Patent ID: 8848494

Claim:
A plasmon generator having a front end face and comprising: a first portion formed of a first metal material; and a second portion formed of a second metal material, wherein the first portion has an inclined surface facing toward the front end face, the inclined surface has a first edge farthest from the front end face and a second edge closest to the front end face, a distance from the front end face to an arbitrary point on the inclined surface decreases with decreasing distance from the arbitrary point to the second edge, the second portion is located between the inclined surface and the front end face, and includes a first end face located in the front end face and a second end face in contact with the inclined surface, the second metal material is higher in Vickers hardness than the first metal material, the first portion has a plasmon exciting part configured to excite a surface plasmon thereon through coupling with evanescent light generated from a core through which light propagates, and the front end face generates near-field light based on the surface plasmon.