Abstract: An air-bearing slider for an optical disk drive for recording/reproducing information onto/from an optical disk while floating and moving at a predetermined height from the rotatably installed optical disk due to a dynamic air pressure is disclosed. The air-bearing slider includes a slider main body having an objective lens installation hole formed through the slider main body so that an objective lens can be installed, and an opening formed through the slider main body at one side portion of the objective lens installation hole, so that air flow flowing under the slider main body can flow out through the opening via the objective lens installation hole when the slider is floating as a result of dynamic air pressure.

Abstract: A head support mechanism includes a slider for carrying a head at least for performing reproduction of data from a disk, and a holding portion for holding the slider. The holding portion includes: a first portion including a first piezoelectric element; a second portion including a second piezoelectric element; a third portion connected to the first and second portions, the slider being provided on the third portion; and fixing portion for fixing the first and second portions. At least one of the first and second piezoelectric elements is contracted and expanded in a direction substantially parallel to a surface of the disk, in the presence of an applied voltage so that the slider provided on the third portion is rotated around a predetermined center of rotation.

Abstract: An optical recording head is provided which includes a slider body having a leading edge. A void is formed in the slider body to receive a sphere of optically transparent material. The sphere is inserted into the void such that a portion of the sphere protrudes from the slider body. The protruding portion is lapped to be coplanar with a surface of the slider body to form a near-field lens. A mesa may be formed onto the lapped portion and may include a coil. The slider body, mesa, near-field lens, and coil may be formed in one batch process.

Abstract: In an optical recording/reproducing apparatus, and in particular to a head of an optical recording/reproducing apparatus, the optical recording/reproducing apparatus includes a slider at which an objective lens is installed at a top surface of the slider and a solid immersion lens (SIL) installation hole formed below the objective lens penetrates toward to the bottom surface of the slider in order to install a SIL; a flying device fixedly installed around the SIL installation hole at the bottom surface of the slider in order to lift the slider above an optical recording medium; wherein a sectional area of the slider parallel to a surface of the optical recording medium increases from the bottom surface to the top surface.

Abstract: In an optical pickup head of an optical recording reproducing apparatus, a fabrication method thereof, a lubricant-coated optical pickup head of an optical recording reproducing apparatus and a method for coating lubricant onto an optical pickup head, by using a MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) technique used for designing, fabricating and application of a microstructure, it is possible to miniaturize an optical pickup head of an optical recording reproducing apparatus and reduce a fabrication cost thereof.

Abstract: A hybrid magnetic-optical head apparatus wherein one or more solid state lasers, magnetic field biasing elements, magnetic sensing elements, and an aerodynamically shaped slider comprise a single integrated, monolithic device fabricated from the same base semiconductor material into an optical head. The monolithic optical head can be quickly and easily attached to the read arm of an optical read/write device without requiring attachment of separate laser and magnetic elements, and without micropositioning or use of optical microscopy for positioning the lasers or magnetic elements. The hybrid magnetic-optical head apparatus includes a magnetic-optical function region having a semiconductor laser and at least one magnetic element. Preferably, the magnetic-optical function region of the substrate includes a magnetic field biasing element associated with the semiconductor laser, as well as a magnetic sensing element.

Abstract: A method for moving a pickup head module to the initial position used in an optical disk drive without a touch sensor includes moving the pickup head module toward a spindle motor according to a gradually decreasing speed curve until the pickup head stops. When power is provided to the optical disk drive, recording a present address of a disk corresponding to the pickup head module after seeking and accessing the disk. Calculating a return distance according to the present address and the initial address of the disk and moving the pickup head module for the return distance toward the spindle motor.

Abstract: The present invention provides a head support mechanism wherein the position can be accurately corrected at a high speed when the mode is shifted from reproducing to recording, and also, the deflection of recording magnetic field from the direction of initialized magnetic orientation is little and it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the recording characteristics and to make the skew very small. The first link 3 and the second link 4 respectively rotate about the first rotational center 5a and the second rotational center 5b, to which the third link 7 and the fourth link 8 are rotatably connected. The lengths of the first link 3 and the second link 4 are nearly equal to each other, and the lengths of the third link 7 and the fourth link 8 are set to a length nearly equal to the distance between the first rotational center 5a and the second rotational center 5b.

