JP4674817B2 - Near-field optical head and information recording / reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a near-field optical head capable of recording various kinds of information on a magnetic recording medium with ultra-high density using near-field light, and an information recording / reproducing apparatus having the near-field 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, near-field light is generated by irradiating a metal scatterer with laser light from a planar laser light source. In order to generate it, it is necessary to irradiate the tip of the metal scatterer with laser light as much as possible. On the other hand, it is necessary to arrange a laser beam, a lens and a planar laser light source so as not to interfere with the recording medium.
Therefore, the magnetic recording head described in Patent Document 1 satisfies the above-described conditions by irradiating laser light obliquely from a planar laser light source toward the metal scatterer and using a semicircular lens. ing.

  However, in order to satisfy this condition, the optical axis of the laser beam is inclined with respect to the metal scatterer and a semicircular lens must be used. Therefore, it becomes difficult to generate near-field light efficiently, and the output of laser light has to be increased. As a result, the laser flat light source and the metal scatterer may be excessively heated, resulting in poor reliability.

In addition, it is necessary to arrange the lens and the laser plane light source in parallel with a predetermined distance from the main pole, but in practice it is difficult to make such an arrangement at the tip of the slider. Even if it was built, it could not be compacted and it was difficult to reduce the size.
Although it is possible to use an optical waveguide instead of a planar laser light source or lens, or to irradiate a laser beam in a straight line toward the metal scatterer by using a mirror, the configuration becomes more complicated. After all, it was difficult to reduce the size.

Furthermore, since the metal scatterer is provided outside the main magnetic pole so as to be located at the rearmost end in the scanning direction, when recording information on the magnetic recording layer, the position where the recording magnetic field is applied. It was difficult to heat efficiently. 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, since the magnetic recording head described in Patent Document 3 includes a preheating mechanism such as a resistance heater between the main magnetic pole and the auxiliary magnetic pole, the above-described efficiency problem of generating near-field light, Although it is configured to eliminate the problem of writing reliability, on the other hand, since a preheating mechanism is added as a component, there is a disadvantage that the configuration becomes more complicated and the size is increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to produce near-field light heads that can efficiently generate near-field light while improving the reliability of writing. And an information recording / reproducing apparatus having the near-field optical head.

The present invention provides the following means in order to solve the above problems.
The near-field optical head according to the present invention generates near-field light from the introduced light flux, heats the magnetic recording medium rotating in a certain direction, and applies a magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium to cause magnetization reversal. A near-field optical head for recording information, which is arranged in a state of being floated by a predetermined distance from the surface of the magnetic recording medium, and is formed in a polygonal shape in plan view with a slider having a facing surface facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium A bottom surface, an end surface formed with a smaller area than the bottom surface and disposed at a position spaced from the bottom surface by a predetermined distance, and a plurality of side surfaces formed by connecting the bottom surface and the vertex of the end surface, respectively, with the surfaces facing each other. has, at mutually facing two sides of the plurality of sides state aligned along the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium, bottom shaped truncated pyramid which is fixed to the opposed surface of the slider light transmission And sex of the core, and the light beam introducing means for introducing the light flux in the core from the bottom side, of the plurality of side surfaces, on the entire surface the two sides facing along the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium The first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole in the form of a thin film and inclined with respect to the end face so that the distance from each other gradually decreases toward the end face, and the first material. A magnetic circuit that connects the magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole, and a coil that is supplied with a current modulated according to the information and winds around the magnetic circuit around the magnetic circuit, and the core And the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole are aligned along the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium, and the end face is formed to a size that generates the near-field light when the light flux is introduced . Each tip is Opposite to the surface of the gas-recording medium, and is flush with said end face, said first magnetic pole, as well as positioned in the moving direction side than the second pole than said second magnetic pole An area facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium is formed to be small, and the information is recorded on the first magnetic pole side by a perpendicular recording method, and the magnetic circuit is perpendicular to the direction perpendicular to the facing surface of the slider. And having a circuit portion, both ends of the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole are formed on the opposing surface of the slider so as to be connected to a portion located on the opposing surface side of the slider, The vertical circuit portion is formed in a spirally wound state so as to spread along the opposing surface of the slider .

