Near-field recording with high optical throughput aperture array

To create and utilize a strong light source with sub-wavelength size has opened up a new frontier in optics, the near-field optics. One of the most attractive applications of the near-field optics is near-field optical data storage. The optical memory with high density and high data transfer rate is highly demanded to utilize an array of high throughput nano-scaled light sources for writing and reading bits on a medium. In this paper, we propose a hybrid structure of vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and aperture array for optical near-field memory head, namely VCSEL/NSOM. A technological solution for fabrication of the aperture array with Si micromachining technology is presented. An investigation of the optical performance of the near-field light at the apertures of the Si micromachined aperture array is presented. The primary result of writing and reading bits on a phase change (PC) medium using the fabricated structure is demonstrated.