JP4569966B2 - Near-field optical recording element, near-field optical head, and information recording / reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a near-field optical recording element capable of recording various kinds of information on a magnetic recording medium at a very high density using near-field light, a near-field optical head having the near-field optical recording element, and the near-field The present invention relates to an information recording / reproducing apparatus having an optical head.

  In recent years, the recording density of information within a single recording surface has increased as the capacity of hard disks and the like in computer equipment has increased. For example, in order to increase the recording capacity per unit area of the magnetic disk, it is necessary to increase the surface recording density. However, as the recording density increases, the recording area occupied by one bit on the recording medium decreases. When this bit size is reduced, the energy of 1-bit information is close to that of room temperature, and the recorded information is reversed or lost due to thermal fluctuation, etc. Will occur.

  In the in-plane recording method that has been generally used, the magnetism is recorded so that the direction of magnetization is in the in-plane direction of the recording medium. In this method, the recorded information is lost due to the thermal demagnetization described above. Is likely to occur. Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, a shift is being made to a perpendicular recording method in which a magnetization signal is recorded in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium. This method is a method for recording magnetic information on the principle of bringing a single magnetic pole closer to a recording medium. According to this method, the recording magnetic field is directed substantially perpendicular to the recording film. Information recorded by a perpendicular magnetic field is easy to maintain in energy stability because it is difficult for the N pole and the S pole to form a loop in the recording film surface. Therefore, this perpendicular recording method is more resistant to thermal demagnetization than the in-plane recording method.

  However, recent recording media are required to have a higher density in response to the need to record and reproduce a larger amount and higher density information. For this reason, in order to minimize the influence of adjacent magnetic domains and thermal fluctuations, those having a strong coercive force have begun to be adopted as recording media. For this reason, it is difficult to record information on a recording medium even in the above-described perpendicular recording system.

Therefore, in order to solve this problem, there is a hybrid magnetic recording method (near-field light assisted magnetic recording method) in which the magnetic domain is locally heated by near-field light to temporarily reduce the coercive force, and writing is performed during that time. Is provided. This hybrid magnetic recording system is a system that uses near-field light generated by the interaction between a minute region and an optical aperture formed in a size equal to or smaller than the wavelength of light formed in the near-field optical head. Thus, by using a small optical aperture that exceeds the diffraction limit of light, that is, a near-field light head having a near-field light generating element, the wavelength of light that has been limited in the conventional optical system can be reduced. It is possible to handle the optical information in the region. Therefore, it is possible to achieve a higher recording bit density than conventional optical information recording / reproducing apparatuses.
Note that the near-field light generating element is not limited to the above-described optical micro-aperture, and may be constituted by, for example, a protrusion formed in a nanometer size. This projection can also generate near-field light in the same manner as the optical minute aperture.

Various types of recording heads based on the hybrid magnetic recording system described above are provided, and one of them is a magnetic recording head in which the recording density is increased by reducing the size of the light spot. (For example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
This magnetic recording head mainly includes a main magnetic pole, an auxiliary magnetic pole, a coil winding in which a helical conductor pattern is formed inside an insulator, and a metal scatterer that generates near-field light from irradiated laser light. A planar laser light source that irradiates the metal scatterer with laser light, and a lens that focuses the irradiated laser light. Each of these components is attached to the front end surface of a slider fixed to the front end of the beam.

One end of the main magnetic pole is a surface facing the recording medium, and the other end is connected to the auxiliary electrode. That is, the main magnetic pole and the auxiliary electrode constitute a single magnetic pole type vertical head in which one magnetic pole (single magnetic pole) is arranged in the vertical direction. The coil winding is fixed to the auxiliary electrode so that part of the coil winding passes between the magnetic pole and the auxiliary electrode. These magnetic poles, auxiliary electrodes, and coil windings constitute an electromagnet as a whole.
The metal scatterer made of gold or the like is attached to the tip of the main magnetic pole. The planar laser light source is disposed at a position separated from the metal scatterer, and the lens is disposed between the planar laser light source and the metal scatterer.
Each component described above is attached in the order of the auxiliary magnetic pole, the coil winding, the main magnetic pole, the metal scatterer, the lens, and the planar laser light source from the front end surface side of the slider.

When the magnetic recording head configured in this way is used, various information is recorded on the recording medium by generating a near-field light and simultaneously applying a recording magnetic field.
In other words, laser light is irradiated from a planar laser light source. This laser beam is focused by a lens and irradiated onto a metal scatterer. Then, in the metal scatterer, the internal free electrons are uniformly oscillated by the electric field of the laser beam, so that the plasmon is excited to generate near-field light at the tip portion. As a result, the magnetic recording layer of the recording medium is locally heated by near-field light, and the coercive force temporarily decreases.
Simultaneously with the irradiation of the laser beam, a recording current is locally applied to the magnetic recording layer of the recording medium close to the main pole by supplying a driving current to the conductor pattern of the coil winding. Thereby, various types of information can be recorded on the magnetic recording layer whose coercive force has temporarily decreased. That is, recording on a recording medium can be performed by the cooperation of near-field light and a magnetic field.

Furthermore, a magnetic recording head in which a preheating mechanism is further combined with the above-described magnetic recording head is also known (for example, see Patent Document 3).
This magnetic recording head includes a resistance heater as a preheating mechanism between the main magnetic pole and the auxiliary magnetic pole described above. Since this resistance heater has a larger tip area than the main magnetic pole and the metal scatterer, the target area to be heated is wide and the temperature gradient is low. For this reason, the resistance heater can apply only heat that is preheated to the magnetic recording layer of the recording medium.
According to the magnetic recording head configured as described above, since the magnetic recording layer can be preheated by the resistance heater in advance, heat generation in the metal scatterer that generates near-field light can be reduced. Therefore, deterioration of the metal scatterer due to temperature rise, possibility of damage, and the like can be reduced, and durability can be improved.
JP 2004-158067 A JP-A-2005-4901 JP-A-2005-78689

However, the conventional magnetic recording head described above still has the following problems.
That is, in the magnetic recording heads described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the metal scatterer is provided outside the main pole so as to be located at the end in the scanning direction, information is stored in the magnetic recording layer. When recording, it is difficult to efficiently heat the position where the recording magnetic field is applied. That is, as the recording medium rotates, the magnetic recording layer moves in the order of the auxiliary magnetic pole, the magnetic pole, and the metal scatterer, so that the recording magnetic field is applied before being heated by the near-field light. For this reason, the peak position of the heating temperature due to the near-field light comes outside the area to which the recording magnetic field is applied, and the writing reliability is poor.
In particular, since the temperature gradient due to the near-field light tends to be delayed with respect to the scanning direction of the recording medium, it is considered that the peak position of the heating temperature is shifted from directly below the metal scatterer. In consideration of this point, the peak position of the heating temperature is actually shifted in a direction further away from the recording magnetic field application region, and there is a high possibility that accurate writing cannot be performed.