  In the near-field optical head according to the present invention, the slider is arranged in a state of floating a predetermined distance from the surface of the magnetic recording medium rotating in a certain direction. At this time, the facing surface of the slider is in a state facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium. Further, a core formed in the shape of a truncated pyramid is fixed to the opposing surface of the slider with the bottom surface in surface contact. Therefore, the end surface of the core is in a state of facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium in the same manner as the facing surface of the slider. In addition, since the end surface is formed in a size smaller than the bottom surface, the plurality of side surfaces are in a sloped state in which the distance from the facing side surface gradually narrows toward the end surface. And the 1st and 2nd magnetic pole is formed on two side surfaces which face each other among these several side surfaces. 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 into the core (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 here, the light beam is first introduced into the core from the bottom side by the light beam introducing means. At this time, the bottom surface of the core is fixed to the opposed surface of the slider and faces the upper surface side of the slider. Therefore, unlike the conventional method of entering light, the light beam introducing means can easily introduce the light beam from the upper surface side of the slider substantially downward. Further, the light beam introduced into the light-transmitting core travels naturally from the bottom surface side to the end surface side, and leaks to the outside as near-field light from the end surface facing the surface of the magnetic recording medium. That is, near-field light can be generated from the end face of the core.

Thus, since the light flux can be introduced in a substantially straight line from the upper surface side of the slider toward the end surface of the core, near-field light can be generated efficiently. The magnetic recording medium is locally heated by the near-field light, and the coercive force temporarily decreases.
Simultaneously with the introduction of the above-described light flux, a current modulated according to 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, 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, since the core that generates near-field light is provided so that the bottom surface and the end surface are parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium and the opposing surface of the slider, the light beam introduction stage can easily and reliably emit the light beam from the top surface of the slider. Can be introduced.
Also, by fixing the core to the opposite surface of the slider and forming both magnetic poles on the side of the core, both near-field light generation and leakage magnetic field generation can be achieved simultaneously. A simple structure can be achieved without a simple configuration. Therefore, the configuration can be simplified and the size can be reduced.

Moreover, since the light beam introduced from the bottom surface side of the core naturally goes to the end surface, it is possible to efficiently generate near-field light. Therefore, the near-field light and the leakage magnetic field can be cooperated more efficiently.
Furthermore, 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 the range where the leakage magnetic field acts locally. In particular, even if the temperature gradient of heating by 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.

As described above, the near-field light head according to the present invention can efficiently generate near-field light while reducing the size, and can improve the writing reliability.
Further, since the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole are aligned along the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium, both magnetic poles can be reliably positioned on the track of the magnetic recording medium. Therefore, information can be accurately recorded on a desired track without affecting the information recorded on the adjacent track.
Further, the first magnetic pole is located on the moving direction side (traveling side) of the magnetic recording medium with respect to 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 stable recording can be performed against the thermal fluctuation phenomenon. Therefore, the writing reliability can be further improved.
Further, 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 windings of the coil is increased, the thickness of the slider is not affected. Therefore, the strength of the leakage magnetic field can be increased 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.

  In the near-field optical head according to the present invention, a metal film is formed between the first magnetic pole, the second magnetic pole, and the side surface of the core in the near-field optical head of the present invention. It is characterized by being.

In the near-field light head according to the present invention, since a metal film such as gold is formed between both the magnetic poles and the side surface of the core, stronger near-field light can be generated. That is, when a light beam introduced into the core enters the metal film, surface plasmons are excited in the metal film. The excited surface plasmon propagates toward the end face of the core 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 surface of the core, it becomes strong near-field light and leaks to the outside.
Therefore, the magnetic recording medium can be heated more efficiently, and information can be recorded easily.

