Abstract: An electroluminescent device in which two or more light-emitting units which emit light identical in color are vertically stacked is configured such that a first relative maximal angle or a highest intensity angle viewed in a front direction of angular dependency of emission intensity in light emission from each light-emitting unit alone is different for each light-emitting unit, and D(?)?D(0)cos ?(0????D?60 degrees) . . . Expression (1) is satisfied, where D(?) represents angular dependency of emission intensity and ?D represents a specific angle in simultaneous light emission from all light-emitting units.

Abstract: A surface-emitting unit includes a surface-emitting panel which emits light, a transmissive member which is arranged to face a light-emitting surface, propagates light emitted from the surface-emitting panel as being reflected therein, and allows light to exit from a light exit surface, and a scattering sheet which is provided to face a light exit surface of the transmissive member and scatters light. The transmissive member has a dimming surface provided between a light incident surface on which light emitted from the surface-emitting panel is incident and the light exit surface. The light-emitting surface has a light-emitting region which emits light and a non-light-emitting region which does not emit light. The dimming surface is configured such that a region facing the non-light-emitting region is different in transmittance of light from a region facing the light-emitting region, in accordance with a distribution of light emitted from each of the surface-emitting panels.

Abstract: A surface-emitting unit includes a surface-emitting panel which emits light, a transmissive member which is arranged to face a light-emitting surface and propagates light emitted from the surface-emitting panel, and a reflection member which scatters propagated light. The light-emitting surface has a light-emitting region and a non-light-emitting region. The reflection member is provided on the surface-emitting panel so as to overlap with the non-light-emitting region. When a light distribution curve in a plane perpendicular to the light-emitting surface is drawn for each surface-emitting panel, the light distribution curve has at least a portion in which a condition of L>cos ? is satisfied, with a luminance on a front side along an axis extending in a direction of normal to the light-emitting surface being defined as 1 and L representing a luminance in a direction in which an angle formed with respect to the axis in the plane is ?.

Abstract: An organic EL element includes a transparent substrate, a first transparent electrode layer, an organic electroluminescent layer, a second transparent electrode layer, and a reflecting layer. The refractive index of the transparent substrate is lower than the refractive index of any film included in the organic electroluminescent layer. Both the refractive index of the first transparent electrode layer and the refractive index of the second transparent electrode layer are lower than the refractive index of any film included in the organic electroluminescent layer.

Abstract: A surface light emitting element includes a light emitting layer that emits light, a first electrode layer that is provided on the side of the light emitting layer from which the light is extracted and allows the light that has been emitted by the light emitting layer to pass through, a second electrode layer that is provided on the side of the light emitting layer from which light is not extracted, a light scattering layer that is provided on the side of the first electrode layer opposite to the side on which the light emitting layer is positioned, and a transparent substrate that is provided on the side of the light scattering layer opposite to the side on which the light emitting layer is positioned, wherein a conductive material in which the real part of a complex dielectric constant is negative is used in the first electrode layer.

Abstract: An organic light-emitting element including an organic light-emitting layer, a transparent substrate, and a transparent electrode disposed between the organic light-emitting layer and the transparent substrate; and which treats the surface of the transparent substrate on the opposite side from the transparent electrode as a light-extraction surface. The transparent substrate has birefringence, and has a refraction index of a P polarized light that is less than a refraction index of an S polarized light. A polarized light wherein an oscillation direction of an electric field is parallel to a laminated surface of the light-emitting layer is designated S polarized light, and a polarized light that includes a vector of the direction of the progression of the light and in which the oscillation direction of the electric field is included in a plane perpendicular to the laminated surface is designated P polarized light.

Abstract: An organic light-emitting element including an organic light-emitting layer, a transparent substrate, and a transparent electrode disposed between the organic light-emitting layer and the transparent substrate; and which treats the surface of the transparent substrate on the opposite side from the transparent electrode as a light-extraction surface. The transparent substrate has birefringence, and has a refraction index of a P polarized light that is less than a refraction index of an S polarized light. A polarized light wherein an oscillation direction of an electric field is parallel to a laminated surface of the light-emitting layer is designated S polarized light, and a polarized light that includes a vector of the direction of the progression of the light and in which the oscillation direction of the electric field is included in a plane perpendicular to the laminated surface is designated P polarized light.

Abstract: Disclosed is a deflection optical element, which makes it possible to deflect an incident light so as to couple the incident light to an optical element disposed in the later stage without deteriorating the optical efficiency. The deflection optical element, which deflects an incident light coming along a first optical axis at a deflection surface and emits an emission light propagating along a second optical axis so as to couple the emission light to either a diffraction grating or a refracting optical system, comprises at least one diffracting surface and at least one reflecting surface, wherein the angle ?n, an angle ?t derived as a total diffraction angle caused by the at least one diffracting surface, and an angle ?a, which is formed at a second intersection of the first optical axis and the second optical axis, fulfill a conditional relationship of: 0??n<?a<?t.

Abstract: An optical recording head includes: a light source; a slider comprising a wave guide which irradiates light from the light source to a recording medium, wherein a grating coupler is formed on an end portion at an opposite side of the waveguide relative to the light source; and an optical element which comprises a diffraction grating and introduces the light from the light source to the grating coupler through the diffraction grating. The optical element deflects the light from the light source so that the light is incident into the grating coupler with a deflection angle larger than 90 degrees with respect to a direction in which the light proceeds when the light is incident into the optical element.

