Devices including a near field transducer (nft) with nanoparticles

Abstract

Devices that include a near field transducer (NFT) including a crystalline plasmonic material having crystal grains and grain boundaries; and nanoparticles disposed in the crystal grains, on the grain boundaries, or some combination thereof, wherein the nanoparticles are oxides of, lanthanum (La), barium (Ba), strontium (Sr), erbium (Er), hafnium (Hf), germanium (Ge), or combinations thereof; nitrides of zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), or combinations thereof; or carbides of silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), boron (B), zirconium (Zr), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), niobium (Nb), or combinations thereof.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device comprising:
 a near field transducer (NFT) comprising a crystalline plasmonic material having crystal grains and grain boundaries; and nanoparticles disposed in the crystal grains, in the grain boundaries, on the grain boundaries, or some combination thereof,   wherein the nanoparticles comprise:   oxides of, lanthanum (La), barium (Ba), strontium (Sr), erbium (Er), hafnium (Hf), germanium (Ge), or combinations thereof;   nitrides of zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), or combinations thereof; or   carbides of silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), boron (B), zirconium (Zr), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), niobium (Nb), or combinations thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the plasmonic material comprises: gold (Au), silver (Ag), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the plasmonic material comprises: gold (Au), silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles are located only substantially within the crystalline grains of the plasmonic material. 
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles are located preferentially in the grain boundaries of the plasmonic material. 
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles are located in both the crystalline grains and the grain boundaries of the plasmonic material. 
     
     
         7 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein there is not greater than about 30% based on quantification by determining the amount of the metal element in a metal based nanoparticle and comparing that to the bulk of the NFT to obtain a percent. 
     
     
         8 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles comprise:
 oxides of hafnium (Hf), aluminum (Al);   nitrides of zirconium (Zr); or   carbides of silicon (Si).   
     
     
         9 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles comprise hafnium (Hf). 
     
     
         10 . A device comprising:
 a near field transducer (NFT) comprising a crystalline plasmonic material having crystal grains and grain boundaries; and nanoparticles disposed preferentially on the grain boundaries,   wherein the nanoparticles comprise:   oxides of yttrium (Y), lanthanum (La), barium (Ba), strontium (Sr), erbium (Er), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), germanium (Ge), silicon (Si), or combinations thereof;   nitrides of zirconium (Zr), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), aluminum (Al), boron (B), niobium (Nb), or combinations thereof; or   carbides of silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), boron (B), zirconium (Zr), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), niobium (Nb), or combinations thereof.   
     
     
         11 . The device according to  claim 10 , wherein the plasmonic material comprises: gold (Au), silver (Ag), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 10 , wherein the plasmonic material comprises: gold (Au), silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 10 , wherein there is not greater than about 30% based on quantification by determining the amount of the metal element in a metal based nanoparticle and comparing that to the bulk of the NFT to obtain a percent. 
     
     
         14 . The device according to  claim 10 , wherein the nanoparticles comprise:
 oxides of yttrium (Y), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), aluminum (Al);   nitrides of zirconium (Zr), tantalum (Ta); or   carbides of silicon (Si).   
     
     
         15 . The device according to  claim 10 , wherein the nanoparticles comprise yttrium (Y) or hafnium (Hf). 
     
     
         16 . A method comprising:
 forming a layer comprising a plasmonic material;   forming a layer comprising a metal; and   oxidizing, nitriding or carbiding the metal to form nanoparticles of metal oxide, metal nitride or metal carbide respectively.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein the steps of forming a layer comprising plasmonic material and forming a layer comprising a metal comprise co-sputtering a single layer comprising both the plasmonic material and the metal. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 16  further comprising repeating the step of oxidizing, nitriding or carbiding the metal to form nanoparticles of metal oxide, metal nitride or metal carbide respectively. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 19  further comprising repeating the steps of forming a layer comprising plasmonic material and forming a layer comprising a metal. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein the steps of the method are carried out while heating a chamber in which the steps are carried out above room temperature.