In the near-field optical head according to the present invention, the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole are formed through the metal film among the plurality of side surfaces in the near-field optical head of the present invention . A metal film is also formed on a side surface other than the side surface .

Oite the near-field optical head according to the present invention, on all sides of the core, the metal film is formed. For this reason, the light flux introduced into the core does not leak to the outside in the middle, and all collects as surface plasmons at the end face. As a result, it is possible to efficiently generate stronger near-field light. As a result, information can be recorded more easily.

  Further, the near-field optical head according to the present invention is the near-field optical head of the present invention described above, on the side surface other than the side surface on which the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole are formed among the plurality of side surfaces. A metal film is formed.

In the near-field optical head according to the present invention, the metal film such as gold is formed on the side surface on which the both magnetic poles are not formed among the plurality of side surfaces, so that stronger near-field light can be generated. it can. That is, when a light beam introduced into the core enters the metal film, surface plasmons are excited in the metal film. The excited surface plasmon propagates toward the end face of the core 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 surface of the core, it becomes strong near-field light and leaks to the outside. Moreover, since both the magnetic poles are impermeable, the introduced light beam does not leak out of the core.
Therefore, it is possible to efficiently generate strong near-field light. As a result, the magnetic recording medium can be heated more efficiently, and information can be recorded more easily.

  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 parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium. A beam that supports the near-field optical head on the distal end side in a state of being rotatable about two axes orthogonal to each other; a light source that causes the luminous flux to enter the luminous flux introducing means; and a proximal end side of the beam And an actuator for moving the beam in a direction parallel to the surface of the magnetic recording medium, a rotary drive unit for rotating the magnetic recording medium in the fixed direction, and supplying the current to the coil And a control unit for controlling the operation of the light source.

  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 be rotated 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. . 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 operates the light source and simultaneously supplies a current modulated according to the 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 light head that can efficiently generate near-field light while improving the size and the reliability of writing is improved, the information recording / reproducing apparatus itself can be miniaturized, In addition, the reliability of writing can be increased and the quality can be improved.

According to the near-field light head of the present invention, near-field light can be efficiently generated while downsizing, and the writing reliability can be improved.
Further, according to the information recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size and improve the reliability of writing and improve the quality.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of 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 the magnetic recording layer d3 by the in-plane recording method.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is movable in the XY directions parallel to the near-field optical head 2 and the disk surface (the surface of the magnetic recording medium) D1, and the information is recorded on the disk surface D1. A beam 3 that supports the near-field optical head 2 on the distal end side in a state of being rotatable around two axes (X axis, Y axis) that are parallel and orthogonal to each other, and the optical waveguide 4 from the proximal end side of the optical waveguide 4 An optical signal controller (light source) 5 for causing the light beam L to enter, an actuator 6 for supporting the base end side of the beam 3 and for scanning and moving the beam 3 in the XY directions parallel to the disk surface D1, A spindle motor (rotation drive unit) 7 for rotating the disk D in a fixed direction, and a control unit 8 for supplying a current modulated in accordance with information to a coil 21 to be described later and controlling the operation of the optical signal controller 5; , And a housing 9 which houses these 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.

The near-field light head 2 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 FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the near-field optical head 2 is disposed in a state where it floats a predetermined distance H from the disk surface D1, and has a slider 15 having a facing surface 15a facing the disk surface D1, A core 16 that is fixed to the slider 15 and generates near-field light R, a light beam introducing means 17 that introduces a light beam L into the core 16, a first magnetic pole 18 and a second magnetic pole 19 formed on the core 16, The magnetic circuit 20 that connects the magnetic poles 18 and 19 and the coil 21 that winds around the magnetic circuit 20 around the magnetic circuit 20 are provided.

  The slider 15 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape by a light transmissive material such as quartz glass. The slider 15 is supported so as to hang from the tip of the beam 3 via the gimbal portion 25 with the opposing surface 15a facing the disk D side. The gimbal portion 25 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 15 is rotatable about two axes (X axis and Y axis) that are parallel to the disk surface D1 and orthogonal to each other as described above.

