NEAR FIELD TRANSDUCER FOR HEAT-ASSISTED MAGNETIC RECORDING

摘要

An apparatus and metliod for heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) employing a near-field transducer (NFT) made of plasmonic ceramic materials or mtermetailics are disclosed. The NFT is made of a plasmonic material as well as a protective outer layer, which provides for longer usefulness and improved performance of the NFT and recording device. The plasmonic materials used include but are not limited to TiNxs, ZrNx, HfNx, TaNx, VNx, TiSi2-x, TiAlxNy, TiZrxNy,ZnO, SnO2, In2O3. RuO2, Lu2O3, WO2, and MgB2. Such materials, in combination with a protective layer, provide higher resistances and greater performance at temperatures required for HAMR, ranging from 300 up to 500 degrees Celsius.