Near-field optical storage system using a solid immersion lens with a left-handed material slab.

A new near-field optical storage system utilizing a left-handed material (LHM) is introduced by attaching an LHM slab to the lower surface of a conventional solid immersion lens (SIL). The performance of the present storage system is compared with a conventional SIL system through numerical simulation. The LHM slab in the present storage system can image very well the focused spot at the lower surface of the SIL to the surface of a disc. It allows a large air-gap for the mechanical convenience while keeping a large signal contrast and a high storage density. The tolerance of the air-gap is also improved.