk drive 100. TheEAMR disk drive 100′ thus includes aslider 110′,EAMR transducer 111′,waveguide input 114′,waveguide output 115′,ARC layer 116′ and, optionally, alignment marks 118′ that correspond to theslider 110,EAMR transducer 111,waveguide input 114,waveguide output 115,ARC layer 116 and alignment marks 118, respectively. TheARC layer 116′ is on thelaser input side 113′ and resides between the laser (not shown inFIG. 7 ) and theinput 114′ of thewaveguide 112′. In the embodiment depicted inFIG. 7 , theARC layer 116′ has an elliptical shape that corresponds to the shape of thelaser spot 136′. In addition, thewaveguide input 114′ is not centered in theARC layer 116. However, theARC layer 116 still covers thewaveguide input 114′. In other embodiments, thewaveguide input 114′ is centered in theARC layer 116′. - The
EAMR disk drive 100′ shares the benefits of theEAMR disk drive 100. In particular, theARC layer 116′ may reduce back reflections and facilitate alignment of thelaser 130′ andwaveguide input 114′. Thus, reliability, performance and manufacturability of theEAMR disk drive 100′ may be improved. -
FIGS. 8-9 depicting a laser input side of an exemplary embodiment of aslider 110″ and a side view of anARC layer 116″ for anEAMR disk drive 100″. For clarity,FIGS. 8-9 are not to scale. TheEAMR disk drive 100″ is analogous to theEAMR disk drives EAMR disk drive 100″ thus includes aslider 110″,EAMR transducer 111″,waveguide input 114″,waveguide output 115″,ARC layer 116″ and, optionally, alignment marks 118″ that correspond to theslider 110/110′,EAMR transducer 111/111′,waveguide input 114/114′,waveguide output 115/115′,ARC layer 116/116′ and alignment marks 118/118′, respectively. TheARC layer 116″ is on thelaser input side 113″ and resides between the laser (not shown inFIGS. 8-9 ) and theinput 114″ of thewaveguide 112″. In the embodiment depicted inFIGS. 8-9 , theARC layer 116″ includes twolayers ARC layer 116″ is thus a multilayer. Each of thelayers ARC layer 116″ may include four sublayers. - The
EAMR disk drive 100″ may share the benefits of theEAMR disk drives ARC layer 116″ may reduce back reflections and facilitate alignment of the laser andwaveguide input 114″. Thus, reliability, coupling efficiency and fabrication of theEAMR disk drive 100″ may be improved. Further, use of themultilayer ARC layer 116′ may enhance the ability of theARC layer 116″ in reducing back reflections. Fluctuations in the coupling efficiency with distance between the laser andwaveguide input 114″ may also be reduced. Thus, performance and manufacturability of theEAMR disk drive 100″ may be further improved. -
FIG. 10 is a flow chart depicting an exemplary embodiment of amethod 200 for aligning a laser with a waveguide in fabrication of an EAMR head. For simplicity, only some steps are shown. Further, the steps may include one or more substeps. Steps may also be combined, interleaved, and/or performed in another order. Themethod 200 is described in the context of fabricating theEAMR disk drive 100 ofFIGS. 3-6 . However, themethod 200 may be used to form another device including but not limited to theEAMR disk drives 100′ and 100″. Themethod 200 may start after the alignment marks 118 have been used to roughly align thelaser 130 to theARC layer 116. However, even after this rough alignment has been performed, thelaser spot 136 may still be far from thewaveguide input 114. For example, only a portion of thelaser spot 136 may overlap theARC layer 116. In other embodiments, the use of alignment marks may be omitted. - The
laser 130 is aligned to theARC layer 116, viastep 202. Step 202 may include monitoring back reflections for thelaser 130. As the alignment between thelaser spot 136 and theARC layer 116 is improved, back reflections are reduced. A minimum in the back reflections may correspond to thelaser 130 being aligned with theARC layer 116. Thus, thelaser spot 136 completely overlaps theARC layer 116. In embodiments in which theARC layer 116 extends less than the laser spot diameter from thewaveguide input 114,step 202 also ensures that the laser spot at least partially overlaps thewaveguide input 114. Thus, a coarse alignment has been performed instep 202. - The
laser 130 is then aligned to thewaveguide input 114, viastep 204. Step 204 may include monitoring the energy output by thewaveguide output 115. A maximum in this energy corresponds to thelaser spot 136 being aligned with thewaveguide input 114. Thus,step 204 performs a fine alignment and may determine the final position of thelaser 130/laser spot 136 with respect to thewaveguide input 114. - Once the alignment is completed, the
laser 130 is coupled with theslider 110, viastep 206. Step 206 includes bonding thelaser assembly 120 to theslider 110, for example thelaser assembly 120 may be epoxied to theslider 110. In another embodiment, theslider 110 andlaser assembly 120 are heated to reflow solder pads (not shown). Mechanical and electrical connection is made between thelaser 120 andslider 110. Thus, fabrication of the EAMR disk drive may be completed. - Using the
method 200, alignment of thelaser 130 to thewaveguide 112 may be facilitated. In particular, thelaser spot 136 may be more quickly and easily brought to a position that is close to the desired alignment with thewaveguide input 114. Further, use of theARC layer 116 may also reduce back reflections. Consequently, manufacturability, reliability, and performance of theEAMR disk drive 100/100′/100″ may be improved.
Claims (22)
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US13/631,641 US8681594B1 (en) | 2012-09-28 | 2012-09-28 | Method and system for improving laser alignment and optical transmission efficiency of an energy assisted magnetic recording head |
CN201310455119.3A CN103714829B (en) | 2012-09-28 | 2013-09-29 | The system and method for improving the laser alignment and optical delivery efficiency of energy assisted magnetic recording head |
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US13/631,641 US8681594B1 (en) | 2012-09-28 | 2012-09-28 | Method and system for improving laser alignment and optical transmission efficiency of an energy assisted magnetic recording head |
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US8681594B1 US8681594B1 (en) | 2014-03-25 |
US20140092715A1 true US20140092715A1 (en) | 2014-04-03 |
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CN103714829A (en) | 2014-04-09 |
CN103714829B (en) | 2018-03-23 |
US8681594B1 (en) | 2014-03-25 |
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