A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) write apparatus includes a laser for providing energy and resides in proximity to a media during use. The HAMR write apparatus includes a write pole that writes to a region of the media, coil(s) for energizing the write pole and a waveguide optically coupled with the laser. The waveguide includes at least one multi-mode interference (MMI) device. The MMI device has at least one input, a plurality of outputs, a propagation section and a multi-mode interference (MMI) section. Energy from the laser propagates through the propagation section before the MMI section. The propagation section expands the energy from the laser to a plurality of modes. A first portion of the outputs is output from the propagation section. The MMI section is between the propagation section and a second portion of the plurality of outputs.