A laser diode device is affixed to a mounting face of a slider, opposite the air bearing surface. The laser includes a submount having an electrically conductive surface layer that is normal to the mounting face. The electrically conductive surface layer is a patterned metal layer that includes a lateral probing region and a laser mounting region to which a laser is soldered. The laser mounting region is connected to the lateral probing region by a bridge portion of the patterned metal layer. The laser mounting region is otherwise separated from the lateral probing region by a solder blocking gap in which the submount lacks the patterned metal layer, and which is adjacent to the laser. The solder blocking gap defines a solder blocking gap height normal to the mounting face that is in the range of ⅔rds to ⅚ths of a total height of the laser mounting region.