R&D: Simulation on Near-Field Light Generated by Semiconductor Ring Resonator With Metal Nano-Antenna for HAMR

Japanese Journal of Applied Physics has published an article written by Ryuichi Katayama, Department of Information Electronics, Faculty of Engineering, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Fukuoka 811-0295, Japan, and Satoshi Sugiura, InnovaStella, Inc., Kofu 400-0053, Japan.

Abstract: “Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) is a promising technology for achieving more than one Tbit/inch² recording density. A near-field transducer (NFT), which forms a small light spot on a recording medium, is necessary in HAMR. However, the heat generated by the NFT would melt the NFT itself. To solve this problem, the authors have proposed a novel device, in which a metal nano-antenna is attached to a semiconductor ring resonator. In this paper, the relationship between the various design parameters of the device and the near-field light was investigated through a numerical simulation to optimize the structure of the device. The simulation was conducted using the finite element method based on a two-dimensional model. It was found that the electric field at the tip of the nano-antenna depends on the type of eigenmode, the length of the nano-antenna, and the distance between the ring resonator and the nano-antenna.“