Method for providing an energy assisted magnetic recording head in a wafer packaging configuration

A method for providing a plurality of energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) heads comprising:

• wafer bonding a semiconductor substrate including a plurality of lasers to a first substrate, the plurality of lasers corresponding to the plurality of EAMR heads and for providing energy to a plurality of EAMR transducers;
• thinning the semiconductor substrate;
• providing a sacrificial layer on a second substrate;
• fabricating the plurality of EAMR transducers and a plurality of read transducers for the plurality of EAMR heads on the second substrate, the sacrificial layer residing between the second substrate and the plurality of EAMR transducers, the plurality of EAMR transducers residing between the plurality of read transducers and the second substrate, each of the plurality of EAMR transducers including a main pole, a liner, and a near-field transducer (NFT), the main pole having a top, a plurality of sides and a pole thermal conductivity, the NFT for focusing the energy onto a media, the main pole residing between the NFT and the second substrate, the liner adjoining the plurality of sides of the main pole and having a liner thermal conductivity greater than the pole thermal conductivity;
• bonding the first substrate to the second substrate such that the plurality of EAMR transducers and the plurality of lasers reside between the first substrate and the second substrate;
• removing the second substrate;
• and
• separating the first substrate into the plurality of EAMR heads.