Abstract: A slider for an optical head for signal recording and/or reproduction on or from a recording medium which, even if reduced in size, assures optimum signal recording and/or reproduction on or from a recording medium, and which may be produced readily. The slider for the optical head includes a slider member for floating and running over a recording medium during recording and/or reproduction of information signals for the recording medium, an optical lens bonded to the slider member and a magnetic field generating unit provided on a surface of the slider member carrying the optical lens facing the recording medium. The slider member is formed with a terminal groove opened in a its surface facing the recording medium and in its lateral surface, with an electrically conductive material being charged in the terminal groove. The electrically conductive material charged forms a terminal electrically connected to the magnetic field generating unit.

Abstract: A small, high-precision, and cheap flying recording head having high mass-productivity, high recording density, and high transfer rate, a disk drive, and a method of manufacturing the flying recording head are disclosed. The flying recording head is manufactured by forming a semiconductor laser oscillation region by growing a semiconductor crystal on a rear end surface of a substrate made of a single crystal such as sapphire, and forming a air bearing surface in an output surface of the semiconductor laser and the substrate.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an optical lens suitable for a near-field optical recording/reproducing system. A condenser lens, optical pickup, and optical recording/reproducing apparatus each using this optical lens are also disclosed. This optical lens is formed from an SiC single crystal having a cubic structure. The condenser lens includes a first optical lens and a second optical lens arranged in this order from an objective surface, and at least the first optical lens is formed from an SiC single crystal having a cubic structure. The optical pickup includes a light source and a condenser lens for converging light emitted from the light source to form a beam spot. This condenser lens has the same configuration as the above. The optical recording/reproducing apparatus includes this optical pickup.

Abstract: Recording/reproducing information signals to/from a recording medium appropriately even though the clearance from the signal recording surface of the recording medium to an optical head slider becomes significantly small. An optical head slider 10 includes a sliding member 11 which is floated and slides on a recording medium 4 at the time of recording/reproducing signals to/from the recording medium 4, a hemispheric objective lens 12 which is bonded to the sliding member 11, and a magnetic field generating means 16, which is mounted to the bottom of the sliding member 11 which faces the recording medium 4. The sliding member 11 is made of the same material as that of the optical lens 12, and a flat surface of the optical lens 12 is bonded to the top surface of the sliding member 11.

Abstract: An optical element structure allowing an increased power density of aperture-transmitted light while suppressing increase in temperature is disclosed. A conductive film has a sub-wavelength aperture formed therein and a periodic surface topography formed thereon. A lens focuses light onto the periodic surface topography with a predetermined diameter. The predetermined diameter of incident light on the conductive film and a period of the periodic surface topography are determined so that a power ratio of aperture-transmitted light to the light beam is greater than that of aperture-transmitted light which would be obtained if no periodic surface topography is provided in the conductive film.

Abstract: An optical device is provided including a conductive film having first and second surfaces, at least one aperture provided in the conductive film and extending from the first surface to the second surface, and a surface topography formed on at least one of the first and second surfaces, wherein said surface topography increases an intensity of light incident onto one of said first and second surfaces and transmitted through said aperture, wherein a region on which the surface topography is formed is larger than a region where the light is incident on the conductive film surface, and the aperture is formed on the region on which the surface topography is formed.

Abstract: An optical-pickup slider is characterized in that a light-transmitting-property substrate is bonded to a surface of a layer having a tapered through hole, on which surface a larger opening of the tapered through hole exists. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the layer having an aperture from being destroyed. A method of manufacturing the optical-pickup slider comprises the steps of a) making a tapered through hole in a layer layered on a first substrate and having a thickness smaller than that of the first substrate; and, after bonding a light-transmitting-property substrate to a surface of the layer, removing the first substrate so as to expose an aperture at a tip of the tapered through hole.

Abstract: The present invention is to disclose a SIL near-field flying head flying state control structure in which the SIL is installed in a lens holder that can be biased. The lens holder includes three detection points spaced around the SIL for detecting the distance between each detection point and an optical disk, and a number of single-axis displacement devices for controlling the corresponding lateral side of the lens holder to move axially relative to the optical disk. A server can control the single-axis displacement devices to adjust the posture of the lens holder subject to the distance between each detection point and the optical disk measured, keeping the parallelism between the SIL and the optical disk within a predetermined level.

Abstract: A near-field optical head has a slider having a minute aperture for emitting near-field light. The minute aperture has a diameter equal to or less than a wavelength of visible light. The slider is supported by a suspension arm for exerting a load, receiving a floating force due to relative movement with a recording medium, and forming a gap between the slider and the recording medium through a balance between the load and the floating force. A light propagating medium has an output end for emitting light. An optical path length shortening structure shortens an optical path length between the output end of the light propagating medium and the minute aperture of the slider. A mirror is disposed over the slider for guiding light emitted from the light propagating medium to the minute aperture of the slider.

Abstract: To control the gap length in the near-field area with a high accuracy, the exposure apparatus includes an exposure light source (11) to emit an exposure laser light, a gap length controlling light source (16) to emit a gap length controlling laser light different in wavelength from the exposure laser light, a condenser lens (17a), collimator lens (17b) and a dichroic mirror (12) to project the gap length controlling laser light to a condenser lens (14) and solid immersion lens (SIL) (15), and a photodetector (22) to detect the intensity of a return part of the gap length controlling laser light from an outgoing surface (15b) of the SIL (15). Thus in the exposure apparatus, the gap between the SIL (15) and object (100) is controlled based on the detected return light intensity from the photodetector (22).

Abstract: A micro-actuator, its manufacturing method, an optical pickup head of an optical recording/reproducing apparatus having the micro-actuator, and its manufacturing method are disclosed. A low voltage and low power bi-directional driving is accomplished so that a size and a weight of a system can be considerably reduced and a response speed can be improved. A uniformity and a production efficiency are heightened by reducing a alignment tolerance. In addition, a configuration tolerance caused due to an uneven thickness of a protection layer of the record layer on the disk and an uneven smoothness of the disk is corrected, so that a focal point of an objective lens can be optimally made on a record layer of the disk.

Abstract: A coil assembly includes a coil arranged around a vertical axis, and a supporting member for carrying the coil. The supporting member is formed with a through hole corresponding to the vertical axis. The coil includes a plurality of coil elements which are connected in parallel.

Abstract: An optical-pickup slider is characterized in that a light-transmitting-property substrate is bonded to a surface of a layer having a tapered through hole, on which surface a larger opening of the tapered through hole exists. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the layer having an aperture from being destroyed. A method of manufacturing the optical-pickup slider comprises the steps of a) making a tapered through hole in a layer layered on a first substrate and having a thickness smaller than that of the first substrate; and, after bonding a light-transmitting-property substrate to a surface of the layer, removing the first substrate so as to expose an aperture at a tip of the tapered through hole.

Abstract: A near-field optical system having one or more solid state lasers and an aerodynamically shaped slider which comprise a single integrated, monolithic device fabricated from the same base semiconductor material. The monolithic optical head can be quickly and easily attached to the read arm of an optical read/write device without requiring attachment of separate laser elements, and without micropositioning or use of optical microscopy for positioning the lasers. The optical head comprising a single semiconductor substrate including a first region which defines a slider having an air bearing surface, and at least one second, laser region which defines a diode laser, with the diode laser having an emission face which is substantially co-planar with the air bearing surface.

Abstract: An optical head comprises a laser light source, detectors, a reflecting mirror, a magnetic coil, and a driving circuit which are formed in a monolithic manner on a surface of a substrate. A diffraction grating is formed on the reflecting mirror. A reflected light beam can be divided into those directed to the detectors. Optical paths from the reflecting mirror to the respective detectors are disposed in directions along the substrate. Accordingly, the thickness of the optical head can be made thin. The substrate can be also processed into a slider. The optical head is capable of high speed access and high speed data transfer, in which a miniaturized size and a light weight are realized.

Abstract: A slider system have been developed to aid in the spacing between read/write heads and the storage medium, and a grating antenna amplifier has been developed to improve illumination spot size and polarization characteristics. The grating antenna can be attached to a grayscale slider to obtain a distance between the illumination spot and antenna that lies in the near field region.

Abstract: A magnetic head suitable for use in a magneto-optical apparatus. The magnetic head has a flat electromagnetic coil (1) with a central opening (3). The coil has parallel coil layers (5a, 5b), each of the coil layers having a turn (5A, 5B) arranged around the central opening. At least one of the coil layers has turns of which the turns closer to the central opening have smaller widths (w) than the turns further away from the central opening. At least one of the coil layers has an outermost turn (5Bo) situated closer to the central opening than the outermost turn (5Ao) of one of the other coil layers. The defined coil structure has a limited capacitance while the power dissipation is also limited.

