Effects of Flying Height and Compositions of Antenna and Media on Near-Field Optics for Thermally Assisted Magnetic Recording

Abstract

Thermally assisted magnetic recording (TAMR) is a promising technology to achieve a recording density of over several Tbit/inch2. We analyzed the use of a plasmon antenna as well as the effect of a particle medium with Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method. Using a plasmon antenna, we analyzed the dependence of flying height (FH) on the power intensity (E2). FH is the distance between the medium and the antenna. We also analyzed the dependence of full width half maximum (FWHM) on near-field optics. We investigated the influence of different compositions of the antenna and of the media on plasmon resonance. Three compositions of the particle medium were Au, Pt, and Co. For metallic particles, the FWHM was less than 15 nm when FH was 5 nm to 20 nm. The peak intensity for the particle medium was higher than that of the continuous film across various values for FH. Furthermore, the overall power distribution was higher as well. These results show that particles positioned at the apex of the antenna can be heated by a small, concentrated spot.