Method of manufacture of a composite shared pole design for magnetoresistive merged heads and device manufactured thereby

A method of manufacturing a magnetic recording head comprising:

• forming a low magnetic moment first magnetic shield layer over a substrate,
• forming a read gap layer with a magnetoresistive head over said first shield layer,
• forming a seed layer over said read gap layer,
• forming a frame mask with width “W” over said seed layer,
• forming a low magnetic moment second magnetic shield layer over said read gap layer over said seed layer,
• forming a non-magnetic spacer layer over said second magnetic shield layer,
• forming a first high magnetic moment pole layer over said second magnetic shield layer,
• forming a write gap layer over said first high magnetic moment pole layer,
• forming a second high magnetic moment pole layer over said write gap layer, and
• outside of said frame mask performing the step of removing the portions said second magnetic shield layer, said first high magnetic moment pole layer, said write gap layer, said second high magnetic moment pole, and said seed layer.

A merged read/write magnetic recording head comprising:

• a low magnetic moment first magnetic shield layer over a substrate, and
• a read gap layer with a magnetoresistive head over said first shield layer,
• a shared pole comprising:
• a) a low magnetic moment second magnetic shield layer over said read gap layer, and
• b) a high magnetic moment lower pole layer over said second magnetic shield layer,
• a write gap layer over said first high magnetic moment pole layer of said shared pole, and
• an upper pole comprising a high magnetic moment pole layer over said write gap layer.

A magnetic recording head comprising:

• a low magnetic moment first magnetic shield layer over a substrate,
• a read gap layer with a magnetoresistive head over said first shield layer,
• a seed layer over said read gap layer,
• a frame mask with width “W” over said seed layer,
• a plated low magnetic moment second magnetic shield layer over said read gap layer over said seed layer,
• a plated non-magnetic spacer layer over said second magnetic shield layer,
• a plated first high magnetic moment pole layer over said second magnetic shield layer,
• a write gap layer over said first high magnetic moment pole layer,
• a second high magnetic moment pole layer over said write gap layer, and
• outside of said frame mask performing the step of removing the portions said second magnetic shield layer, said first high magnetic moment pole layer, said write gap layer, said second high magnetic moment pole, and said seed layer.