  On the other hand, the magnetic recording head described in Patent Document 3 is provided with a preheating mechanism such as a resistance heater between the main magnetic pole and the auxiliary magnetic pole, so that the above-described problem of writing reliability is eliminated. However, on the other hand, since a preheating mechanism is further added as a component, there is a disadvantage that the configuration becomes more complicated and the size is increased.

  Further, in the magnetic recording heads described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, in order to further reduce the recording track width and achieve higher density recording, the distance between both magnetic poles is reduced or the size of the metal scatterer is reduced. It is necessary to further miniaturize the size of the component itself, for example, to design a smaller size. For this reason, the manufacturing is difficult and the cost is increased, and it cannot be easily performed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is to be easily manufactured at a low cost while achieving downsizing, and also to efficiently generate near-field light, thereby ensuring writing reliability. It is an object to provide an improved near-field optical recording element, a near-field optical head, and an information recording / reproducing apparatus.

The present invention provides the following means in order to solve the above problems.
The near-field optical recording element according to the present invention is arranged in a state of being floated by a predetermined distance from the surface of the magnetic recording medium rotating in a fixed direction, fixed to a slider having an opposing surface facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium, and introduced. A near-field optical recording element that generates near-field light from the emitted light flux and heats the magnetic recording medium, and applies a magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium to cause magnetization reversal to record information. A bottom surface into which the luminous flux is introduced from the outside, a rectangular shape in plan view with a smaller area than the bottom surface, and an end surface arranged at a predetermined distance from the bottom surface, and a bottom surface and a vertex of the end surface, respectively A light-transmitting core having four side surfaces formed by linking, a metal film formed on any one of the four side surfaces, and the metal film formed among the four side surfaces. Is Formed on two sides adjacent to the side surface, and a thin film of the first magnetic pole for generating a magnetic field between them and the second pole, wherein the core, the side of the metal film is formed A size in which the bottom surface of the slider is fixed in contact with the opposing surface of the slider so as to be parallel to the moving direction of the recording medium, and the end surface of the core generates the near-field light when the light beam is introduced. is formed on the metal film, the surface plasmon is excited when the light beam is incident, Ri film der to enhance the light intensity of the near-field light by the propagation of the surface plasmon, the first magnetic pole, the The information is recorded on the first magnetic pole side, being located closer to the moving direction than the second magnetic pole and having a smaller area facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium than the second magnetic pole. It is characterized by .

In the near-field optical recording element according to the present invention, near-field light can be generated by using a core formed in a quadrangular pyramid shape, and information is written to a rotating magnetic recording medium. be able to.
First, both the bottom surface and the end surface of the core are formed in a quadrilateral shape (for example, a rectangle, a parallelogram, or a trapezoidal shape) in plan view. At this time, since the end face is formed in a size smaller than the bottom face, the four side faces are in a slope state in which the distance from the facing side faces is gradually narrowed toward the end face. On one of the four side surfaces, a metal film such as gold is formed. The orientation of the core is adjusted so that the side surface on which the metal film is formed is parallel to the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium.

  Further, first and second magnetic poles are formed on two side surfaces adjacent to the side surface on which the metal film is formed. Therefore, the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole are arranged along the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium. At this time, the size of the end face of the core is formed to a size that generates near-field light when the light beam is introduced from the bottom side (a size that is a minute aperture smaller than the wavelength of the light beam). For this reason, the distance between the magnetic poles (magnetic gap) is close to the end surface facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium. In other words, a minute magnetic gap is created.

  When recording is performed, first, a light beam is introduced into the inside of the light transmissive core from the bottom surface side. The light beam introduced into the core travels from the bottom surface side toward the end surface side, and leaks to the outside as near-field light from the end surface. At the same time, the light beam introduced into the core enters the metal film formed on the side surface. When a light beam enters the metal film, surface plasmons are excited in the metal film. The excited surface plasmon propagates toward the end face through the interface between the surface of the metal film and the side surface of the core while being enhanced by the resonance effect. And when it reaches the end face of the core, it becomes a near-field light with a strong light intensity and leaks to the outside.

  In particular, the near-field light propagated through the metal film has higher light intensity than the near-field light generated after being transmitted directly from the bottom surface toward the end surface, so that the light contributes to heating of the magnetic recording medium. In addition, since the side surface of the core on which the metal film is formed is parallel to the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium as described above, near-field light having a strong light intensity contributing to heating is transferred to the magnetic recording medium. It can be generated in a line along the direction. That is, it can be generated in a line along the track direction of the magnetic recording medium. The magnetic recording medium is locally heated by the near-field light, and the coercive force temporarily decreases.

  Simultaneously with the introduction of the light beam, the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole generate a magnetic field between the magnetic poles. Thereby, the magnetic field leaks toward the magnetic recording medium in the magnetic gap between the magnetic poles. At this time, as described above, the magnetic gap is a minute gap because both magnetic poles are formed on the side surface of the core. Therefore, the leakage magnetic field generated in the magnetic gap acts locally on the magnetic recording medium. As a result, a leakage magnetic field can be applied to the local position of the magnetic recording medium whose coercive force has been reduced by near-field light. Note that the direction of the leakage magnetic field is reversed according to the information to be recorded. When the magnetic recording medium receives a leakage magnetic field, the magnetization direction is reversed according to the direction of the leakage magnetic field. As a result, information can be recorded. That is, information can be recorded by a near-field light assisted magnetic recording method in which near-field light and a leakage magnetic field generated by both magnetic poles cooperate.

