Patent ID: 8842504

Claim:
A near-field light head that generates near-field light from introduced light flux to heat a magnetic recording medium rotating in a given direction, and gives rise to magnetization reversal by providing a recording magnetic field of a vertical direction with respect to the magnetic recording medium, to thereby cause information to be recorded, the near-field light head comprising: a slider disposed opposite to a surface of the magnetic recording medium; a recording element that includes a main magnetic pole generating the recording magnetic field and a subsidiary magnetic pole, the recording element being fixed to an apical surface of the slider so that the main magnetic pole and the subsidiary magnetic pole line up in a longitudinal direction of the slider in a state where the subsidiary magnetic pole is located at the apical surface of the slider; a near-field light generating element, fixed adjacently to the main magnetic pole in a state where another end side thereof is directed to the magnetic recording medium, that propagates the light flux introduced from one end side thereof toward the other end side to generate the near-field light, and radiates the near-field light from the other end side to the outside, the near-field light generating element including: a core that propagates the light flux from the one end side to the other end side, and a clad that traps the core in an inside thereof with the other end side of the core being exposed; and a light flux introducing device, fixed to the slider, that introduces the light flux from the one end side into the near-field light generating element, wherein the core includes an inclined surface in the other end side, the core includes ends which are surrounded by the clad, the inclined surface is inclined with respect to an optical axis of the light flux propagated through an inside thereof, and a distance between the inclined surface and the main magnetic pole gradually decreases in a light propagation direction from the one end side of the near-field light generating element to the other end side thereof, wherein a metallic film that increases light intensity of the near-field light is formed on the whole surface of the inclined surface so as to cover over a surface including the ends of the core, wherein the metallic film is sandwiched between the clad and the inclined surface, and wherein a width of the core is the same as a width of the metallic film at the end of the core.