Patent ID: 8125856

Claim:
An energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) disk drive comprising: a media for storing data; a slider having a back side, a trailing face, and an air-bearing surface (ABS) opposite the back side; at least one laser coupled with the trailing face of the slider, each of the at least one laser having an optic axis substantially parallel to the trailing face of the slider, the at least one laser providing energy substantially along the optic axis; optics coupled with the trailing face of the slider, the optics receiving the energy from the at least one laser via free space; at least one EAMR transducer coupled with the slider, and at least a portion of the transducer residing in proximity to the ABS, the optics for directing the energy from the at least one laser to the at least one EAMR transducer, the at least one EAMR transducer receiving the energy from the optics and writing to the media using the energy, wherein the at least one EAMR transducer further includes at least one waveguide optically coupled with the optics and including at least one tapered portion for focusing the energy, the at least one tapered portion including a waveguide optic axis substantially parallel to the trailing face of the slider, wherein the at least one waveguide further includes at least one bending portion optically coupled with the at least one tapered portion, the bending portion for redirecting the energy by at least one hundred seventy and not more than one hundred ninety degrees.