Patent ID: 7544922

Claim:
A near-field light-emitting element comprising: a transparent medium having: a plane of incidence into which a laser beam enters; and a light-condensing plane on which the laser beam having entered the plane of incidence is concentrated; and a metal body provided on the light-condensing plane of the transparent medium having: a first surface contacting the light-condensing plane; a second surface opposing the first surface; and an aperture which is formed to penetrate through the first surface to the second surface at a position where the laser beam is concentrated and which emits a near-field light obtained from the laser beam, wherein the metal body is arranged apart from a center of the aperture by a predetermined distance to connect together the first surface and the second surface, and has a plasmon reflection plane that reflects toward the aperture a surface plasmon excited on the first and second surfaces by the laser beam concentrated at the aperture.