A heat assisted magnetic recording head is provided, which can prevent an
effect of a heat in a laser diode when a magnetic recording region is
heated by a heating laser beam and which can reduce its size and weight.
In the heat assisted magnetic recording head, a recording magnetic pole,
a magnetic recording element, a magnetic read element, an optical
waveguide, and an irradiating optical waveguide are attached to a
floating slider provided below a suspension. The laser diode is arranged
on an opposite side of the suspension to the floating slider. The heating
laser beam emitted from the laser diode is directed to the irradiating
optical waveguide through the optical waveguide, so that a magnetic
recording medium is irradiated with the heating laser beam exiting from
the irradiating optical waveguide.