A study of poly-silicon and Ta2O5 photonic crystal waveguides for HAMR light delivery system

This paper proposes the study of photonic crystal (PhC) waveguide materials for Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) light delivery system. Materials of interest are poly-silicon (poly-Si) and tantalum pentoxide (Ta₂O₅). The PhC waveguides are designed based on poly-silicon structure at 1,550 nm wavelength. Light transmission into the poly-silicon structure is extremely limited. The unsuccessful transmission is probably caused by the poly-silicon itself as well as the fabrication process. Ta₂O₅ is more promising material for the HAMR light delivery since Ta₂O₅ is transparent in both visible and infrared ranges. Light can be guided successfully into Ta₂O₅ feed guide and coupler. However, light is barely coupled into the Ta₂O₅ PhC waveguide probably because the 1,550 nm light is out of its transmission designed range at 900-1,300 nm. The structure will then be redesigned and fabricated to enable the transmission at this wavelength range.