title: Silicon planar-apertured probe array for high-density near-field optical storage.
abstract: We propose a novel, to our knowledge, silicon planar-apertured probe array as an optical head for high-density near-field optical storage. In comparison with a conventional fiber probe employed for near-field optical storage the apertured probe array has a higher readout data-transmission rate and better mechanical durability. A probe array with an aperture size of 100 nm was fabricated by use of photolithography and wet etching of a silicon wafer. Subwavelength-readout capability was demonstrated by use of one aperture of the probe array. Furthermore, we achieved a 16 times increase in the light-transmission efficiency of the probe array by installing glass-sphere microlenses on each aperture. The increase was confirmed by measurement of the near-field optical intensity.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Optical Memory Research Group, National Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research, 1-1-4 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8562, Japan. mblee@nair.go.jp
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kourogi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yatsui
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsutsui
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Atoda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohtsu