US5105408A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optical head with flying lens
Assignee: Maxtor Corp
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Filing: 1988-05-12
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Granted: 1992-04-14
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Expires: 2008-05-12
Abstract
Abstract A micro-objective lens is carried on an air bearing slider with an optical passage through which the lens focuses an energy beam onto a spot on an optical data storage medium. The slider accomplishes automatic focusing. An RF coil is affixed to the slider facing the storage medium and surrounding the beam axis. The proximity of the coil lowers power switching requirements.
Inventors
- 👤 Neville K. S. Lee
- 👤 James W. Howard
- 👤 Patrick K. Tan
- 👤 Walter Hrytsay
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 14:58
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11B; G11B11/00; G11B11/10; G11B11/105; G11B11/1055; G11B11/1058; G11B11/10532; G11B11/10534; G11B11/10536; G11B11/10552; G11B11/10554; G11B11/10576; G11B7/00; G11B7/12; G11B7/122
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
123 words
An optical data storage system, comprising an optical data storage medium, a movable optical head for delivering a directed energy beam to a spot on the storage medium, including a slider flexibly suspended above said medium on an air bearing, micro-focusing optics mounted on said slider, said slider having an optical passage defined between said optics and the storage medium, said optics being oriented to focus the energy beam through said optical passage onto a spot on the storage medium, said slider maintaining the effective distance between said optics and said storage medium to achieve auto focusing, said optical passage being a tapered pyramidoidal recess formed in said slider accommodating a converging beam from said optics, said tapered pyramidoidal recess having flat sides.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
123 words
An optical data storage system, comprising an optical data storage medium, a movable optical head for delivering a directed energy beam to a spot on the storage medium, including a slider flexibly suspended above said medium on an air bearing, micro-focusing optics mounted on said slider, said slider having an optical passage defined between said optics and the storage medium, said optics being oriented to focus the energy beam through said optical passage onto a spot on the storage medium, said slider maintaining the effective distance between said optics and said storage medium to achieve auto focusing, said optical passage being a tapered pyramidoidal recess formed in said slider accommodating a converging beam from said optics, said tapered pyramidoidal recess having flat sides.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 1, wherein said optics has an optical axis, each side of said recess making an equal angle with respect to said optical axis.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
The system of claim 2, wherein the larger end of the tapered recess has a rectangular cross-section shaped like a slightly elongated square and the exit opening at the narrow end of the tapered recess is a more elongated slot-shaped rectangle.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
124 words
An optical data storage system, comprising an optical data storage medium, a movable optical head for delivering a directed energy beam to a spot on the storage medium, including a slider flexibly suspended above said medium on an air bearing, micro-focusing optics mounted on said slider, said slider having an optical passage defined between said optics and the storage medium, said optics being oriented to focus the energy beam through said optical passage onto a spot on the storage medium, said slider maintaining the effective distance between said optics and said storage medium to achieve auto focusing, said optical passage being a tapered recess formed in said slider accommodating a converging beam from said optics, said tapered recess being formed by anisotropic preferential etching.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
124 words
An optical data storage system, comprising an optical data storage medium, a movable optical head for delivering a directed energy beam to a spot on the storage medium, including a slider flexibly suspended above said medium on an air bearing, micro-focusing optics mounted on said slider, said slider having an optical passage defined between said optics and the storage medium, said optics being oriented to focus the energy beam through said optical passage onto a spot on the storage medium, said slider maintaining the effective distance between said optics and said storage medium to achieve auto focusing, said optical passage being a tapered recess formed in said slider accommodating a converging beam from said optics, said tapered recess being formed by anisotropic preferential etching.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
145 words
An optical data storage system, comprising an optical data storage medium, a movable optical head for delivering a directed energy beam to a spot on the storage medium, including a slider flexibly suspended above said medium on an air bearing, micro-focusing optics mounted on said slider, said slider having an optical passage defined between said optics and the storage medium, said optics being oriented to focus the energy beam through said optical passage onto a spot on the storage medium, said slider maintaining the effective distance between said optics and said storage medium to achieve auto focusing, said optical passage being a tapered recess formed in said slider accommodating a converging beam from said optics, said slider including a separate block in which said tapered recess is formed, said block is made of a crystalline material and said recess is formed by anisotropic preferential etching.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
