Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head with optically reflective shield material adjacent the waveguide

1. A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head for writing to a magnetic recording layer on a magnetic recording disk comprising:

a gas-bearing slider having a gas-bearing surface (GBS) for facing the magnetic recording layer on the disk, the GBS having an along-the-track axis and a cross-track axis orthogonal to the along-the-track axis;

a main pole on a surface substantially orthogonal to the GBS and having an output end substantially at the GBS;

a near-field transducer (NFT) on the slider oriented substantially parallel to the main pole, the NFT having an output tip substantially at the GBS aligned with the main pole output end in the along-the-track direction;

an optical waveguide on the slider for optical coupling with the NFT, the waveguide having a length generally orthogonal to the GBS and an end near the GBS; and

an optically reflective side shield adjacent each side of the cross-track sides of the NFT and adjacent each side of the cross-track sides of the waveguide end, wherein the cross-track gap width between the side shields adjacent the NFT at the GBS is different from the cross-track gap width between the side shields adjacent the waveguide end at the GBS.

2. The HAMR head of claim 1 wherein the cross-track gap width between the side shields at the GBS is between about 100 and 300 nm.

3. A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head for writing to a magnetic recording layer on a magnetic recording disk comprising:

a gas-bearing slider having a gas-bearing surface (GBS) for facing the magnetic recording layer on the disk, the GBS having an along-the-track axis and a cross-track axis orthogonal to the along-the-track axis;

a main pole on a surface substantially orthogonal to the GBS and having an output end substantially at the GBS;

a near-field transducer (NFT) on the slider oriented substantially parallel to the main pole, the NFT having an output tip substantially at the GBS aligned with the main pole output end in the along-the-track direction;

an optical waveguide on the slider for optical coupling with the NFT, the waveguide having a length generally orthogonal to the GBS and an end near the GBS;

an optically reflective side shield adjacent each side of the cross-track sides of the waveguide end; and

a return pole on a surface substantially orthogonal to the GBS, the return pole being coupled to the main pole and having an end substantially at the GBS, and wherein the waveguide end is located between the main pole and the return pole and the side shields extend in the along-the track direction from the waveguide end toward the return pole.

4. The HAMR head of claim 3 wherein the side shields are substantially in contact with the return pole.

5. The HAMR head of claim 3 further comprising a layer of NFT mirror material consisting essentially of Au between the side shields and the return pole and wherein the sides shields are substantially in contact with the NFT mirror layer.

6. A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head for writing to a magnetic recording layer on a magnetic recording disk comprising:

a gas-bearing slider having a gas-bearing surface (GBS) for facing the magnetic recording layer on the disk, the GBS having an along-the-track axis and a cross-track axis orthogonal to the along-the-track axis;

a main pole on a surface substantially orthogonal to the GBS and having an output end substantially at the GBS;

a near-field transducer (NFT) on the slider oriented substantially parallel to the main pole, the NFT having an output tip substantially at the GBS aligned with the main pole output end in the along-the-track direction;

an optical waveguide on the slider for optical coupling with the NFT, the waveguide having a length generally orthogonal to the GBS and an end near the GBS; and

an optically reflective side shield adjacent each side of the cross-track sides of the waveguide end, wherein the side shields have a first taper angle between the side shields and the GBS, wherein the first taper angle is between about 10 and 45 degrees, wherein the side shields have a second taper angle between the side shields and a plane parallel to but recessed from the GBS, and wherein the second taper angle is different from the first taper angle.

7. The HAMR head of claim 3 wherein the side shields have a curved surface in the cross-track direction from the GBS to a region recessed from the GBS.

8. The HAMR head of claim 3 wherein the side shields are non-parallel to the cross-track side edges of the waveguide end.

9. The HAMR head of claim 3 further comprising heat sink material adjacent the cross-track sides of the side shields.

10. The HAMR head of claim 9 wherein the heat sink material is selected from Cu, Au, Ag, Al, W, Ru, Cr, SiN, AlN, TiC, SiC, Be, Fe, FeCo and NiFe.

11. The HAMR head of claim 3 wherein the side shields are formed of a material selected from one or more of Au, Rh, Ir, Cu, Ag, Al, AlN, TiN, Ru, Cr, Pt, Ti, Fe, Co, Ni and Pd.

12. The HAMR head of claim 3 wherein the side shields are formed of a ferromagnetic material.

13. The HAMR head of claim 3 wherein the side shields are formed of multiple layers.

14. A heat-assisted recording (HAMR) disk drive comprising:

the HAMR head of claim 3 further comprising a magnetoresistive read head on the slider;

a laser for directing light to the waveguide; and

a magnetic recording disk having a magnetic recording layer.

15. A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head for writing to a magnetic recording layer on a magnetic recording disk comprising:

a gas-bearing slider having a gas-bearing surface (GBS) for facing the magnetic recording layer on the disk, the GBS having an along-the-track axis and a cross-track axis orthogonal to the along-the-track axis;

a main pole on a surface substantially orthogonal to the GBS and having an output end substantially at the GBS;

a near-field transducer (NFT) on the slider oriented substantially parallel to the main pole, the NFT having an output tip substantially at the GBS aligned with the main pole output end in the along-the-track direction;

an optical waveguide on the slider for optical coupling with the NFT, the waveguide having a length generally orthogonal to the GBS and an end near the GBS;

at least one optically reflective side shield adjacent a cross-track side of the NFT and waveguide end; and

a return pole on a surface substantially orthogonal to the GBS, the return pole being coupled to the main pole and having an end substantially at the GBS, and wherein the waveguide end is located between the main pole and the return pole in the along-the-track direction and the at least one side shield is located between the main pole and the return pole in the along-the-track direction and extends in the along-the track direction beyond the waveguide end toward the return pole.

16. The HAMR head of claim 15 wherein there is a side shield on each cross-track side of the NFT and waveguide end.

17. The HAMR head of claim 16 wherein one side shield is spaced from the waveguide end a greater distance than the spacing between the other side shield and the waveguide end.

18. The HAMR head of claim 16 further comprising heat sink material adjacent the cross-track sides of the side shields.

19. The HAMR head of claim 16 wherein the cross-track gap width between a portion of the side shields adjacent the NFT at the GBS is different from the cross-track gap width between a portion of the side shields adjacent the waveguide end at the GBS.

20. A heat-assisted recording (HAMR) disk drive comprising:

the HAMR head of claim 15 further comprising a magnetoresistive read head on the slider;

a laser for directing light to the waveguide; and

a magnetic recording disk having a magnetic recording layer.