A magnetic head includes a slider body having a trailing surface meeting an air-bearing surface at a trailing edge, with a thin-film transducer disposed on the trailing surface of the slider body near the trailing edge. The thin-film transducer includes a coil embedded between first and second poles. A resistive heating element is disposed adjacent and electrically insulated from, the coil. Application of power to the resistive heating element causes expansion of at least the first and second poles.

A magnetic head includes a slider having an air bearing surface (ABS) and a trailing surface, with a transducer fabricated on the trailing surface. The transducer includes an adjunct pole disposed in a first general plane, the adjunct pole having a front edge that is recessed from the ABS and a rear edge. A main pole of the transducer is formed adjacent the adjunct pole, the main pole having a write tip that extends approximately to the ABS. A write coil having a first layer of turns is disposed in a second general plane below the adjunct pole. The magnetic head further includes a heating element, a portion of the heating element being disposed in the first general plane behind the rear edge of the adjunct pole.

A thin film magnetic head includes a slider body having a trailing surface meeting an air-bearing surface at a trailing edge. A magnetic read and write elements are disposed along the trailing surface near the trailing edge. The magnetic write element includes write poles and a coil. A portion of a heating element is disposed in a first general plane beneath the coil and above the magnetic read element. At least one thermally-insulating layer of material having a thermal conductivity of less than about 2.0 W/m-K extends in a second general plane substantially beneath the heating element.