Patent ID: 8467276

Claim:
An information recording and reproduction apparatus comprising: a magnetic recording medium mounted to undergo rotation in a predetermined direction; a light source that emits a light beam to heat the magnetic recording medium; a carriage mounted to undergo rotation about a pivot shaft; a slider supported at a distal side of the carriage so as to face a surface of the magnetic recording medium, the slider having an optical system that condenses the light beam emitted from the light source and a near-field light generating element that generates near-field light from the condensed light beam; a control unit that controls an operation of the slider; and a photoelectric composite wiring line in which an optical waveguide, which introduces the light beam emitted from the light source into the slider, and a plurality of electric wiring lines, which electrically connect the slider and the control unit to each other, are integrally formed, the optical waveguide and all of the electric wiring lines branching off at a distal side of the photoelectric composite wiring line so as to be routed to the slider; wherein information is recorded on the magnetic recording medium by heating the magnetic recording medium with the near-field light generated by the near-field light generating element and causing magnetization reversal by applying a recording magnetic field to the magnetic recording medium.