In particular, unlike the prior art, near-field light can be generated between the two magnetic poles, so that the peak position of the heating temperature by the near-field light can be set within a range where the leakage magnetic field acts locally. Moreover, even if the temperature gradient of the heating by the near-field light is delayed with respect to the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium, the peak position of the heating temperature can be kept within the leakage magnetic field range. Therefore, it is possible to reliably perform recording on a local position of the magnetic recording medium, and it is possible to improve reliability and further increase the density of the magnetic recording medium.

Further, the metal film formed on the side surface can generate a strong line-shaped near-field light along the track direction of the magnetic recording medium, so that the desired information can be obtained without affecting the information recorded on the adjacent track. Information can be accurately recorded on the track to be played.
In addition, since near-field light is generated at the interface between the surface of the metal film and the side surface of the core, the design size of each component is not directly affected. That is, it is possible to easily generate linear near-field light without being influenced by the physical design without making the size of the end face of the core extremely small. Therefore, the recording track width can be further reduced, and it is possible to contribute to higher density recording while facilitating manufacture and cost reduction.
In addition, by forming both magnetic poles on the side of the core, it is possible to achieve near-field light generation and leakage magnetic field generation at the same time. can do. Therefore, the configuration can be simplified and the size can be reduced.

As described above, according to the near-field optical recording element of the present invention, it can be easily manufactured at low cost while achieving miniaturization, and near-field light can be efficiently generated to improve writing reliability. Can be improved.
Furthermore, in the near-field light element according to the present invention, the first magnetic pole is located closer to the moving direction (traveling side) of the magnetic recording medium than the second magnetic pole. The area facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium is such that the first magnetic pole is smaller than the second magnetic pole, and information is recorded on the first magnetic pole side. That is, the first magnetic pole functions as a main magnetic pole, and the second magnetic pole functions as an auxiliary magnetic pole.
When recording on the magnetic recording medium, the magnetic flux generated from the first magnetic pole side acts on the magnetic recording medium, so that recording can be performed with the magnetization directed in a direction perpendicular to the surface. This magnetic flux returns to the second magnetic pole via the magnetic recording medium. At this time, since the recording is performed only with the first magnetic pole formed in a small area, the direction of magnetization is not affected.
As described above, information can be recorded by the perpendicular magnetic recording method, and it is difficult to be affected by the thermal fluctuation phenomenon, and stable recording can be performed. Therefore, the writing reliability can be further improved.

Further, the near field optical recording device according to the present invention, formed in the near field optical recording device of the present invention, the metal film is, in the first magnetic pole and the second at least one of the magnetic poles of the magnetic pole It is characterized by being.

In the near-field optical recording element according to the present invention, the metal film is not formed only on the side surface of the core, but on at least one of the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole . Therefore, near-field light can be generated in the vicinity of at least one of the magnetic poles by the propagation of the surface plasmon. Therefore, the near-field light and the leakage magnetic field can be more efficiently coordinated, and the writing reliability can be further improved.

  Further, a near-field optical head according to the present invention is disposed with any one of the near-field optical recording elements of the present invention as described above in a state of being floated by a predetermined distance from the surface of the magnetic recording medium, and facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium. A slider having an opposing surface, a light flux introducing means for introducing the light flux into the core from the bottom surface side, a magnetic circuit formed of a magnetic material and connecting the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole. A coil that is supplied with a current modulated in accordance with the information and winds around the magnetic circuit around the magnetic circuit, and the core has a bottom surface that is in surface contact with the opposed surface of the slider It is characterized by being fixed by.

In the near-field optical head according to the present invention, the slider is disposed in a state where the slider floats a predetermined distance from the surface of the magnetic recording medium with the opposing surface facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium. The core of the near-field optical recording element is fixed with the bottom surface in surface contact with the opposing surface of the slider. As a result, the core is in a state of floating on the magnetic recording medium while the end face is opposed to the surface of the magnetic recording medium.
When recording is performed, the light beam is first introduced into the core from the bottom surface side by the light beam introducing means. At this time, unlike the conventional method of entering light, the light beam introducing means can easily and surely introduce the light beam in a substantially straight line from the upper surface side of the slider toward the end surface of the core, so that the near-field light is efficiently generated. be able to.
Simultaneously with the introduction of the luminous flux, a current modulated according to the information to be recorded is supplied to the coil. Then, due to the principle of the electromagnet, the current magnetic field generates a magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit, so that a magnetic field is generated between both magnetic poles. Thereby, a leakage magnetic field can be reliably generated between the magnetic gaps of both magnetic poles.

  In particular, since the near-field optical recording element that can be easily manufactured at low cost while achieving miniaturization is provided, the near-field optical head itself can be reduced in size, cost, and manufacture. In addition, the near-field optical recording element that efficiently generates near-field light and has improved writing reliability. Similarly, the writing reliability of the near-field light head itself can be increased to improve the quality. it can.

  Further, the near-field optical head according to the present invention is the near-field optical head according to the present invention, wherein the magnetic circuit has in part a vertical circuit portion along a direction perpendicular to the facing surface of the slider. Is formed in a state in which the periphery of the vertical circuit portion is spirally wound so as to spread along the facing surface.

In the near-field optical head according to the present invention, a part of the magnetic circuit connecting the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole is a vertical circuit portion along a direction perpendicular to the facing surface of the slider. And the coil is formed in a state in which the periphery of the vertical circuit portion is spirally wound around the vertical circuit portion so as to spread along the opposing surface of the slider. That is, the coil is in a state parallel to the facing surface of the slider.
Therefore, even if the number of coils is increased. Since it does not affect the thickness of the slider, it is possible to increase the strength of the leakage magnetic field while reducing the thickness. Further, since the coil can be produced on a horizontal plane instead of a vertical plane, it can be easily produced by a conventional method without using a special method. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design can be improved, such as making the coil thinner or increasing the number of windings. In addition, since the coil can be designed freely, it is easy to design the magnetic circuit freely, for example, by increasing the width. Thus, a magnetic circuit and a coil can be designed freely according to the situation, and a reliable electromagnet can be manufactured.

  An information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention is movable in a direction parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium and the near-field optical head of the present invention, and is parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium and orthogonal to each other. A beam that supports the near-field optical head on the tip side, a light source that causes the light beam to enter the light beam introducing means, and a base end side of the beam in a state of being rotatable about two axes. And an actuator for moving the beam in a direction parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium, a rotation drive unit for rotating the magnetic recording medium in the fixed direction, and supplying the current to the coil and the light source. And a control unit for controlling the operation of the apparatus.

