Patent ID: 7394734

Claim:
An optical disk drive comprising: a light source that emits light; a light focusing element arranged so as to be opposed to a disk on which a signal is recordable, the light focusing element being capable of focusing the light emitted from the light source as near-field light on the disk; a moving mechanism for moving the light focusing element closer to or farther away from the disk on the basis of a change in voltage; detecting means for detecting a distance between the disk and the light focusing element by detecting a total-reflection return-light quantity of light emitted from the light source and totally reflected by the light focusing element, and for determining, based on the detected total-reflection return-light quantity, a state where the moving mechanism approaches the light focusing element to the disk such that the distance between the light focusing element and the disk is equal to a first distance where the light is focused as near-field light on the disk through the light focusing element and outputting a detection signal upon detecting the state; holding means for holding a voltage applied to the moving mechanism in response to the detection signal output from the detecting means, the holding means being capable of releasing the held voltage; first control means for performing a first control operation of applying a voltage, whose maximum value is equal to the held voltage, to the moving mechanism so that the distance between the light focusing element and the disk is equal to or smaller than the first distance while the held voltage is released; and second control means for performing a second control operation of controlling the distance between the light focusing element and the disk to a second distance smaller than the first distance on the basis of the detection signal while the distance therebetween is equal to or smaller than the first distance.