Abstract: A head support mechanism includes a slider for carrying a head at least for performing reproduction of data from a disk, and a holding portion for holding the slider. The holding portion includes; a first portion including a first piezoelectric element; a second portion including a second piezoelectric element; a third portion connected to the first and second portions, the slider being provided on the third portion; and a fixing portion for fixing the first and second portions. At least one of the first and second piezoelectric elements is contracted and expanded in a direction substantially parallel to a surface of the disk, in the presence of an applied voltage so that the slider provided on the third portion is rotated around a predetermined center of rotation.

Abstract: A contamination preventing device of an optical head for near field recording includes a slider being supported by a suspension in a deck and having a collective hole vertically penetrated though which a light source is transmitted; a collective lens being installed at a lower portion of the collective hole of the slider, collecting light generated from the light source and forming a spot at an upper surface of a recording medium; and a lens contaminant removing means removing a foreign substance clung to the collective lens. When the surface of the collective lens mounted at the slider is exposed to contaminant substances while performing interaction with the surface of the recording medium in the near field optical recording or reproducing, the lens surface can be easily cleansed to remove the contaminant of the surface of the lens immediately.

Abstract: A near-field optical head comprises a slider body and a cantilever arm extending from the slider body and having a contact pad at an end portion thereof for contacting a surface of a recording medium. The slider body has an air bearing surface which interacts with a film of air moving in a direction adjacent to the surface of the record medium to generate a lift force to fly the slider body over the surface of the record medium and urge the contact pad of the cantilever arm into contact with the surface of the record medium.

Abstract: An optical head has objective lenses that converge a light beam, a light-emitting surface that faces an optical recording medium with an air layer therebetween and from which the light beam converged by the objective lenses exits towards the optical recording medium, and a light reflection preventing film that is provided at the light-emitting surface. A recess is formed in the light-emitting surface, and the light reflection preventing film is provided inside the recess.

Abstract: A device for positioning a transducing head (14) over a selected track of a rotatable information disc. The device includes a slider (12) supporting the transducing head, a carrier supporting the slider, a drive for moving the carrier to effect coarse radial positioning of the transducing head with respect to said selected track and a microactuator (18) to effect fine radial positioning (F) of the transducing head with respect to said selected track. The slider is provided with a swinging element carrying the transducing head and the microactuator is arranged to move the swinging element. In order to obtain a compact device with a swinging element of small mass, the swinging element is an internal tongue-shaped portion (12b) of the slider, the transducing head being secured to a free end part (12ba) of said tongue-shaped portion. The tongue-shaped portion extends in a recess (16) of the slider in which recess the tongue-shaped portion is swingable and in which recess the microactuator is provided.

Abstract: An optical disk drive having a cleaning mechanism to clean the optical head by contact with a selected surface or in close proximity of a surface of the storage medium.

Abstract: The air bearing design consists of four rectangular pads. Each pad features an open rectangular pocket located at the corner of the leading and inner (closer to the disc ID) edges. The pocket opens towards the slider's leading and inner edges. The increase in linear velocity from ID to OD dictates that the slider flies lower at ID than OD. The introduction of the open pocket can effectively offset the difference due to the linear velocity. As we move from ID to OD, the steps that the skewed airflow encounters change from the forward to reverse. Consequently, the lifting force generated by the air compression at the forward steps decrease, while the suction force produced by the air expansion at the reverse step increases, reaching a maximum at OD. Both of them offset the effect of the linear velocity, yielding a constant fly height profile from ID to OD.

Abstract: In an optical recording/reproducing apparatus, and in particular to a head of an optical recording/reproducing apparatus, the optical recording/reproducing apparatus includes a slider at which an objective lens is installed at a top surface of the slider and a solid immersion lens (SIL) installation hole formed below the objective lens penetrates toward to the bottom surface of the slider in order to install a SIL; a flying device fixedly installed around the SIL installation hole at the bottom surface of the slider in order to lift the slider above an optical recording medium; wherein a sectional area of the slider parallel to a surface of the optical recording medium increases from the bottom surface to the top surface.

