Patent ID: 8023228

Claim:
A heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head mounted on a slider having an air-bearing surface (ABS) that faces a recording medium, the HAMR head comprising: a substrate which is attached on one side of the slider; a recording unit formed on the substrate and having a stepped end facing the ABS to allow magnetic flux to be condensed at the stepped end, thereby performing magnetic recording on the recording medium; a waveguide located in a space formed by the stepped end of the recording unit; a near field light emission (NFE) pole located adjacent to the recording unit and having an end located on a same plane as the ABS to generate near field light to illuminate the recording medium a shield layer located on the substrate, wherein the recording unit and the waveguide are located on the shield layer; and a reproduction device located between the substrate and the shield layer, and having an end existing on the same plane as the ABS.