  On the opposing surface 15 of the slider 15 is formed a ridge 15b that generates pressure to rise due to the viscosity of the airflow generated by the rotating disk D. In this embodiment, the case where the two protruding item | line parts 15b 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 15 is optimally adjusted by adjusting the positive pressure for separating the slider 15 from the disk surface D1 and the negative pressure for attracting the slider 15 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 15b is made into the surface called ABS (Air Bearing Surface).

  The slider 15 receives a force that rises from the disk surface D1 by the two ridges 15b and receives a force that is pressed by the beam 3 toward the disk surface D1. As described above, the slider 15 floats in a state of being separated from the disk surface D1 by a predetermined distance H due to the balance of both forces.

The core 16 is formed of a light-transmitting material such as quartz glass like the slider 15 and has a bottom surface 16a, an end surface 16b, and four side surfaces (a plurality of side surfaces) 16c as shown in FIG. It is formed in a truncated pyramid shape. Specifically, the bottom surface 16a formed in a rectangular shape in plan view so as to have sides parallel to each other is formed in the same shape (rectangular shape in plan view) with a smaller area than the bottom surface 16a, and is separated from the bottom surface 16a by a predetermined distance. It is processed so as to have an end face 16b disposed at the position and four side faces 16c formed by connecting the bottom face 16a and the apex of the end face 16b.
However, the core 16 is not limited to the case having the four side surfaces 16c. The bottom surface and the end surface of the polygonal shape (for example, hexagonal shape or octagonal shape) in plan view, and the bottom surface and the end surface, respectively. A core having a plurality of side surfaces connecting apexes (for example, six surfaces when the bottom surface and the end surface are hexagonal) may be used. In other words, any pyramid shaped core having a bottom surface and an end surface formed in a polygonal shape in plan view may be used. Note that the bottom surface and the end surface may not have the same shape.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the core 16 configured in this manner is fixed in a state where the bottom surface 16 a is in surface contact with the facing surface 15 a of the slider 15. At this time, the two side surfaces 16c facing each other are fixed so as to be aligned along the longitudinal direction of the slider 15, that is, the moving direction of the disk D. In addition, after producing the core 16 and the slider 15 separately, you may fix each other, and you may produce integrally from quartz glass etc. In particular, it is more preferable to manufacture them integrally because the manufacturing process can be simplified and the manufacturing time can be shortened.

Since the bottom surface 16a is in surface contact with the facing surface 15a, the end surface 16b of the core 16 is also in a parallel state with respect to the facing surface 15a of the slider 15 and the disk surface D1. At this time, the height of the core 16 is set so that the height of the end face 16b is the same as the height of the ridge 15b.
Furthermore, the end surface 16b of the core 16 is formed to a size that generates the near-field light R when the light beam L is introduced into the core 16. In other words, the opening size of the end surface 16b of the core 16 is designed to be much smaller than the wavelength of the light beam L (for example, a size with 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.

In addition, a lens 26 is formed on the upper surface of the slider 15 at a position that is directly above the core 16. The lens 26 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 15. The optical waveguide 4 has a mirror surface 4 a with the tip cut at about 45 degrees, and the mounting position is adjusted so that the mirror surface 4 a is positioned directly above the lens 26. 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 26. The emitted light beam L is focused by the lens 26, then passes through the slider 15 and is introduced into the bottom surface 16 a of the core 16. That is, the optical waveguide 4 and the lens 26 constitute the light beam introducing means 17 described above.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, of the four side surfaces 16 c formed on the core 16, two side surfaces (the bottom surface 16 a and the end surface 16 b that face each other) arranged along the moving direction of the disk D are provided. The first magnetic pole 18 and the second magnetic pole 19 are formed on a side surface 16c that faces each other in the state of having one side of the opposite sides parallel to each other among the four. Both the magnetic poles 18 and 19 are formed on the side surface 16c by a thin film deposition technique such as vapor deposition of a magnetic material, for example.
Here, since the end surface 16b of the core 16 is smaller in size than the bottom surface 16a as described above and is formed in the same shape as the bottom surface 16a, the four side surfaces 16c and the side surface 16c facing each other toward the end surface 16b. The slope is gradually narrowed. In particular, since the size of the end face 16b of the core 16 is a very small size that generates the near-field light R, the distance (magnetic gap) G between the magnetic poles 18 and 19 on the end face 16b is very close. . That is, the magnetic gap G is very small.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the magnetic circuit 20 is formed by patterning in the slider 15 with a magnetic material. Both ends of the magnetic circuit 20 are connected to the first magnetic pole 18 and the second magnetic pole 19, respectively, and as shown in FIG. 5, a part corresponding to the approximate middle of the circuit is on the opposing surface 15 a of the slider 15. The vertical circuit portion 20a is bent along the vertical direction.