Abstract: Disclosed is a light spot forming element which is capable of forming a minute stabilized light spot efficiently and is easy to handle. For this purpose, there is provided a light spot forming element wherein a laser oscillation unit which has a periodic refractive index distribution and is employed as a laser resonator, and a focusing unit that receives the light emitted by this laser oscillation unit and forms a light spot by focusing this received light are formed on the same substrate.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical recording head which is provided with a surface emitting laser that emits laser light which is efficiently introduced into a waveguide through a grating coupler (diffraction grating). Specifically disclosed is an optical recording head which is provided with a surface emitting laser comprising at least a light source, and a waveguide that is connected thereto through a diffraction grating and irradiates a recording medium with the light from the light source. The light source has a two-dimensional photonic crystal structure in the surface that faces the waveguide. Regions of the two-dimensional photonic crystal structure other than the region facing the diffraction grating are converted, and the region facing the diffraction grating serves as a surface emitting.

Abstract: A recorder has a recording medium for information recording, a light source, an optical system, a slider, and an optical waveguide. To the optical system, light from the light source enters, and the slider moves relative to the recording medium while not in contact therewith. The optical waveguide is arranged at position facing the recording medium in the slider so that light entering from the optical system is irradiated on the recording medium. Where the mode field diameter of the optical waveguide on the light output side is d and the mode field diameter thereof on the light input side is D, the mode field diameter is converted by smoothly changing the diameter of the optical waveguide to satisfy D>d.

Abstract: Provided is an optical recording head in which a light beam from a light source is collected by an optical element and reflected on a reflecting surface to be formed into a spot light. Since a support portion for supporting the light source of the optical element at a predetermined position and the reflection surface for reflecting the light beam are formed integrally with each other, it is not required to perform the positioning thereof, and light can be collected to a very small spot with high efficiency, and an optical recording head and an optical recording apparatus having low heights can be provided.

Abstract: Provided are an optical device, optically assisted magnetic recording head and optically assisted magnetic recording apparatus that effectively emit the introduced light, from the apex portion of a waveguide. The optical device includes: an optical element having a substantially parabolic outline which contains a side surface and the apex portion with a light-emitting surface; a light guiding unit for forming a light spot on the core layer; and a light introducing section provided on the core layer at the position at which the light spot is formed. The light introduced into the core layer travels substantially parallel to the axis of the parabola, and is reflected by the side surface so as to be converged at the focal point of the parabola and is then emitted from the apex portion. The position of the point where the light intensity is greatest in the light spot is deviated from the axis.

Abstract: Provided is a near-field light emitting device which emits near-field light efficiently by simple structure. A near-field light emitting device comprises a waveguide which is equipped with a core and a clad touching the core and is coupled with light having an electric field component in the direction perpendicular to the boundary surface of the core and clad, and a planar metal structure which is arranged along the above-mentioned boundary surface where the electric field component is in the perpendicular direction. The metal structure has a tip adjoining the light exit surface of the core, and a side projecting to the clad where the width of the metal structure in the direction perpendicular to the propagation direction of the light coupled with the waveguide is wider than the width of the core.

Abstract: Provided is an optical device configured to makes it possible to enhance use efficiency of light. An optical device is provided with an optical element to deflect incident light and a fixation member on which the optical element is fixed. The optical element includes a reflective surface and a diffraction grating surface that deflects the incident light. The optical element is fixed on the fixation member to restrain displacement in accordance with temperature changes at portions thereof other than the reflective surface and the diffracting grating surface in such a condition that displacement is caused without restraint be temperature changes at the reflective surface and the diffraction grating surface. A change of the incident light in the deflection angle due to an inclination change by the reflective surface and the diffracting grating surface is suppressed by a change in a diffraction angle due to a periodical change in the diffraction grating by the displacement of the diffraction grating surface.

Abstract: An optical recording head to record information onto a recording medium utilizing light including; a slider provided to move relatively to the recording medium; a light propagation element provided on a side surface of the slider substantially vertical against a recording surface of the recording medium so as to cause propagation of light incident with a predetermined angle to be irradiated on the recording medium; and, a prism provided on the light propagation element so as to oppose to the side surface of the slider having the light propagation element and to deflect the incident light to be incident into the light propagation element with a predetermined angle.

Abstract: Disclosed is a deflection optical element, which makes it possible to deflect an incident light so as to couple the incident light to an optical element disposed in the later stage without deteriorating the optical efficiency. The deflection optical element, which deflects an incident light coming along a first optical axis at a deflection surface and emits an emission light propagating along a second optical axis so as to couple the emission light to either a diffraction grating or a refracting optical system, comprises at least one diffracting surface and at least one reflecting surface, wherein the angle ?n, an angle ?t derived as a total diffraction angle caused by the at least one diffracting surface, and an angle ?a, which is formed at a second intersection of the first optical axis and the second optical axis, fulfill a conditional relationship of: 0??n<?a<?t.

Abstract: Provided is a magnetic recording device which can perform high density magnetic recording by simple constitution. The magnetic recording device is provided with a disk driving device for rotating a magnetic disk; a head having a heating section for heating a circular track of the magnetic disk and a recording element for applying a magnetic field modulated by an electric signal to the magnetic disk; and a head drive device for circularly moving the head in the radius direction of the magnetic disk by rotating about a driving shaft. The recording element has a magnetism applying section that traverses any track heated by the heating section in the radius direction of the magnetic disk.

Abstract: Proposed is a technique of guiding light to a waveguide, by which the light use efficiency is increased. In order to achieve the above object, adopted is an optical element comprising, at an outer edge portion thereof, an incident surface on which light from a light source is incident, a diffraction grating surface, and an internal reflection surface which guides light incident from the incident surface to the diffraction grating surface.