Patent ID: 7054087

Claim:
A magnetic recording-reproducing apparatus, comprising: a magnetic recording medium comprising a nonmagnetic substrate, and a functional layer and a recording layer formed on the nonmagnetic substrate, the recording layer exhibiting a magnetic anisotropy energy density expressed by Ku RL , the functional layer being formed of a magnetic semiconductor material comprising a semiconductor material selected from the group consisting of InAs, GaAs, ZnO, ZnSe, and ZnTe and at least one additive element selected from the group consisting of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni, the functional layer having no magnetization without irradiation with light, and developing ferromagnetism upon irradiation with light so as to exhibit a magnetic anisotropy energy density expressed by Ku FL lower than the Ku RL ; a light source which irradiates the functional layer with light; and a magnetic head comprising a writing head writing signal magnetization by applying a magnetic field to the recording layer and a reading head reading the signal magnetization recorded in the recording layer.