  The coil 21 is formed along the facing surface 15a of the slider 15 in a state in which the periphery of the above-described vertical circuit portion 20a of the magnetic circuit 20 is spirally wound. At this time, the coil 21 is insulated between adjacent wires and the magnetic circuit 20 so as not to be short-circuited. The coil 21 is electrically connected to the control unit 8 via the beam 3 and the carriage 11, and a current modulated in accordance with information is supplied from the control unit 8. That is, the magnetic circuit 20 and the coil 21 constitute an electromagnet as a whole.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a magnetoresistive effect film 27 whose electric resistance is converted according to the magnitude of the magnetic field leaking from the magnetic recording layer d3 of the disk D is provided on the front end surface of the slider 15. Is formed. The magnetoresistive effect film 27 is formed with substantially the same width as the end face 16 b of the core 16. The magnetoresistive effect film 27 is supplied with a bias current 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 27 functions as a reproducing element.

As shown in FIG. 2, the disk D of the present embodiment is obtained by sequentially forming a base layer d2, a magnetic recording layer d3, a protective layer d4, and a lubricating layer d5 on a substrate d1.
Examples of the substrate d1 include an aluminum substrate and a glass substrate. The underlayer d2 is for producing good magnetic characteristics even when the magnetic recording layer d3 is thin, and for example, a Cr alloy system is used. For the magnetic recording layer d3, a CoCr alloy such as CoCrPtTa or CoCrPtB is used to increase the coercive force. The protective layer d4 is for protecting the magnetic recording layer d3. For example, a DLC (diamond-like carbon) film is used. For example, a fluorine-based liquid lubricant is used for the lubrication layer d5.

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 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 15b formed on the opposing surface 15a of the slider 15, and is pressed against the disk D side by a predetermined force by the beam 3 or the like. 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 25 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 21.
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 passes through the inside of the slider 15 while being focused by the lens 26, and enters the inside of the core 16 provided almost directly below the lens 26 from the bottom surface 16a side. That is, the light beam L is introduced from the upper surface side of the slider 15 in a straight line toward the core 16 by the light beam introducing means 17.

The light beam L introduced into the core 16 travels from the bottom surface 16a side toward the end surface 16b side, and leaks to the outside as near-field light R from the end surface 16b facing the disk surface D1, as shown in FIG. That is, the near-field light R can be generated from the end face 16 b of the core 16.
As described above, since the light beam L can be introduced in a substantially straight line from the upper surface side of the slider 15 toward the end surface 16b of the core 16, the light beam L can be easily introduced from the upper surface of the slider 15 unlike the conventional method of entering light. The near-field light R can be generated efficiently. Due to the near-field light R, the magnetic recording layer d3 of the disk D is locally heated, and the coercive force temporarily decreases.

  It is preferable to form both magnetic poles 18 and 19 formed on the side surface 16c of the core 16 from a light-impermeable material. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the light flux L from leaking to the outside of the core 16 from the side surface 16c on which the magnetic poles 18 and 19 are formed. The light flux L is condensed by the end face 16b, and the near-field light R is efficiently It can be generated well.

