Patent ID: 8619518

Claim:
A thermally assisted magnetic head comprising: a main magnetic pole layer having a magnetic pole end face arranged within a medium-opposing surface opposing a magnetic recording medium; a near-field light generating layer having a generating end part arranged within the medium-opposing surface, the generating end part generating near-field light for heating the magnetic recording medium; and an optical waveguide guiding light to the near-field light generating layer, wherein the optical waveguide has a waveguide end face arranged within the medium-opposing surface, and extends in a depth direction intersecting the medium-opposing surface from the waveguide end face, and has an upper end face on a side closer to the main magnetic pole layer, wherein an interposed layer which is in direct contact with an outer surface of the optical waveguide including the upper end face is provided, wherein the near-field light generating layer has a near-field light generating part having the generating end part and formed above the upper end face of the optical waveguide via the interposed layer, and an expanded part connected with the near-field light generating part at a position more distant from the medium-opposing surface than is the near-field light generating part and formed on an outer surface of the interposed layer, and wherein the expanded part has a base part formed above the upper end face via the interposed layer, and an extended base part formed above a side face of the optical waveguide wherein the side face is connected with the upper end face via the interposed layer and connected with the base part.