  In the information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, after the magnetic recording medium is rotated in a certain direction by the rotation driving unit, the beam is moved by the actuator to scan the near-field optical head. Then, the near-field optical head is arranged at a desired position on the magnetic recording medium. At this time, the near-field optical head is supported by the beam so that it can rotate about two axes parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium and orthogonal to each other, that is, can be twisted about the two axes. Yes. Therefore, even if waviness occurs in the magnetic recording medium, changes in wind pressure due to waviness can be absorbed by twisting, and the near-field optical head can be stably levitated.

Thereafter, the control unit activates the light source and simultaneously supplies a current modulated according to information to the coil. Thus, the near-field light head can record information on the magnetic recording medium by cooperating the near-field light and the leakage magnetic field.
In particular, since the near-field optical head having the above-mentioned near-field optical recording element is provided, it is possible to reduce the size and cost, and to improve the writing reliability and the quality. .

The near-field optical recording element according to the present invention can be easily manufactured at a low cost while achieving a reduction in size, and can efficiently generate near-field light to improve writing reliability. .
In addition, according to the near-field optical head and the information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention, since the near-field optical recording element described above is provided, it is possible to reduce the size and cost and to improve the writing reliability. The quality can be improved.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a near-field optical recording element, a near-field optical head, and an information recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described by taking as an example a case where writing is performed on a disk (magnetic recording medium) D having a perpendicular recording layer d2 by a perpendicular recording method.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes an optical near-field optical head 2 having a near-field optical recording element 20 described later, and an XY parallel to a disk surface (surface of a magnetic recording medium) D1. A beam 3 that supports the near-field optical head 2 on the tip side in a state that is movable around two axes (X-axis and Y-axis) that are parallel to the disk surface D1 and orthogonal to each other. An optical signal controller (light source) 5 for causing the light beam L to enter the optical waveguide 4 from the proximal end side of the waveguide 4 and an XY parallel to the disk surface D1 while supporting the proximal end side of the beam 3 An actuator 6 that scans and moves in a direction, a spindle motor (rotation drive unit) 7 that rotates the disk D in a certain direction, and a current modulated in accordance with information is supplied to a coil 24 that will be described later, and an optical signal. Con A control unit 8 for controlling the operation of the roller 5, and a housing 9 that houses the respective components therein.

The housing 9 is made of a metal material such as aluminum and has a quadrangular shape when viewed from above, and a recess 9a for accommodating each component is formed inside. Further, a lid (not shown) is detachably fixed to the housing 9 so as to close the opening of the recess 9a.
The spindle motor 7 is attached to substantially the center of the recess 9a, and the disc D is detachably fixed by fitting a center hole into the spindle motor 7. The actuator 6 is attached to the corner of the recess 9a. A carriage 11 is attached to the actuator 6 via a bearing 10, and a beam 3 is attached to the tip of the carriage 11. The carriage 11 and the beam 3 are both movable in the XY directions by driving the actuator 6.
The carriage 11 and the beam 3 are retracted from the disk D by driving the actuator 6 when the rotation of the disk D is stopped. The near-field light head 2 and the beam 3 constitute a suspension 12. The optical signal controller 5 is mounted in the recess 9 a so as to be adjacent to the actuator 6. The control unit 8 is attached adjacent to the actuator 6.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the near-field optical head 2 is disposed with the near-field optical recording element 20 in a state where it floats by a predetermined distance H from the disk surface D1, and is opposed to the disk surface D1. A slider 21 having the following: light flux introducing means 22 for introducing a light flux into the core 30 from the bottom surface 30a side of the core 30 to be described later, and a first magnetic pole 32 and a second magnetic pole 33 to be described later formed of a magnetic material. A magnetic circuit 23 to be connected and a coil 24 wound around the magnetic circuit 23 around the magnetic circuit 23 are provided.

  The near-field light recording element 20 generates near-field light R from the introduced light beam L to heat the disk D and applies a magnetic field to the disk D to cause magnetization reversal to record information. That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the near-field optical recording element 20 includes a core 30 that generates near-field light R, a metal film 31 formed on the core 30, and a first film formed on the core 30. Magnetic pole 32 and second magnetic pole 33.

The core 30 is formed of a light-transmitting material such as quartz glass, and is formed in a quadrangular pyramid shape having a bottom surface 30a, an end surface 30b, and four side surfaces 30c. Specifically, the bottom surface 30a is formed in a square shape in plan view so as to have at least one set of two sides parallel to each other, arranged in a state parallel to the disk surface D1, and the light flux L is introduced from the bottom surface 30a. An end surface 30b formed in the same shape (square shape in plan view) with a small area and disposed at a predetermined distance from the bottom surface 30a, and four side surfaces 30c formed by connecting the bottom surface 30a and the apex of the end surface 30b, respectively. It is processed to have.
However, the bottom surface 30a and the end surface 30b of the core 30 are not limited to a square shape, and may be formed in a square shape in plan view. For example, it may be a plan view, a rectangular shape, a parallelogram shape, or a trapezoidal shape. Further, the bottom surface 30a and the end surface 30b may be formed in a square shape in plan view, and may not have the same shape.

  The end face 30b of the core 30 is formed to a size that generates near-field light R when the light beam L is introduced into the core 30. In other words, the opening size of the end face 30b of the core 30 is designed to be much finer than the wavelength of the light beam L (for example, a size having a side of about several tens of nanometers), and transmits normal propagation light. However, the near-field light R can be leaked to the vicinity.

  The metal film 31 is formed on the side surface 30c having one of two sides parallel to each other among the four side surfaces 30c. In the present embodiment, as shown in the drawing, the bottom surface 30a and the end surface 30b are formed in a square shape when viewed from above, and therefore the metal film 31 may be formed on any side surface 30c. The metal film 31 is, for example, an Au film, and is formed on the side surface 30 c of the core 30 by vapor deposition or the like.

