Trailing plated step
View Patent ↗Methods for fabrication of magnetic write heads, and more specifically to fabrication of magnetic poles and trailing magnetic pole steps. A write pole may first be patterned on a substrate. Then a side gap material may be patterned along sidewall portions of the write pole. Thereafter, a masking layer may be deposited and patterned to expose a portion of the write pole. A trailing magnetic pole step may be formed on the exposed portion of the write pole.
1. A method for fabricating a magnetic head, comprising:
patterning a write pole on a substrate;
patterning a side gap material along one or more sidewall portions of the write pole;
depositing a masking layer over at least the write pole and the side gap material;
patterning the masking layer to expose a portion of the write pole; and
forming a trailing step on the exposed portion of the write pole, the trailing step comprising laminations of magnetic layers separated by alumina, wherein the magnetic pole is a flared pole having a first width at an air bearing surface (ABS) portion of the magnetic pole and an increasing width starting at a flare point and extending away from the ABS, wherein the trailing step is formed only over a surface of the magnetic pole that extends between the flare point and a top of the magnetic pole, the top of the magnetic pole being at an opposite end of the ABS.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the trailing step comprises electroplating the trailing step using the exposed portion of the write pole as a seed layer.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the write pole and the trailing step are composed of the same materials.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the side gap material is alumina.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the side gap material forms a part of a shield gap configured to separate the magnetic pole from a magnetic shielding layer.
6. A method for fabricating a magnetic head, comprising:
determining one or more dimensions of a magnetic pole and a first location on a substrate for forming the magnetic pole;
determining one or more dimensions of a trailing step and a second location on the magnetic pole for forming the trailing step;
patterning the magnetic pole at the first location;
measuring one or more dimensions of the patterned magnetic pole;
adjusting at least one of the one or more dimensions of the trailing step and the second location based on the measured one or more dimensions of the patterned magnetic pole; and
patterning the trailing step on the magnetic pole according to the adjusted one of the one or more dimensions of the trailing step and the second location, the trailing step comprising laminations of magnetic layers separated by alumina, wherein the magnetic pole is a flared pole having a first width at an air bearing surface (ABS) portion of the magnetic pole and an increasing width starting at a flare point and extending away from the ABS, wherein the trailing step is formed only over a surface of the magnetic pole that extends between the flare point and a top of the magnetic pole, the top of the magnetic pole being at an opposite end of the ABS.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the write pole and the trailing step are composed of the same materials.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the write pole and the trailing step are composed of one of:
Nickel-Iron (NiFe);
Cobalt-Nickel-Iron (CoNiFe); and
Cobalt-Iron (CoFe).
9. The method of claim 6 , wherein patterning the trailing step comprises electroplating the trailing step using the exposed portion of the write pole as a seed layer.
10. A method for fabricating a magnetic head, comprising:
patterning a write pole on a substrate;
patterning a side gap material along one or more sidewall portions of the write pole;
measuring one or more dimensions of the patterned magnetic pole;
depositing a masking layer over at least the write pole and the side gap material;
patterning the masking layer to expose a portion of the write pole, wherein dimensions of the exposed portion are determined based on the measured one or more dimensions of the patterned magnetic pole; and
forming a trailing step on the exposed portion of the write pole, the trailing step comprising laminations of magnetic layers separated by alumina, wherein the magnetic pole is a flared pole having a first width at an air bearing surface (ABS) portion of the magnetic pole and an increasing width starting at a flare point and extending away from the ABS, wherein the trailing step is formed only over a surface of the magnetic pole that extends between the flare point and a top of the magnetic pole, the top of the magnetic pole being at an opposite end of the ABS.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the write pole and the trailing step are composed of the same materials.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the side gap material is alumina.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the side gap material forms a part of a shield gap configured to separate the magnetic pole from a magnetic shielding layer.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein forming the trailing step comprises electroplating the trailing step using the exposed portion of the write pole as a seed layer.