A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) disk has a magnetic recording layer (typically a FePt chemically-ordered alloy), a seed-thermal barrier layer (typically MgO) below the recording layer, a heat-sink layer, and an optical-coupling multilayer of alternating plasmonic and non-plasmonic materials between the heat-sink layer and the seed-thermal barrier layer. Unlike a heat sink layer, the multilayer has very low in-plane and out-of-plane thermal conductivity and thus does not function as a heat sink layer. The multilayer's low thermal conductivity allows the multilayer to also function as a thermal barrier. Due to the plasmonic materials in the multilayer it provides excellent optical coupling with the near-field transducer (NFT) of the HAMR disk drive.

A device including a near field transducer, the near field transducer including gold (Au) and at least one other secondary atom, the at least one other secondary atom selected from: boron (B), bismuth (Bi), indium (In), sulfur (S), silicon (Si), tin (Sn), hafnium (Hf), niobium (Nb), manganese (Mn), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te), carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O), and combinations thereof; erbium (Er), holmium (Ho), lutetium (Lu), praseodymium (Pr), scandium (Sc), uranium (U), zinc (Zn), and combinations thereof; and barium (Ba), chlorine (Cl), cesium (Cs), dysprosium (Dy), europium (Eu), fluorine (F), gadolinium (Gd), germanium (Ge), hydrogen (H), iodine (I), osmium (Os), phosphorus (P), rubidium (Rb), rhenium (Re), selenium (Se), samarium (Sm), terbium (Tb), thallium (Th), and combinations thereof.

A device including a near field transducer, the near field transducer including gold (Au) and at least one other secondary atom, the at least one other secondary atom selected from: boron (B), bismuth (Bi), indium (In), sulfur (S), silicon (Si), tin (Sn), hafnium (Hf), niobium (Nb), manganese (Mn), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te), carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O), and combinations thereof; erbium (Er), holmium (Ho), lutetium (Lu), praseodymium (Pr), scandium (Sc), uranium (U), zinc (Zn), and combinations thereof; and barium (Ba), chlorine (Cl), cesium (Cs), dysprosium (Dy), europium (Eu), fluorine (F), gadolinium (Gd), germanium (Ge), hydrogen (H), iodine (I), osmium (Os), phosphorus (P), rubidium (Rb), rhenium (Re), selenium (Se), samarium (Sm), terbium (Tb), thallium (Th), and combinations thereof.

A recording head includes a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head and a waveguide that overlaps and delivers light to the near-field transducer. The recording head includes subwavelength-sized focusing mirror comprising first and second reflectors disposed on cross track sides of the near-field transducer. Each of the first and second reflectors is spaced apart from the media-facing surface by a distance, D, measured along an axis normal to the media-facing surface.

A recording head includes a near-field transducer proximate a media-facing surface of the recording head and a waveguide that overlaps and delivers light to the near-field transducer. The recording head includes subwavelength-sized focusing mirror comprising first and second reflectors disposed on cross track sides of the near-field transducer. Each of the first and second reflectors is spaced apart from the media-facing surface by a distance, D, measured along an axis normal to the media-facing surface.

A device including a near field transducer, the near field transducer including gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), or aluminum (Al), and at least two other secondary atoms, the at least two other secondary atoms selected from: boron (B), bismuth (Bi), indium (In), sulfur (S), silicon (Si), tin (Sn), manganese (Mn), tellurium (Te), holmium (Ho), lutetium (Lu), praseodymium (Pr), scandium (Sc), uranium (U), barium (Ba), chlorine (Cl), cesium (Cs), dysprosium (Dy), europium (Eu), fluorine (F), germanium (Ge), hydrogen (H), iodine (I), rubidium (Rb), selenium (Se), terbium (Tb), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), carbon (C), antimony (Sb), gadolinium (Gd), samarium (Sm), thallium (Tl), cadmium (Cd), neodymium (Nd), phosphorus (P), lead (Pb), hafnium (Hf), niobium (Nb), erbium (Er), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), palladium (Pd), vanadium (V), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), sodium (Na), strontium (Sr), calcium (Ca), yttrium (Y), thorium (Th), beryllium (Be), thulium (Tm), erbium (Er), ytterbium (Yb), promethium (Pm), neodymium (Nd cobalt (Co), cerium (Ce), lanthanum (La), praseodymium (Pr), or combinations thereof.