Of the remaining three side surfaces 30c, on the two side surfaces 30c adjacent to the side surface 30c on which the metal film 31 is formed, the first magnetic pole 32 and the second magnetic pole 33 that generate a magnetic field therebetween. Is formed. Both magnetic poles 32 and 33 are formed on the side surface 30c by a thin film deposition technique such as vapor deposition of a magnetic material.
The film thickness of the second magnetic pole 33 is adjusted so as to be thicker than the film thickness of the first magnetic pole 32. As a result, the first magnetic pole 32 is formed to have a smaller area facing the disk surface D1 than the second magnetic pole 33. That is, the first magnetic pole 32 functions as a main magnetic pole, and the second magnetic pole 33 functions as an auxiliary magnetic pole.

  Further, as described above, the end surface 30b of the core 30 is smaller than the bottom surface 30a and is formed in the same shape as the bottom surface 30a. Therefore, the four side surfaces 30c are opposed to the side surface 30c that faces the end surface 30b. The slope is gradually narrowed. In particular, since the size of the end face 30b of the core 30 is a very small size that generates the near-field light R, the distance (magnetic gap) G between the magnetic poles 32 and 33 on the end face 30b is very close. . That is, the magnetic gap G is very small.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the core 30 configured in this manner is fixed in a state where the bottom surface 30 a is in surface contact with the facing surface 21 a of the slider 21. At this time, the core 30 is fixed so that the side surface 30 c on which the metal film 31 is formed is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the slider 21, that is, the moving direction of the disk D. For this reason, the first magnetic pole 32 and the second magnetic pole 33 are arranged so as to be aligned along the moving direction of the disk D. However, the core 30 of the present embodiment is fixed after the direction is adjusted so that the first magnetic pole 32 is positioned on the moving direction side (traveling direction side) of the disk D with respect to the second magnetic pole 33. .

  Similar to the core 30, the slider 21 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape by a light transmissive material such as quartz glass. The slider 21 is supported so as to hang from the tip of the beam 3 via the gimbal portion 35 with the facing surface 21a facing the disk D side. The gimbal portion 35 is a component whose movement is restricted so as to be displaced only in the Z direction perpendicular to the disk surface D1, around the X axis, and around the Y axis. As a result, the slider 21 is rotatable about two axes (X axis, Y axis) that are parallel to the disk surface D1 and orthogonal to each other as described above.

  On the opposing surface 21 a of the slider 21, a ridge portion 21 b is formed that generates a pressure for rising from the viscosity of the air flow generated by the rotating disk D. In this embodiment, the case where the two protruding item | line parts 21b extended along the longitudinal direction are formed so that it may rank with a rail shape is made into the example. However, the present invention is not limited to this case, and the slider 21 is optimally adjusted by adjusting the positive pressure for separating the slider 21 from the disk surface D1 and the negative pressure for attracting the slider 21 to the disk surface D1. Any irregular shape may be used as long as it is designed to float in a state. In addition, the surface of this protruding item | line part 21b is made into the surface called ABS (Air Bearing Surface).

  The slider 21 receives a force that rises from the disk surface D1 by the two ridges 21b and receives a force that is pressed by the beam 3 toward the disk surface D1. The slider 21 floats in a state where it is separated from the disk surface D1 by a predetermined distance H as described above due to the balance of both forces.

Further, as described above, since the core 30 is fixed to the facing surface 21a of the slider 21 with the bottom surface 30a being in surface contact, the end surface 30b of the core 30 is similarly the facing surface 21a of the slider 21 and the disk surface. It is in a parallel state with respect to D1. At this time, the height of the core 30 is set so that the height of the end face 30b is the same as the height of the ridge portion 21b.
Note that the core 30 and the slider 21 may be separately manufactured and then fixed to each other, or may be manufactured integrally from quartz glass or the like. In particular, it is more preferable to manufacture them integrally because the manufacturing process can be simplified and the manufacturing time can be shortened.

In addition, a lens 36 is formed on the upper surface of the slider 21 at a position that is directly above the core 30. This lens 36 is, for example, an aspherical microlens formed by etching using a gray scale mask. Further, an optical waveguide 4 such as an optical fiber is attached to the upper surface of the slider 21. The optical waveguide 4 has a mirror surface 4 a with the tip cut at approximately 45 degrees, and the mounting position is adjusted so that the mirror surface 4 a is positioned directly above the lens 36. The optical waveguide 4 is drawn out and connected to the optical signal controller 5 via the beam 3 and the carriage 11.
As a result, the optical waveguide 4 can guide the light beam L incident from the optical signal controller 5 to the tip side, reflect the light beam L by the mirror surface 4a, change the direction, and then emit it to the lens 36. The emitted light beam L is focused by the lens 36, then passes through the slider 21 and is introduced into the bottom surface 30 a of the core 30. That is, the optical waveguide 4 and the lens 36 constitute the light flux introducing means 22 described above.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the magnetic circuit 23 is formed by patterning in the slider 21 with a magnetic material. Both ends of the magnetic circuit 23 are connected to the first magnetic pole 32 and the second magnetic pole 33, respectively, and as shown in FIG. The vertical circuit portion 23a is bent along the vertical direction.

  The coil 24 is formed along the opposing surface 21 a of the slider 21 in a state in which the periphery of the above-described vertical circuit portion 23 a of the magnetic circuit 23 is spirally wound. At this time, the coil 24 is insulated between adjacent wires and the magnetic circuit 23 so as not to be short-circuited. The coil 24 is electrically connected to the control unit 8 via the beam 3 and the carriage 11, and a current modulated according to information is supplied from the control unit 8. That is, the magnetic circuit 23 and the coil 24 constitute an electromagnet as a whole.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a magnetoresistive effect film 37 whose electric resistance is converted in accordance with the magnitude of the magnetic field leaking from the perpendicular recording layer d2 of the disk D is formed on the tip surface 30b of the slider 21. Is formed. The magnetoresistive effect film 37 is formed with substantially the same width as the end face 30 b of the core 30. Further, a bias current is supplied to the magnetoresistive film 37 from the control unit 8 via a lead film (not shown). As a result, the control unit 8 can detect a change in the magnetic field leaking from the disk D as a change in voltage, and reproduces a signal from the change in voltage. That is, the magnetoresistive film 37 functions as a reproducing element.