145 words
An optical data storage system, comprising an optical data storage medium, a movable optical head for delivering a directed energy beam to a spot on the storage medium, including a slider flexibly suspended above said medium on an air bearing, micro-focusing optics mounted on said slider, said slider having an optical passage defined between said optics and the storage medium, said optics being oriented to focus the energy beam through said optical passage onto a spot on the storage medium, said slider maintaining the effective distance between said optics and said storage medium to achieve auto focusing, said optical passage being a tapered recess formed in said slider accommodating a converging beam from said optics, said slider including a separate block in which said tapered recess is formed, said block is made of a crystalline material and said recess is formed by anisotropic preferential etching.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
11 words
The system of claim 5, wherein said crystalline material is silicon.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
145 words
An optical data storage system, comprising an optical data storage medium, a movable optical head for delivering a directed energy beam to a spot on the storage medium, including a slider flexibly suspended above said medium on an air bearing, micro-focusing optics mounted on said slider, said slider having an optical passage defined between said optics and the storage medium, said optics being oriented to focus the energy beam through said optical passage onto a spot on the storage medium, said slider maintaining the effective distance between said optics and said storage medium to achieve auto focusing, said optical passage being a tapered recess formed in said slider accommodating a converging beam from said optics, said storage medium having plural tracks and said tapered recess terminating, on the side of the slider facing the storage medium, in an exit aperture elongated in the cross-track direction.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
145 words
An optical data storage system, comprising an optical data storage medium, a movable optical head for delivering a directed energy beam to a spot on the storage medium, including a slider flexibly suspended above said medium on an air bearing, micro-focusing optics mounted on said slider, said slider having an optical passage defined between said optics and the storage medium, said optics being oriented to focus the energy beam through said optical passage onto a spot on the storage medium, said slider maintaining the effective distance between said optics and said storage medium to achieve auto focusing, said optical passage being a tapered recess formed in said slider accommodating a converging beam from said optics, said storage medium having plural tracks and said tapered recess terminating, on the side of the slider facing the storage medium, in an exit aperture elongated in the cross-track direction.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of claim 7, further comprising a substantially flat electrical coil attached to the bottom of the slider surrounding said elongated exit aperture.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 8, wherein said coil is a printed microcircuit immediately adjacent to and said exit aperture.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
The system of claim 9, further comprising a separate fine tracking actuator for shifting the beam axis along a scanning direction parallel to the long axis of said exit aperture.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of claim 10, further comprising a reflector in said optical head, said fine tracking actuator acting to tilt said reflector.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of claim 7, wherein the storage medium has plural tracks, further/comprising a separate fine tracking actuator for shifting the beam axis to select different tracks on the storage medium.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of claim 7, wherein said focusing optics is a micro-objective lens.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of claim 13, wherein said objective lens is an aspheric singlet.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 13, wherein said objective lens has a focal length of from 1 to 3 mm.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 15, wherein said objective lens has a focal length of less than 2 mm.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 15, wherein said objective lens has a focal length of about 2 mm.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 13, wherein said lens has a focal length of about 1 1/2 mm.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 13, wherein said lens has a numerical aperture of from about 0.50 to about 0.65.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
40 words
The system of claim 13, further comprising means for generating a collimated laser beam and for directing said beam via said optical head to said objective lens said beam having a diameter of from about 1 to about 3 mm.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 20, wherein said beam diameter is approximately 1 1/2 mm.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of claim 20, wherein said lens has a focal length of about 1.45 mm and a numerical aperture of about 0.55, and said beam diameter is approximately 1.6 mm.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of claim 20, wherein the focal length of said lens is about the same as said beam diameter.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 13, wherein said objective lens has a mass of less than 35 milligrams.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-04-14 | 1995-10-14 | 1996-04-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-04-14 | 1999-10-14 | 2000-04-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-04-14 | 2003-10-14 | 2004-04-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |