Patent ID: 8050170

Claim:
A near field optical head for generating near field light from an introduced light flux to heat a magnetic recording medium rotating in a fixed direction and for causing magnetization reversal by giving the magnetic recording medium a recording magnetic field to record information, the near field optical head characterized by comprising: a slider provided so as to float from a surface of the magnetic recording medium by a predetermined distance, the slider having a facing surface faced to a surface of the magnetic recording medium; a tipped-shaped near field light generating element formed on the facing surface to have a bottom surface in contact with the facing surface, a top surface formed into a flat surface by cutting a top end of a cone or a pyramid, the flat surface being at a predetermined angle with the bottom surface, and a side surface connecting the bottom surface with the top surface for generating near field light from each of a longest distance outline part of an outline of the top surface, the longest distance outline part having a longest distance between the facing surface and the outline of the top surface, and another outline part of the outline of the top surface, the another outline part being a part other than the longest distance outline part; a magnetic pole part formed from a main magnetic pole formed on the side surface and an auxiliary magnetic pole facing the main magnetic pole; a thin film-shaped magnetic circuit connected to the magnetic pole part; and a coil wound around the magnetic circuit.