The disk D of the present embodiment is a perpendicular structure composed of at least two layers: a perpendicular recording layer d2 having an easy axis in the direction perpendicular to the disk surface D1, and a soft magnetic layer d3 made of a high magnetic permeability material. A bilayer disc is used. As such a disk D, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a soft magnetic layer d3, an intermediate layer d4, a perpendicular recording layer d2, a protective layer d5, and a lubricating layer d6 are sequentially formed on a substrate d1. Use the film.
Examples of the substrate d1 include an aluminum substrate and a glass substrate. The soft magnetic layer d3 is a high magnetic permeability layer. The intermediate layer d4 is a crystal control layer of the perpendicular recording layer d2. The perpendicular recording layer d2 is a perpendicular anisotropic magnetic layer, and for example, a CoCrPt alloy is used. The protective layer d5 is for protecting the perpendicular recording layer d2, and for example, a DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) film is used. For the lubrication layer d6, for example, a fluorine-based liquid lubricant is used.

Next, a case where various kinds of information is recorded / reproduced on / from the disk D by the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described below.
First, the spindle motor 7 is driven to rotate the disk D in a certain direction. Next, the actuator 6 is operated to scan the beam 3 in the XY directions via the carriage 11. As a result, the near-field optical head 2 can be positioned at a desired position on the disk D as shown in FIG. At this time, the near-field optical head 2 receives a force that rises by the two ridges 21 b formed on the opposing surface 21 a of the slider 21, and is pressed by the beam 3 or the like to the disk D side with a predetermined force. The near-field optical head 2 floats to a position separated by a predetermined distance H from the disk D as shown in FIG.

  Further, even if the near-field optical head 2 receives wind pressure generated due to the undulation of the disk D, the gimbal portion 35 can be displaced about the Z direction and the XY axis. It is possible to absorb wind pressure caused by. Therefore, the near-field light head 2 can be floated in a stable state.

Here, when recording information, the control unit 8 operates the optical signal controller 5 and supplies a current modulated according to the information to the coil 24.
First, in response to an instruction from the control unit 8, the optical signal controller 5 causes the light beam L to enter from the proximal end side of the optical waveguide 4. The incident light beam L travels toward the front end side in the optical waveguide 4 and is emitted from the optical waveguide 4 while changing its direction by approximately 90 degrees on the mirror surface 4a as shown in FIG. The emitted light beam L is transmitted through the slider 21 while being focused by the lens 36, and enters the core 30 of the near-field optical recording element 20 provided almost directly below the lens 36 from the bottom surface 30a side. That is, the light beam L is introduced from the upper surface side of the slider 21 toward the core 30 in a substantially straight line by the light beam introducing means 22.

  The light beam introduced into the core 30 travels from the bottom surface 30a side toward the end surface 30b side, and leaks to the outside as near-field light R from the end surface 30b facing the disk surface D1, as shown in FIG. At the same time, the introduced light flux introduced into the core 30 also enters the metal film 31 formed on the side surface 30c. When a light beam enters the metal film 31, surface plasmons are excited on the surface of the metal film 31. The excited surface plasmon propagates toward the end face 30b through the interface between the surface of the metal film 31 and the side face 30c of the core 30 while being enhanced by the resonance effect. And when it reaches the end face 30b of the core 30, it becomes near-field light R with high light intensity and leaks to the outside.

  In particular, the near-field light R propagated through the metal film 31 has a stronger light intensity than the near-field light R generated after being transmitted directly from the bottom surface 30a toward the end surface 30b. It becomes. Further, since the side surface 30c of the core 30 on which the metal film 31 is formed is parallel to the moving direction of the disk D as described above, the near-field light R having a high light intensity contributing to heating is applied to the disk D. It can be generated in a line along the moving direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, it can be generated in a line along the track direction of the disk D. Due to the near-field light R, the disk D is locally heated and the coercivity is temporarily reduced.

  Both magnetic poles 32 and 33 are preferably formed from a light-impermeable material. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the light beam from leaking outside the core 30 from the side surface 30c on which the magnetic poles 32 and 33 are formed. The introduced light beam is efficiently incident on the metal film 31, Strong near-field light R can be generated efficiently.

  On the other hand, when a current is supplied to the coil 24 by the control unit 8, a magnetic field is generated between the magnetic poles 32 and 33 because a current magnetic field generates a magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit 23 by the principle of an electromagnet. Then, the magnetic flux generated from the first magnetic pole 32 side passes straight through the perpendicular recording layer d2 of the disk D and reaches the soft magnetic layer d3 as shown in FIG. As a result, recording can be performed with the magnetization of the perpendicular recording layer d2 oriented perpendicularly to the disk surface D1. Further, the magnetic flux reaching the soft magnetic layer d3 returns to the second magnetic pole 33 via the soft magnetic layer d3. At this time, when returning to the second magnetic pole 33, the magnetization direction is not affected. This is because the area of the second magnetic pole 33 facing the disk surface D1 is larger than that of the first magnetic pole 32, so that a magnetic flux density is large and a force sufficient to reverse the magnetization does not occur. That is, recording can be performed only on the first magnetic pole 32 side.

  As a result, information can be recorded by the near-field light assisted magnetic recording method in which the near-field light R and the magnetic fields generated by the magnetic poles 32 and 33 cooperate. In addition, in the present embodiment, since the recording is performed by the vertical recording method, it is difficult to be affected by the thermal fluctuation phenomenon and the like, and stable recording can be performed. Therefore, writing reliability can be improved.

  Next, when reproducing information recorded on the disk D, the magnetoresistive film 37 formed on the tip surface of the slider 21 receives a magnetic field leaking from the perpendicular recording layer d2 of the disk D. The electric resistance changes depending on the size. Therefore, the voltage of the magnetoresistive film 37 changes. As a result, the control unit 8 can detect a change in the magnetic field leaking from the disk D as a change in voltage. And the control part 8 can reproduce | regenerate information by reproducing | regenerating a signal from the change of this voltage.

In particular, the light beam introducing means 22 can efficiently and reliably introduce the light beam L in a substantially straight line from the upper surface side of the slider 21 toward the end surface 30b of the core 30, unlike the conventional method of entering light. Field light R can be generated.
Further, the generation of the near-field light R and the generation of the leakage magnetic field can be achieved simultaneously by fixing the core 30 to the facing surface 21a of the slider 21 and forming both magnetic poles 32 and 33 on the side surface 30c of the core 30. Therefore, a simple structure can be achieved without a complicated configuration as in the prior art. Therefore, the configuration can be simplified and the size can be reduced.