A device including a near field transducer, the near field transducer including gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), or aluminum (Al), and at least two other secondary atoms, the at least two other secondary atoms selected from: boron (B), bismuth (Bi), indium (In), sulfur (S), silicon (Si), tin (Sn), manganese (Mn), tellurium (Te), holmium (Ho), lutetium (Lu), praseodymium (Pr), scandium (Sc), uranium (U), barium (Ba), chlorine (Cl), cesium (Cs), dysprosium (Dy), europium (Eu), fluorine (F), germanium (Ge), hydrogen (H), iodine (I), rubidium (Rb), selenium (Se), terbium (Tb), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), carbon (C), antimony (Sb), gadolinium (Gd), samarium (Sm), thallium (Tl), cadmium (Cd), neodymium (Nd), phosphorus (P), lead (Pb), hafnium (Hf), niobium (Nb), erbium (Er), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), palladium (Pd), vanadium (V), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), sodium (Na), strontium (Sr), calcium (Ca), yttrium (Y), thorium (Th), beryllium (Be), thulium (Tm), erbium (Er), ytterbium (Yb), promethium (Pm), neodymium (Nd cobalt (Co), cerium (Ce), lanthanum (La), praseodymium (Pr), or combinations thereof.

A near field transducer (NFT) is formed between a waveguide and main pole at an air bearing surface (ABS). The NFT includes a rod-like front portion (PG1) and a substantially triangular shaped back portion (PG2) with a dielectric separation layer therebetween. PG1 is formed on a first dielectric layer with thickness t1 and refractive index (RI1) while PG2 is on a second dielectric layer with thickness t2 and having refractive index (RI2) where t1>t2, and RI1>RI2 while PG1 has a tapered backside at angle 45+15 degrees to promote efficient energy transfer from PG2 to PG1 and reduce NFT heating. A dielectric layer that induces poor adhesion with PG1 may be inserted between below PG1 at the ABS to cause Au recession to occur at the PG1 leading side thereby preventing voids at the PG1 trailing side and ensuring good ADC performance.

A near field transducer (NFT) is formed between a waveguide and main pole at an air bearing surface (ABS). The NFT includes a rod-like front portion (PG1) and a substantially triangular shaped back portion (PG2) with a dielectric separation layer therebetween. PG1 is formed on a first dielectric layer with thickness t1 and refractive index (RI1) while PG2 is on a second dielectric layer with thickness t2 and having refractive index (RI2) where t1>t2, and RI1>RI2 while PG1 has a tapered backside at angle 45+15 degrees to promote efficient energy transfer from PG2 to PG1 and reduce NFT heating. A dielectric layer that induces poor adhesion with PG1 may be inserted between below PG1 at the ABS to cause Au recession to occur at the PG1 leading side thereby preventing voids at the PG1 trailing side and ensuring good ADC performance.

A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) disk has a magnetic recording layer (typically a FePt chemically-ordered alloy), a seed-thermal barrier layer (typically MgO) below the recording layer, a heat-sink layer, and an optical-coupling multilayer of alternating plasmonic and non-plasmonic materials between the heat-sink layer and the seed-thermal barrier layer. Unlike a heat sink layer, the multilayer has very low in-plane and out-of-plane thermal conductivity and thus does not function as a heat sink layer. The multilayer's low thermal conductivity allows the multilayer to also function as a thermal barrier. Due to the plasmonic materials in the multilayer it provides excellent optical coupling with the near-field transducer (NFT) of the HAMR disk drive.