Patent ID: 8295132
Filing Date: 2012-10-23
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A thermally assisted magnetic recording (TAMR) head comprising: (a) a main pole layer having a leading edge and a trailing edge formed along an air bearing surface (ABS), said leading edge and trailing edge are part of a leading side and trailing side, respectively, and said TAMR head and main pole layer move in a down-track direction over a magnetic medium during a write process; (b) an optical waveguide for directing input light frequencies to a plasmon antenna; (c) the plasmon antenna having a first side and magnetic core that adjoins the main pole layer, and a second side and third side comprised of a plasmon layer overlaid on the main core and converging at a vertex (tip) that faces away from the main pole layer, said plasmon layer generates an edge plasmon mode proximate to the vertex when coupled with electromagnetic radiation from the waveguide and transfers energy from the edge plasmon mode onto a localized region of said magnetic medium thereby heating said localized region and reducing its magnetic coercivity and anisotropy; (d) a plasmon shield formed in a down-track direction from the plasmon antenna and main pole layer, and separated from said vertex and plasmon antenna by a dielectric gap layer, said plasmon shield forms an essentially conformal layer on a first surface of an adjoining magnetic shield and has a width in a and comprises: (e) the magnetic shield formed along the ABS and adjoining the first section of plasmon shield opposite the first side, and adjoining the second section of plasmon shield opposite the second side, said first surface of the magnetic shield interfaces with the first section of plasmon shield.