Electromagnetic propagation of fiber probe for near-field optical recording using 3-D FDTD method

The data density of the near-field optical recording is mainly determined by near-field electromagnetic distribution of probe fiber such as transmission efficiency, near-field light spot size, polarization keeping and the grade of the electromagnetic field. The optical characters and light wave propagation of various fiber probes for near-field optical recording are numerically simulated using 3D finite-difference time-domain (3D-FDTD) method in this paper. The possible application in near-field optical recording with these probes is discussed. The entirely metal coated probe is pointed out to have an extremely small near-field spot size about 10 nm, which is far less than that of the conventional probe.