Method and system for providing a perpendicular magnetic recording head

1. A method for providing a PMR pole in a magnetic recording transducer including an intermediate layer, the method comprising:

providing a mask on the intermediate layer, the mask including a line;

providing a hard mask layer on the mask;

removing the line, thereby providing an aperture in the hard mask corresponding to the line;

forming a trench in the intermediate layer under the aperture, the trench having a bottom and a top wider than the bottom; and

providing a PMR pole, at least a portion of the PMR pole residing in the trench.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the line includes a photoresist line.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of forming the trench further includes:

performing at least one reactive ion etch to remove a portion of the intermediate layer.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a nonmagnetic layer in the trench, at least a portion of the nonmagnetic layer residing in the trench, the PMR pole residing on the nonmagnetic layer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing the PMR pole further includes:

providing a planarization stop layer;

plating a PMR pole layer on the planarization stop layer; and

performing a planarization.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing the PMR pole further includes:

providing a seed layer for the PMR pole layer on the planarization stop layer.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a bottom antireflective coating (BARC) under the mask; and

transferring the line to the BARC before the step of providing the hard mask layer, a remaining portion of the BARC residing under the line.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

removing the remaining portion of the BARC under the line after the line has been removed.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of removing the line further includes:

performing a planarization of the hard mask.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the top of the PMR pole has a width not more than one hundred fifty nanometers.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the width is not more than one hundred nanometers.

12. A method for providing a magnetic recording transducer including an intermediate layer, the method comprising:

providing a bottom antireflective coating (BARC) on the intermediate layer;

providing a mask on the BARC, the mask including a line;

transferring the line to the BARC, a remaining portion of the BARC residing under the line;

providing a hard mask layer on the mask;

performing a first chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) to expose the line, thereby providing an aperture in the hard mask corresponding to the line;

performing a lift-off to remove the line;

removing the remaining portion of the BARC under the line after the line has been removed;

performing a reactive ion etch to form a trench in the intermediate layer under the aperture, the trench having a bottom and a top wider than the bottom; and

providing the PMR pole, at least a portion of the PMR pole residing in the trench.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

providing a nonmagnetic layer in the trench, at least a portion of the nonmagnetic layer residing in the trench; and

providing a CMP stop layer on the nonmagnetic layer.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of providing the PMR pole further includes:

providing a seed layer on the CMP stop layer;

plating a PMR pole layer on the planarization stop layer; and

performing a planarization.