Abstract: An optical head for optical recording/reading apparatus, which records and reads information with high reliability, by making use of an optical interaction with a medium in a minute area, on a high density medium revolving at high speed. It has a structure, in which an optical waveguide mechanism applies a loading force to a slider 6 receiving a buoyant force, and a system for introducing a light to the slider 6 and a system for applying the loading force are integrated into an identical body. As the result, a stable posture regulation of the slider 6 and an increase of the light intensity of irradiation on the medium can be achieved, and it becomes possible to record and read information with high reliability. Furthermore, by disposing a minute structure in the vicinity of an edge in the surface facing the medium of the slider 6, so that the minute structure can come closer to the medium, further improvement in high density can be made.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical data recording device using SIL (Solid Immersion Lens) in order to store information with high capacity, and more particularly to the multiple optical-recording apparatus capable of doing multiple information storage and play by forming multiple focus within the SIL. The present invention utilizes the optical technology by multiple source in order to overcome the limit of improving the recording speed and transfer rate due to the mechanical transfer and access, the flying head technology, which was proposed to increase the transfer rate and recording access speed in the near-field recording technology. The present invention can increase the recording speed and transfer rate using optical technology transcending the limit of mechanical transfer and access according to the number of the optical sources and focuses by recording and playing several pits simultaneously after forming multiple optical focus by multiple sources on the recording medium.

Abstract: A recording and/or reproducing head which is small-sized and lightweight and which does not require focussing servo. In order to achieve this result, a head slider is mounted on a supporting spring movable radially of an optical disc. The head slider includes a base having a recording medium facing surface facing the optical disc, a head unit mounted to the head slider so that an optical recording and/or reproducing head will face the optical disc, a connecting unit for connecting the head unit to the air outlet side of the base, and connecting beams including electro-mechanical transducer elements. The electro-mechanical transducer elements of the beams are driven in response to the supplied driving signals to cause fine movement of the recording and/or reproducing head relative to the optical disc along the tracking direction.

Abstract: A slider that carries a transducer in a storage device having a moving storage medium, includes a leading end, a trailing end, and a top area extending from the leading end to the trailing end. The top area is designed to face substantially away from the storage medium, while a bottom area of the slider, extending from the leading end to the trailing end, is designed to substantially face toward the storage medium. The bottom area is joined to the trailing end by a curved surface having a substantially constant radius of curvature from the trailing end to a point at least 0.025 millimeters away from the trailing end.

Abstract: A magneto-optical recording and reproduction device includes an optical pickup for irradiating a magneto-optical disk with a laser beam for performing at least one of information recording to a magneto-optical disk, information reproduction from the magneto-optical disk, and information erasure from the magneto-optical disk; a magnetic head for providing a magnetic field to a position of the magneto-optical disk irradiated with the laser beam for performing at least one of the information recording and the information erasure, the magnetic head being located opposite to the optical pickup with respect to the magneto-optical disk where the magneto-optical disk is mounted on the magneto-optical recording and reproduction device; a housing for accommodating the optical pickup; a guide shaft for moving the housing; a suspension for supporting the magnetic head; and an arm for connecting the suspension and the housing.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for providing a highly repeatable loading/unloading pathway for a read/write head of a disk drive.

Abstract: An optical head in which a graded index (GRIN) lens is provided. The optical head includes a slider connected to an arm and flying a predetermined distance above a recording layer for data recording, a GRIN lens mounted in the slider for focusing an incident beam to form a light spot of a predetermined size on its exit surface adjacent to the recording layer, form a light spot of and a light-emitting unit for emitting the incident light to the GRIN lens.

Abstract: A slider for an optical head for signal recording and/or reproduction on or from a recording medium which, even if reduced in size, assures optimum signal recording and/or reproduction on or from a recording medium, and which may be produced readily. The slider for the optical head includes a slider member for floating and running over a recording medium during recording and/or reproduction of information signals for the recording medium, an optical lens bonded to the slider member and a magnetic field generating unit provided on a surface of the slider member carrying the optical lens facing the recording medium. The slider member is formed with a terminal groove opened in a its surface facing the recording medium and in its lateral surface, with an electrically conductive material being charged in the terminal groove. The electrically conductive material charged forms a terminal electrically connected to the magnetic field generating unit.

Abstract: An optical head including a semiconductor laser source, a condenser lens, a photodiode for detecting a laser light emitter from said semiconductor laser source, and an optical coupler means for collecting the laser light to the photodiode. A chromatic aberration W of condenser lens is satisfied by an expression W(h,NA)={(NA)3&Dgr;&lgr;/4&lgr;}h, where h is a height of incident light from an optical axis on a hologram, NA is a numerical aperture, &Dgr;&lgr; is a wavelength fluctuation, and a &lgr; is a wavelength at recording. The height h is determined so that the chromatic aberration W becomes equal to or less than &lgr;/4.