  On the other hand, when a current is supplied to the coil 21 by the control unit 8, a magnetic field is generated between both the magnetic poles 18 and 19 because the magnetic field generates a magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit 20 according to the electromagnet principle. As a result, the magnetic field leaks toward the disk D in the magnetic gap G between the magnetic poles 18 and 19, as shown in FIG. At this time, as described above, the magnetic gap G is a minute gap because the magnetic poles 18 and 19 are formed on the side surface 16 c of the core 16. Therefore, the leakage magnetic field generated in the magnetic gap G acts locally on the magnetic recording layer d3 of the disk D. Thus, a leakage magnetic field can be applied to the local position of the magnetic recording layer d3 whose coercive force is reduced by the near-field light R at a pinpoint. The direction of the leakage magnetic field is reversed according to the information to be recorded.

  When the magnetic recording layer d3 of the disk D 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 on the disk D. That is, information can be recorded by the near-field light assisted magnetic recording method in which the near-field light R and the leakage magnetic field generated by the two magnetic poles 18 and 19 cooperate.

Next, when reproducing the information recorded on the disk D, the magnetoresistive film 27 formed on the front end surface of the slider 15 receives a magnetic field leaking from the magnetic recording layer d3 of the disk D. The electric resistance changes depending on the size. Therefore, the voltage of the magnetoresistive film 27 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 core 16 that generates the near-field light R is provided so that the bottom surface 16 a and the end surface 16 b are parallel to the disk surface D 1 and the facing surface 15 a of the slider 15. Therefore, the light beam L can be introduced easily and reliably.
In addition, the generation of the near-field light R and the generation of the leakage magnetic field can be achieved simultaneously by fixing the core 16 to the opposed surface 15a of the slider 15 and forming both magnetic poles 18 and 19 on the side surface 16c of the core 16. 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.

Moreover, since the light beam L introduced from the bottom surface 16a side of the core 16 naturally goes to the end surface 16b, the near-field light R can be generated efficiently. Therefore, the near-field light R and the leakage magnetic field can be more efficiently coordinated.
Further, unlike the prior art, the near-field light R can be generated between the magnetic poles 18 and 19, so that the peak position of the heating temperature by the near-field light R can be set within the range in which the leakage magnetic field acts. it can. In particular, 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 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 disk D, and it is possible to improve the reliability and further increase the density of the disk D.

  Further, the coil 21 is formed in a state in which the periphery of the vertical circuit portion 20 a of the magnetic circuit 20 is spirally wound, and is parallel to the facing surface 15 a of the slider 15. Therefore, even if the number of windings of the coil 21 is increased, the thickness of the slider 15 is not affected, so that the strength of the leakage magnetic field can be increased while reducing the thickness. In addition, since the coil 21 can be manufactured on a horizontal plane instead of a vertical plane, it can be easily manufactured by a conventional method without using a special method. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design can be improved, such as making the coil 21 thinner or increasing the number of windings. In addition, since the coil 21 can be designed freely, the magnetic circuit 20 can be designed easily, for example, by increasing the width. Thus, the magnetic circuit 20 and the coil 21 can be freely designed according to the situation, and a reliable electromagnet can be manufactured.

  Further, since the first magnetic pole 18 and the second magnetic pole 19 are arranged along the moving direction of the disk D, both the magnetic poles 18 and 19 can be surely positioned on the track of the disk D. Therefore, information can be accurately recorded on a desired track without affecting the information recorded on the adjacent track.

As described above, according to the near-field light head 2 of this embodiment, the near-field light R can be efficiently generated while reducing the size, and the writing reliability can be improved.
Further, according to the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, since the near-field optical head 2 described above is provided, the information recording / reproducing apparatus 1 itself can be miniaturized, and writing reliability can be achieved. As a result, the quality can be improved.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the near-field optical head according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the same reference numerals in the second embodiment denote the same components as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.
The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that, in the first embodiment, the first magnetic pole 18 and the second magnetic pole 19 are directly formed on the side surface 16c of the core 16, whereas the first embodiment is different from the first embodiment. The core 16 of the near-field optical head 2 of the second embodiment is that a metal film 30 is formed between the side surface 16c and the magnetic poles 18 and 19, as shown in FIG.

  The metal film 30 is, for example, an Au film, and is formed on the side surface 16c of the core 16 by vapor deposition or the like. In the case of the core 16 configured as described above, when the light beam L introduced into the core 16 enters the metal film 30, surface plasmons are excited in the metal film 30. The excited surface plasmon propagates toward the end surface 16b of the core 16 through the interface between the surface of the metal film 30 and the side surface 16c of the core 16 while being enhanced by the resonance effect. When reaching the end face 16b of the core 16, the near-field light R having a high light intensity leaks to the outside. Therefore, the disk D can be heated more efficiently, and information can be recorded easily.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the near-field optical head according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the same reference numerals in the third embodiment denote the same parts as in the second embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.
The difference between the third embodiment and the second embodiment is that, in the second embodiment, the metal film 30 is formed between the side surface 16c of the core 16 and the magnetic poles 18 and 19, whereas the third embodiment is different from the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the core 16 of the near-field optical head 2 of the embodiment is that a metal film 30 is formed on the side surface 16c other than the side surface 16c on which the magnetic poles 18 and 19 are formed.

  Also in this embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the second embodiment can be obtained, and the near-field light R having a high light intensity can be generated. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since either the metal film 30 or the light non-transmitting magnetic poles 18 and 19 are formed on the side surface 16c of all the cores 16 in addition to this, they are introduced into the cores 16. The light flux L does not leak outside the core 16 on the way to the end face 16b. Therefore, the light flux L can be condensed on the end face 16b without waste, and the near-field light R with high light intensity can be generated more efficiently. As a result, the disk D can be heated more efficiently, and information can be recorded more easily.

  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 second embodiment, the metal film 30 is formed between the magnetic poles 18 and 19 and the side surface 16c of the core 16, and in the third embodiment, the metal film 30 is formed on the side surface on which the magnetic poles 18 and 19 are not formed. Although formed on 16c, the metal film 30 may be formed by combining these.
That is, the metal film 30 may be formed on all the side surfaces 16 c of the core 16. By doing so, similarly to the third embodiment, the light beam L does not leak to the outside on the way to the end surface 16b of the core 16, and all propagates to the end surface 16b as surface plasmons. As a result, near-field light R having a higher light intensity can be generated efficiently, and information can be recorded more easily.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the recording is performed by the in-plane 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 vertical recording method.
However, in this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the first magnetic pole 18 is arranged on the moving direction side of the disk D with respect to the second magnetic pole 19, and the area facing the disk surface D1 is set to be the second magnetic pole 19. And recording is performed on the first magnetic pole 18 side. That is, the first magnetic pole 18 may function as the main magnetic pole, and the second magnetic pole 19 may function as the auxiliary magnetic pole.

Further, the disk D used in this case is composed of at least two layers of a perpendicular recording layer d6 having an easy axis in the direction perpendicular to the disk surface D1 and a soft magnetic layer d7 made of a high magnetic permeability material. A vertical bilayer disc is used. As such a disk D, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, a soft magnetic layer d7, an intermediate layer d8, a perpendicular recording layer d6, a protective layer d4, and a lubricating layer d5 are sequentially formed on a substrate d1. It is better to use a film.
The perpendicular recording layer d6 is a perpendicular anisotropic magnetic layer, and for example, a CoCrPt alloy is used. The intermediate layer d8 is a crystal control layer for the perpendicular recording layer d6.

When recording on the disk D, the magnetic flux generated from the first magnetic pole 18 side passes straight through the perpendicular recording layer d6 of the disk D and reaches the soft magnetic layer d7. As a result, recording can be performed with the magnetization of the perpendicular recording layer d6 oriented perpendicular to the disk surface D1. The magnetic flux reaching the soft magnetic layer d7 returns to the second magnetic pole 19 via the soft magnetic layer d7. At this time, since recording is performed only on the first magnetic pole 18 side, the magnetization direction is not affected when returning to the second magnetic pole 19.
As described above, since information can be recorded by the perpendicular magnetic recording method, 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.