Further, the magnetic gap G is a minute gap because the magnetic poles 32 and 33 are formed on the side surface 30 c of the core 30. Therefore, the magnetic field generated in the first magnetic pole 32 has a high strength, and the magnetic field can be accurately applied to the local position of the disk D where the coercive force is reduced by the near-field light R at a pinpoint. it can.
Further, since the near-field light R can be generated between the magnetic poles 32 and 33, the peak position of the heating temperature by the near-field light R can be set within the range where the magnetic field acts locally. Moreover, even if the temperature gradient of the heating by the near-field light R is delayed with respect to the moving direction of the disk D, the dotted line indicates the generation region of the near-field light R, and the solid line indicates the heating temperature distribution by the near-field light R. The two-dot chain line shows the magnetic field intensity distribution generated from both magnetic fields), and the peak position of the heating temperature can be brought close to the first magnetic pole 32. Therefore, the writable area A is almost directly below the first magnetic pole 32, and recording can be reliably performed at a local position of the disk.

Further, the metal film 31 formed on the side surface 30c of the core 30 can generate a strong line-shaped near-field light R along the track direction of the disk D, so that the information recorded on the adjacent track is affected. Without giving, information can be accurately stored for a desired track.
Further, since the near-field light R is generated at the interface between the surface of the metal film 31 and the side surface 30c of the core 30, the design size of each component is not directly affected. That is, it is possible to easily generate the linear near-field light R without being influenced by the physical design without making the size of the end face 30b of the core 30 extremely small. Can do. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, even if the width of the end face 30b of the core 30 is W1, the line-shaped near-field light R generated by the metal film 31 with a high light intensity has a width of about W2. Become. Therefore, the recording track width can be further reduced, and further high-density recording can be achieved while facilitating manufacturing and reducing costs.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the coil 24 is formed in a state in which the periphery of the vertical circuit portion 23 a of the magnetic circuit 23 is spirally wound, and is parallel to the facing surface 21 a of the slider 21. Therefore, even if the number of windings of the coil 24 is increased, the thickness of the slider 21 is not affected. Therefore, the strength of the magnetic field can be increased while reducing the thickness. Further, since the coil 24 can be produced on a horizontal plane instead of a vertical plane, it can be easily produced by a conventional method without using a special method. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design can be improved, such as making the coil 24 thinner or increasing the number of windings. In addition, since the coil 24 can be designed freely, the magnetic circuit 23 can be designed easily by increasing the width. Thus, the magnetic circuit 23 and the coil 24 can be freely designed according to the situation, and a reliable electromagnet can be manufactured.

As described above, according to the near-field optical recording element 20 of the present embodiment, it can be easily manufactured at low cost while achieving miniaturization, and the near-field light R can be efficiently generated to improve the writing reliability. Can be improved.
Further, according to the near-field optical head 2 and the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, since the near-field optical recording element 20 described above is provided, it is possible to reduce the size and cost, and to perform writing. Reliability can be improved and quality can be improved.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the shape of the bottom surface 30a and the end surface 30b of the core 30 is a square shape when viewed from above, but is not limited to this case. For example, it may be formed in a parallelogram shape when viewed from above as shown in FIG. 10 or a trapezoidal shape when viewed from above as shown in FIG. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, you may form in the top view square shape from which all of 4 sides do not become a parallel relationship. As described above, the core 30 may be formed in any shape as long as the bottom surface 30a and the end surface 30b are formed in a square shape in plan view. In addition, the bottom surface 30a and the end surface 30b do not have to have the same shape, and may be formed in different rectangular shapes.
However, in either case, the first magnetic pole 32 and the second magnetic pole 33 are formed on the two side surfaces 30c adjacent to the side surface 30c on which the metal film 31 is formed. Thus, when the side surface 30c on which the metal film 31 is formed is arranged in parallel with the moving direction of the disk D, the near-field light R generated in a line and the magnetic field from the first magnetic pole 32 are efficiently generated. Can work together. That is, since the peak position of the heating temperature by the near-field light R and the position of the magnetic field can be overlapped in a spot manner, writing accuracy can be improved while reducing the recording track width.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the metal film 31 was formed only on the side surface 30c of the core 30, it is not restricted to this case, and as shown in FIG. You may form so that the 1st magnetic pole 32 and the 2nd magnetic pole 33 may be covered.
By so doing, near-field light R can be generated closer to both magnetic poles 32 and 33 by the propagation of surface plasmons. Therefore, the magnetic field generated from the first magnetic pole 32 and the peak position of the heating temperature by the near-field light R can be more easily overlapped in a spot manner. Therefore, the near-field light R and the magnetic field can be more efficiently coordinated, and the writing reliability can be further improved.
Instead of covering the magnetic poles 32 and 33 at the same time, among the first pole 32 or the second pole, it may be formed a metal film 31 to cover at least one of the upper magnetic pole. However, it is preferable to cover both magnetic poles 32 and 33 as described above.

In each of the above embodiments, the case of performing recording by the vertical recording method has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this recording method, and can be applied to the in-plane recording method.
However, in this case, as shown in FIG. 14, the first magnetic pole 32 and the second magnetic pole 33 have the same thickness. Further, as the disk D used in this case, it is preferable to use a disk in which an underlayer d7, a magnetic recording layer d8, a protective layer d5, and a lubricating layer d6 are sequentially formed on a substrate d1. The underlayer d7 is for producing good magnetic characteristics even when the magnetic recording layer d8 is thin. For example, a Cr alloy system is used. For the magnetic recording layer d8, a CoCr alloy such as CoCrPtTa or CoCrPtB is used to increase the coercive force.

Even when recording is performed on the disk D by this method, a linear near-field light R having a high light intensity is formed at the interface between the metal film 31 and the side surface 30c of the core 30 as in the case shown in FIG. Can be generated. A magnetic field leaks toward the disk D in the magnetic gap G between the magnetic poles 32 and 33. In particular, the magnetic gap G is a minute gap because the magnetic poles 32 and 33 are formed on the side surface 30 c of the core 30. Therefore, a leakage magnetic field can be applied to the local position of the disk D where the coercive force is reduced by the near-field light R at a pinpoint. As a result, information can be recorded by the in-plane recording method.
Even in this recording system, the peak position of the heating temperature by the near-field light R can be placed in the region where the leakage magnetic field acts, so that the writing reliability can be improved. Furthermore, since the near-field light R is generated at the interface between the metal film 31 and the side surface 30c of the core 30, the recording track width can also be reduced and high density recording can be achieved.

