Patent ID: 7525880
Filing Date: 2009-04-28
Classification: B82Y,G11B

Abstract:
1. An information reproducing apparatus comprising: a light source for generating linearly polarized light; a medium having an information unit field and a plurality of linear marks disposed in the information unit field in overlapping relation to one another and extending in different directions from one another; an optical head disposed between the light source and the medium, the optical head having a fine aperture; polarized light control means for controlling the linearly polarized light generated by the light source to pass through the fine aperture of the optical head to generate near-field light having a preselected polarization direction and to irradiate the linear marks in the information unit field of the medium with the near-field light so that the preselected polarization direction of the near-field light is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of each of the linear marks; a detector for detecting light scattered by the linear mark irradiated with the near-field light; and a signal processing circuit that processes a signal from the detector corresponding to the detected scattered light, the signal processing circuit having a control circuit having a head drive circuit for carrying out access/tracking control of the optical head and a read data output control circuit for outputting read data.