Patent EP0549236A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0549236A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Optical disk storage system and head apparatus therefor
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1992-12-15
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2012-12-15
Abstract
Abstract An optical storage system is described which utilizes the principles of optical stethoscopy to provide subwavelength resolving power thus allowing high areal bit density to be achieved. The optical head includes one or more optical elements (33) mounted on a slider (31) which is in physical, sliding contact with the recording medium (30). Optical elements couple a light beam to a submicron optical aperture (37) formed in the lower surface of the slider to be transmitted to the storage medium. The slider is fabricated from a crystalline material which has a non-linear load versus friction characteristic in the negative load region. When the head is in sliding contact with the recording medium surface, a restoring force is generated which maintains the optical head in physical contact with the recording medium overcoming any lifting forces generated by the moving air layer adjacent the recording medium surface. This restoring force also allows the head to be operated with a negative external load applied. Utilizing an optical head having the light transmission aperture formed in the slider in close proximity to the storage medium surface allows high density recording to be achieved without the requirement of an electro-mechanical servo system to provide beam focusing for the system.
Inventors
- 👤 Blasius Brezoczky
- 👤 Hajime Seki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 03:27
CPC Classifications
B; B82; B82Y; B82Y10/00; G; G11; G11B; G11B11/00; G11B11/10; G11B11/105; G11B11/10532; G11B11/1055; G11B11/10552; G11B11/10554; G11B11/1058; G11B7/00; G11B7/12; G11B7/122; G11B7/135; G11B7/1384; G11B7/1387
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
56 words
An optical head apparatus for use with an optical storage medium, comprising: means for transmitting a light beam to an optical storage medium; and support means maintained in physical contact with said optical storage medium, said transmitting means rigidly mounted on said support means in close proximity to a major surface of said optical storage medium.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
33 words
An optical head apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said support means comprises a contact slider fabricated from a material which has a non-linear load versus friction characteristic in the negative load region.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
An optical head apparatus as in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said transmitting means comprises an objective lens fixedly mounted on said support means for focusing said light beam onto an optical aperture formed in a bottom side of said support means, said bottom side in physical contact with said optical storage medium.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
An optical head apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said optical aperture is formed at the apex of a cone-shaped aperture formed in said support means, said objective lens being mounted in said cone-shaped aperture in spaced relationship with said optical aperture.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
50 words
An optical head apparatus as in claim 4 wherein said bottom side comprises a flat side of said support means, said flat side parallel to and in contact with said optical storage medium major surface, the longitudinal axis of said cone-shaped aperture being normal to said support means flat side.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
48 words
An optical head apparatus as in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said transmitting means comprises optical fiber means mounted on said support means for transmitting said light beam to selected positions or said optical storage medium, said optical fiber means terminating in an optical aperture formed therein.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
An optical head apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said optical fiber means comprises an optical fiber uniformly tapering to a terminating tip, said tip having a flat face perpendicular to the optical fiber longitudinal axis, said flat face forming said optical aperture.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
An optical head as in claim 6 or claim 7 wherein said optical aperture has a diameter in the range of 20 to 50 nanometers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
An optical head as in claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the side walls of said tapered optical fiber are coated with a layer of opaque material.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
An optical head as in claim 9 wherein said opaque material is chromium, aluminum or silver.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
50 words
An optical head apparatus as in any of claims 7 to 10 wherein said support means has a flat side, said flat side parallel to and in physical contact with said optical storage medium major surface, said optical fiber flat face being substantially coplanar with said support means flat side.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
An optical head apparatus as in any preceding claim further comprising magnetic means for generating a magnetic field, said magnetic means being rigidly mounted on said support means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
An optical head apparatus as in claim 12 wherein said magnetic means comprises a magnetic coil mounted concentrically with said transmitting means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
38 words
An optical head apparatus as in any preceding claim further comprising optical means for receiving said light beam and directing said light beam to and from said transmitting means, said optical means rigidly mounted on said support means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
An optical head apparatus as in claim 14 wherein said optical means comprises mirror means for redirecting a received light beam.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
40 words
An optical head apparatus as in claim 14 wherein said optical means comprises: mirror means for redirecting a transmitted light beam to said transmitting means; and beam splitter means for redirecting a return light beam received from said transmitting means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
37 words
An optical head apparatus as in claim 16 wherein said optical means further includes polarizing means for polarizing said transmitted light beam in a desired orientation and beam analyzer means for receiving and analyzing said return beam.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
22 words
An optical recording head apparatus as in claim 17 wherein said optical means comprises an optical unit including selected integrated optical elements.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
24 words
An optical head apparatus as in claim 14 further comprising optical fiber means for coupling said light beam to and from said optical means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
183 words
An optical disk storage system comprising: an optical storage medium comprising a rigid substrate having a layer of optical storage material thereon; an optical head apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim including an optical head and support means for supporting said optical head in substantially physical contact with said optical storage medium, said optical head comprising means for transmitting a light beam to said optical storage medium, said transmitting means mounted on a substrate of a material having a load versus friction characteristic that is nonlinear in the negative load region; and means coupled to said optical storage medium for producing relative motion between said optical storage medium and said optical head up to a selected operating speed sufficient to generate a restoring force responsive to said load versus friction characteristics of said optical head substrate, said restoring force having a magnitude sufficient for maintaining said optical head in substantially physical contact with said optical storage medium at said selected operating speed, whereby data can be written or sensed without excessive wear to either said optical head or said optical storage medium.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
38 words
An optical disk storage system as in claim 20 wherein said support means comprises a rigid access arm and spring means for suspending said optical head, said spring means providing a predetermined external load on said optical head.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
45 words
An optical disk storage system as in claim 21 wherein said spring means includes means for providing a negative external load when said optical head is in physical contact with said optical storage medium moving relative to said optical head at said selected operating speed.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
30 words
An optical disk storage system as in claim 22 wherein said rigid access arm comprises a linear access arm for linear movement along a radius of said optical recording medium.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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