Thermally-assisted magnetic recording head having a heat sink

A thermally-assisted magnetic recording head comprising:

• a medium facing surface facing a recording medium;
• a main pole producing a write magnetic field for writing data on the recording medium;
• a waveguide including a core through which light propagates, and a cladding provided around the core;
• a plasmon generator configured to excite a surface plasmon based on the light propagating through the core;
• and
• a heat sink facilitating dissipation of heat from the plasmon generator, wherein
• the heat sink includes a first metal layer, a second metal layer, and an intermediate layer,
• the intermediate layer is interposed between the first metal layer and the second metal layer,
• each of the first and second metal layers is formed of a metal material, and
• the intermediate layer is formed of a material that is higher in Vickers hardness than the metal material used to form the first metal layer and the metal material used to form the second metal layer.