Granted Patent B1

US 8,689,430 · App. 11/605,635 · Granted Apr 8, 2014

Abstract

Claims (45)

1. A method for providing a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) head comprising:

forming a PMR pole having a bottom and a top wider than the bottom, the step of forming the PMR pole further including

providing a resist layer;

forming a trench in the resist layer, the trench having a trench bottom and a trench top wider than the trench bottom; and

plating the at least one magnetic pole layer, a portion of the at least one magnetic pole layer residing in the trench;

depositing a side gap over the PMR pole;

providing a side shield on the side gap;

performing a planarization step, the planarization step removing a portion of the side shield on the PMR pole;

providing a top gap on the PMR pole, the top gap covering substantially at least the PMR pole; and

providing a top shield.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pole forming further includes:

providing a metal underlayer, the PMR pole layer residing on the metal underlayer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the pole forming further includes:

forming a mask on the at least one magnetic pole layer;

defining the PMR pole utilizing the mask.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the pole forming further includes:

providing a planarization stop layer on the at least one magnetic pole layer.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the planarization stop layer is a diamond-like carbon layer and wherein the pole forming further includes:

performing a chemical mechanical planarization on the at least one magnetic pole layer.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the pole forming further comprising:

removing a remaining portion of the planarization stop layer before the top gap is formed.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the top gap has a thickness and the side gap has a width, a ratio of the width to the thickness being greater than one.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the ratio of the width to the thickness is at least two.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the ratio of the width to the thickness is at least three.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the side gap includes:

providing at least one of an aluminum oxide layer, a silicon oxide layer, a silicon nitride layer, and a tantalum oxide layer.

11. A method for providing a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) head comprising:

forming a PMR pole having a bottom and a top wider than the bottom;

depositing a side gap over the PMR pole;

providing a side shield on the side gap;

performing a planarization step, the planarization step removing a portion of the side shield on the PMR pole;

providing a top gap on the PMR pole, the top gap covering substantially at least the PMR pole; and

providing a top shield;

wherein the step of providing the pole further includes;

providing a metal underlayer;

providing a resist layer;

forming a trench in the resist layer, the trench having a trench bottom and a trench top wider than the trench bottom; and

plating the at least one magnetic pole layer, a portion of the at least one magnetic pole layer residing in the trench.

12. A method for providing a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) head comprising:

forming a PMR pole having a bottom and a top wider than the bottom, the PMR pole forming including forming the PMR pole utilizing a pseudo-damascene process;

depositing a side gap over the PMR pole, the side gap having a width;

providing a side shield on the side gap;

performing a planarization step, the planarization step removing a portion of the side shield on the PMR pole;

providing a top gap on the PMR pole, the top gap covering the PMR pole, the top gap having a thickness, a ratio of the width of the side gap to the thickness of the top gap being at least two; and

providing a top shield.

Assignments (10)