Patent ID: 8369192

Claim:
A thermally-assisted magnetic recording head, comprising: a pole that generates a writing magnetic field from an end surface that forms a part of an air bearing surface that opposes a magnetic recording medium; a waveguide through which light for exciting surface plasmon propagates; and a plasmon generator that couples to the light in a surface plasmon mode to generate near-field light from a near-field light generating end surface that forms a part of the air bearing surface, wherein the waveguide is arranged on a back side of the pole along a direction perpendicular to the air bearing surface from the perspective of the air bearing surface side, the plasmon generator has a plane part and a projection part that is projected from the plane part to the waveguide side and that opposes the pole and the waveguide with a predetermined gap therebetween, the pole has a projection part opposing surface that opposes the projection part, and the distance between the projection part opposing surface and the projection part is 10-40 nm.