High-Density Recording with a Near-Field Optical Disk System Using a Medium with a Top Layer of High Refractive Index

Abstract

A near-field optical technology using a solid immersion lens (SIL) has been actively studied to expand the storage capacity higher than 100 Gbytes per layer in a 12-cm-sized optical disk. However, the working distance of an objective lens in a near-field optical disk system should only be 25 nm or less. Therefore, from the practical viewpoint, a topcoat layer is required to protect the recording layer when the SIL collides with a disk surface because of disturbances such as dust, shock and vibration. From a mechanical viewpoint, the topcoat should have the mechanical toughness to protect the disk surface. Moreover, from an optical viewpoint, it should have refractive index higher than the numerical aperture of an SIL to achieve a sufficient evanescent couple between the SIL and disk surface. In this study, we describe a topcoat for a near-field optical recording. First, we investigate the topcoat performance from the optical viewpoint. Second, we evaluate the topcoat performance from a mechanical viewpoint. Finally, we report the results of recording experiments for a disk with the topcoat and discuss its performance.