Patent ID: 7301888

Claim:
A recording apparatus for reproducing information recorded on a recording medium by utilizing near-field light, the recording apparatus, comprising: an aperture element having a microscopic aperture to create or scatter near-field light; light illuminating means for illuminating illumination light to the recording medium such that near-field light is created on a surface of the recording medium; light detecting means for detecting propagation light caused by scattering the near-field light by the microscopic aperture; vertical vibrating means for vibrating the aperture element in a thickness direction thereof; and control means for rendering as a reproduced signal a signal detected by the light detecting means when the microscopic aperture reaches a desired height due to the vertical vibrating means and as a to-be-operated signal a signal detected by the light detecting means when the microscopic aperture reaches a point above the desired height due to the vertical vibrating means, and calculating a relative value of the reproduced signal and the to-be-operated signal to control a spacing between the aperture element and the recording medium based on the relative value.