Patent ID: 8054570

Claim:
A recording head configured to record data by heating a magnetic recording medium, while it rotates in a constant direction, by a spot light generated by condensing a luminous flux and causing a flux reversal by providing a recording magnetic field in the vertical direction with respect to the magnetic recording medium, the recording head comprising; a slider arranged so as to oppose a surface of the magnetic recording medium; a recording element fixed to a distal end surface of the slider and having a main magnetic pole and an auxiliary magnetic pole for generating the recording magnetic field; a spot light generating element including a core having a reflecting surface configured to reflect the luminous flux introduced from one end side to the other end side in a direction different from the direction of introduction, and a luminous flux condensing unit having a cross-sectional area orthogonal to a direction from the one end side to the other end side that gradually reduces in size and being configured to generate the spot light by propagating the reflected luminous flux toward the other end side while condensing the same and emitting the spot light from the other end side toward an outside, and a clad formed of a material having a lower index of refraction than that of the core and configured to confine the core in the interior thereof by being in tight contact with a side surface of the core while exposing the other end side of the core to the outside, the spot light generating element being fixed adjacently to the recording element in a state in which the other end side is directed toward the magnetic recording medium; and luminous flux introducing means fixed to the slider in a state of being parallel to the slider for introducing the luminous flux into the core from the one end side, wherein the luminous flux condensing unit generates the spot light in the vicinity of the main magnetic pole.