Abstract: An objective lens system includes a first lens and a second lens. The first lens has a first surface for allowing entry of light and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The second lens has a spherical third surface and a flat fourth surface opposite to the third surface. The third surface faces the second surface and has a radius of curvature r0. The second lens has a thickness d0 and a refractive index n0. The thickness n0, the radius of curvature r0 and the refractive index n0 satisfy a relation: d0>r0>n0d0.

Abstract: A plate 2 with a photodiode PD is positioned with a slight interval with respect to a housing 1, a small amount of an ultraviolet curing adhesive 8a is applied to four portions each located between a corner of either side edge 2a of the plate 2 and the housing 1, the ultraviolet curing adhesive 8a is allowed to cure by application of ultraviolet rays thereto to temporarily fix the plate 2 to the housing 1, an appropriate amount of a thermosetting adhesive is applied to two portions each located between a central portion of either side edge 2a of the plate 2 and the housing 1, and the thermosetting adhesive 8b is allowed to cure by heating so as to finally fix the plate 2 to the housing 1.

Abstract: Techniques and medium structures for reducing signal distortions due to mass transfer from the medium surface to the optical head in optical storage devices in both far-field and near-field configurations. In one embodiment, a transparent capping layer is formed on a storage medium to have a sufficient thickness so that a beam spot size of an optical beam on the medium surface is sufficiently large to make a power density of the beam less than a threshold power density for mass transfer from the medium to the optical head.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical data recording device using SIL (Solid Immersion Lens) in order to store information with high capacity, and more particularly to the multiple optical-recording apparatus capable of doing multiple information storage and play by forming multiple focus within the SIL.

Abstract: An optical storage device that is characterized by an actuator assembly movably coupled within said optical information storage apparatus. A narrow buried heterojunction semiconductor laser is coupled to a distal end of the arm so that the arm moves the narrow buried heterojunction semiconductor laser into a near field relationship with an optical medium. A motor spins the optical medium at an operational speed.

Abstract: An optical data storage system writes or reads information with respect to an optical storage medium using an optical pickup including a solid immersion optical system or a solid immersion lens for generating a near-field and emitting a light beam. The optical storage medium includes a recording layer which is formed on a surface of an optical transmissive layer opposite to another surface of the optical transmissive layer which opposes the solid immersion optical system or solid immersion lens. The thickness of the optical transmissive layer is larger than one wavelength of the light beam. The interval between the surfaces of the solid immersion lens or solid immersion optical system and the optical transmissive layer is smaller than one wavelength of the light beam. Thus, the light beam reflected from the inside of an air gap and the inside of the optical storage medium between the air gap and the recording layer does not function as noise with respect to the light reflected from the recording layer.

Abstract: An optical data storage system writes or reads information with respect to an optical storage medium using an optical pickup including a solid immersion optical system or a solid immersion lens for generating a near-field and emitting a light beam. The optical storage medium includes a recording layer which is formed on a surface of an optical transmissive layer opposite to another surface of the optical transmissive layer which opposes the solid immersion optical system or solid immersion lens. The thickness of the optical transmissive layer is larger than one wavelength of the light beam. The interval between the surfaces of the solid immersion lens or solid immersion optical system and the optical transmissive layer is smaller than one wavelength of the light beam. Thus, the light beam reflected from the inside of an air gap and the inside of the optical storage medium between the air gap and the recording layer does not function as noise with respect to the light reflected from the recording layer.

Abstract: A near field recording/reproducing optical head including a light unit which radiates light having a predetermined wavelength at a recording medium and detects light reflected from a recording side of the recording medium, and an optical waveguide probe installed at a slider which is raised above the recording medium by dynamic air pressure attendant upon the rotation of the recording medium. The optical waveguide probe includes an optical waveguide installed at the slider such that its one end faces the recording medium, and a self focusing layer formed of a nonlinear optical material, of which the refractive index changes according to the intensity of an incident light beam, at the end of the optical waveguide facing the recording medium. The optical waveguide transmits incident light from the light unit to the recording medium and transmits incident light reflected from the recording medium to the light unit.