  In each of the above embodiments, the shape of the bottom surface 16a and the end surface 16b of the core 16 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 16 may be formed in any shape as long as the bottom surface 16a and the end surface 16b are formed in a square shape in plan view. In addition, the bottom surface 16a and the end surface 16b do not have to have the same shape, and may be formed in different polygonal shapes.

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 17, thereby guiding the light beam L to the core 16. Although the configuration is adopted, it is not limited to this case.
For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the light flux introducing means 17 may be configured by only the lens 26, and the optical signal controller 5 may be provided between the lens 26 and the gimbal portion 25. 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 17 from the optical signal controller 5. In particular, since the light beam L can be directly incident on the lens 26, near-field light can be generated more efficiently.

1 is a configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of an information recording / reproducing apparatus having a near-field optical head according to the present 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 perspective view which looked at the core of the near-field optical head shown in FIG. 3 from the end surface side. 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 a figure which shows 2nd Embodiment of the near-field optical head which concerns on this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view of the core in which the metal film was formed between the side surface and both magnetic poles. It is a figure which shows 3rd Embodiment of the near-field optical head which concerns on this invention, Comprising: It is a perspective view of the core by which the metal film was formed on the side surface in which both the magnetic poles are not formed. It is a figure which shows the modification of the near-field optical head 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 a perpendicular recording system. 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 It is. 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 15 Slider 15a Opposite face 16 Core 16a Core bottom face 16b Core end face 16c Core side face 17 Light flux introducing means 18 First magnetic pole 19 Second magnetic pole 20 Magnetic circuit 20a Vertical circuit part 21 Coil 30 Metal film

Claims (5)

This is a near-field optical head that generates near-field light from an introduced light beam, heats a magnetic recording medium rotating in a certain direction, and applies a magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium to cause magnetization reversal to record information. And
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 bottom surface formed in a polygonal shape in plan view, an end surface formed with a smaller area than the bottom surface, arranged at a predetermined distance from the bottom surface, and formed by connecting the bottom surface and the apex of the end surface, and the surfaces face each other having a plurality of sides, with facing each other two sides of the plurality of sides state aligned along the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium, the bottom surface is a truncated pyramid shape fixed to the opposed surface of the slider With a light transmissive core,
A light beam introducing means for introducing the light beam into the core from the bottom surface side;
Of the plurality of side surfaces, the entire surface is formed on the two side surfaces facing along the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium , and the distance from each other is gradually narrowed toward the end surface. Tilted thin film-shaped first magnetic pole and second magnetic pole,
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 end surface of the core is formed to a size that generates the near-field light when the light beam is introduced,
The first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole are aligned along the moving direction of the magnetic recording medium , and their respective leading ends are opposed to the surface of the magnetic recording medium and are flush with the end face. And
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. The information is recorded on the side by a vertical recording method ,
The magnetic circuit has a vertical circuit portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the facing surface of the slider, and both ends thereof are connected to portions of the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole located on the facing surface side of the slider. Formed on the opposing surface of the slider,
The near-field optical head according to claim 1, wherein the coil is formed in a spirally wound manner around the vertical circuit portion so as to spread along the opposing surface of the slider . The near-field optical head according to claim 1,
A near-field optical head, wherein a metal film is formed between each of the first magnetic pole, the second magnetic pole, and a side surface of the core. The near-field optical head according to claim 2,
A near field , wherein a metal film is formed on a side surface of the plurality of side surfaces other than the side surface on which the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole are formed via the metal film. Light head. The near-field optical head according to claim 1,
A near-field optical head, wherein a metal film is formed on a side surface of the plurality of side surfaces other than the side surface on which the first magnetic pole and the second magnetic pole are formed. The near-field optical head according to any one of claims 1 to 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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