In the above embodiment, the light signal controller 5 is mounted in the housing 9 and the light beam L is incident from the proximal end side of the optical waveguide 4 constituting the light beam introducing means 22, thereby guiding the light beam L to the core 30. Although the configuration is adopted, it is not limited to this case.
For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the light flux introducing means 22 may be configured by only the lens 36, and the optical signal controller 5 may be provided between the lens 36 and the gimbal portion 35. In this case, the optical signal controller 5 and the control unit 8 may be electrically connected by arranging wirings or the like along the beam 3. Even in this case, the light beam L can be reliably incident on the light beam introducing means 22 from the optical signal controller 5. In particular, since the light beam L can be directly incident on the lens 36, the near-field light can be generated more efficiently.

It is a block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the information recording / reproducing apparatus provided with the near-field optical head which has a near-field optical recording element based on this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the near-field optical head shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram of the near-field optical head shown in FIG. 2 viewed from the disk surface side. It is the top view which looked at the near field optical recording element of the near field optical head shown in FIG. 3 from the end surface side of the core. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the near-field optical recording element shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the end face side of the near-field optical recording element shown in FIG. 4. It is sectional drawing which shows the attachment positional relationship of the coil and magnetic circuit of the near-field optical head shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state during recording on a disk by the near-field optical head shown in FIG. 2, and is an enlarged cross-sectional view centering on a core. It is the figure which showed the relationship between the near field light at the time of recording on a disc, and a magnetic field. It is a figure which shows the modification of the near-field optical recording element which concerns on this invention, Comprising: It is the enlarged view which looked at the core in which the bottom face and the end surface were formed in the shape of a parallelogram from the end surface side. It is a figure which shows the modification of the near-field optical recording element which concerns on this invention, Comprising: It is the enlarged view which looked at the core in which the bottom face and the end surface were formed in trapezoid shape from the end surface side. It is a figure which shows the modification of the near-field optical recording element which concerns on this invention, Comprising: The enlarged view which looked at the core by which the bottom face and the end surface were formed in quadrilateral shape so that none of four sides became parallel relation from the end surface side It is. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modification of the near-field optical recording element according to the present invention, in which the metal film is formed so as to cover not only the side surface of the core but also the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole. It is the enlarged view which looked at the element from the end surface side of the core. It is a figure which shows the modification of the near-field optical recording element which concerns on this invention, Comprising: It is an expanded sectional view centering on a core which shows the state in the middle of recording on the disk by an in-plane recording system. It is a figure which shows the modification of the near-field optical head which concerns on this invention, Comprising: It is sectional drawing of the near-field optical head provided with the optical signal controller between the lens and the gimbal part.

Explanation of symbols

D disk (magnetic recording medium)
D1 disk surface (surface of magnetic recording medium)
L Light flux R Near-field light 1 Information recording / reproducing apparatus 2 Near-field light head 3 Beam 5 Optical signal controller (light source)
6 Actuator 7 Spindle motor (rotary drive)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 Control part 20 Near-field optical recording element 21 Slider 21a Opposite surface 22 Light flux introduction means 23 Magnetic circuit 23a Vertical circuit part 24 Coil 30 Core 30a Core bottom face 30b Core end face 30c Core side face 31 Metal film 32 First magnetic pole 33 Second magnetic pole

Claims (5)

It is arranged in a state of floating a predetermined distance from the surface of the magnetic recording medium rotating in a certain direction, fixed to a slider having a facing surface facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium, and generates near-field light from the introduced light flux. A near-field optical recording element that heats a magnetic recording medium and applies a magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium to cause magnetization reversal to record information,
A bottom surface that is formed in a square shape in plan view and into which the light flux is introduced from the outside, an end surface that is formed in a square shape in plan view with a smaller area than the bottom surface, and is disposed at a predetermined distance from the bottom surface, and a bottom surface and an end surface A light transmissive core having four side surfaces formed by connecting the vertices of
A metal film formed on any one of the four side surfaces;
A thin-film first magnetic pole and a second magnetic pole that are formed on two side surfaces adjacent to the side surface on which the metal film is formed among the four side surfaces and generate a magnetic field between the two side surfaces,
The core is fixed in a state where the bottom surface is in surface contact with the facing surface of the slider so that the side surface on which the metal film is formed is parallel to the moving direction of the recording medium,
The end surface of the core is formed to a size that generates the near-field light when the light beam is introduced,
The metal film, the surface plasmon is excited when the light beam is incident, Ri film der to enhance the light intensity of the near-field light by the propagation of the surface plasmon,
The first magnetic pole is positioned closer to the moving direction than the second magnetic pole, and the first magnetic pole has a smaller area facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium than the second magnetic pole. A near-field optical recording element , wherein the information is recorded on the side . The near-field optical recording element according to claim 1,
The near-field optical recording element, wherein the metal film is also formed on at least one of the magnetic poles on the first magnetic pole or the second magnetic pole. The near-field optical recording element according to claim 1 or 2 ,
A slider disposed in a state of floating a predetermined distance from the surface of the magnetic recording medium and having a facing surface facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium;
A light beam introducing means for introducing the light beam into the core from the bottom surface side;
A magnetic circuit formed of a magnetic material and connecting the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole;
A current that is modulated in accordance with the information is provided, and a coil that winds around the magnetic circuit around the magnetic circuit;
The near-field optical head according to claim 1, wherein the core is fixed in a state where the bottom surface is in surface contact with the opposing surface of the slider. The near-field optical head according to claim 3 ,
The magnetic circuit has in part a vertical circuit portion along a direction perpendicular to the facing surface of the slider,
The near-field optical head according to claim 1, wherein the coil is formed in a state in which the coil is spirally wound around the vertical circuit portion so as to spread along the facing surface. A near-field optical head according to claim 3 or 4 ,
The near-field optical head is supported on the tip side while being movable in a direction parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium and rotatable about two axes parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium and orthogonal to each other. And a beam to
A light source for making the light beam incident on the light beam introducing means;
An actuator for supporting the base end side of the beam and moving the beam in a direction parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium;
A rotation drive unit for rotating the magnetic recording medium in the fixed direction;
An information recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: a controller that supplies the current to the coil and controls the operation of the light source.

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