Patent ID: 7930817

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a thermally assisted magnetic head having a medium-opposing surface, a core of an optical waveguide including a light exit surface formed on the medium-opposing surface, and a light-emitting device provided such that light emitted therefrom reaches a light entrance surface of the core of the optical waveguide, the method comprising: an opposing step of arranging a light-shielding film having a recessed surface and a pinhole formed within the recessed surface such that an end face on the recessed surface side of the pinhole of the light-shielding film and the light exit surface oppose each other, while the shortest distance between the light-shielding film and the medium-opposing surface in a thickness direction of the light-shielding film is shorter than the shortest distance between the end face on the recessed surface side of the pinhole and the light exit surface; a light-emitting step of causing the light-emitting device to emit light; and a detecting step of detecting the light transmitted through the pinhole after being emitted from the light exit surface.