Near-field optical recording apparatus assistively heating recording medium

Abstract

A near-field optical recording apparatus for recording information in a recording medium, and a near-field optical recording and regenerating apparatus for recording information in a recording medium, and reading the information recorded in the recording medium. The apparatuses contain a light source which generates recording light; a micro-aperture probe which has at an end thereof a light-pass aperture having a diameter smaller than a wavelength of the recording light, receives from the other end thereof the recording light, and radiates near-field light on a portion of the recording medium to record the information; and an assistive heating unit which is capable of assistively heating at least the above portion of the recording medium for a duration corresponding to radiation of the near-field light on the portion. The near-field optical recording and regenerating apparatus further radiates near-field light onto a portion of the recording medium to read the recorded information, and contains a control unit which activates the assistive heating unit when recording the information, and deactivates the assistive heating unit when reading the information.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.