Method for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic write head with a thin wrap around magnetic shield
AssigneeHitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
InventorsMing Jiang, Changqing Shi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A magnetic write head for perpendicular magnetic recording having a thin wrap-around magnetic shield. The small thickness and forming method of the thin wrap-around magnetic shield allow it to be electroplated using a thin photoresist frame mask. The thin photoresist frame mask has better critical dimension and straight wall control than a thicker mask, which allows the wrap-around magnetic shield to be constructed with much more straight and uniform back edge for shield throat height control than is possible when forming a thicker (i.e. taller) shield. The thin wrap-around magnetic shield can be stitched to a trailing return pole to avoid magnetic saturation of the wrap-around shield.
Claims20
A magnetic write head for perpendicular magnetic data recording, comprising:
- a magnetic write pole, extending to an air bearing surface and having a trailing edge, a leading edge and first and first and second sides that each extend from the trailing edge to the leading edge the distance between the trailing edge and the lead edge defining a write pole height;
- a non-magnetic trailing gap layer formed at the trailing edge of the write pole;
- first and second non-magnetic side gap layers formed at the first and second sides of the write pole;
- and
- a wrap-around trailing magnetic shield that wraps around the write pole, non-magnetic side gap layers and trailing gap layer, the wrap-around trailing shield having a thickness measured parallel with that air bearing surface that is less than the write pole height.
A method for manufacturing a magnetic write head for perpendicular magnetic recording, the method comprising;
- providing a substrate;
- forming a write pole over the substrate, the write pole having a trailing edge, a leading edge and first and second, laterally opposed sides, the distance between the leading edge and the trailing edge defining a write pole height;
- forming non-magnetic side gap layers at the first and second sides of the write pole and a non-magnetic trailing gap layer at the trailing edge of the write pole;
- electroplating a wrap around magnetic trailing shield over the write pole, trailing gap layer, side gap layers and substrate, the wrap around magnetic trailing shield being electroplated to a thickness that is less than the height of the write pole;
- depositing a non-magnetic fill layer;
- performing a chemical mechanical polishing process;
- forming a mask over the non-magnetic fill layer, the mask having an opening in a region removed from the write pole;
- performing a material removal process to remove a portion of the fill layer that is exposed through the opening in the mask, thereby forming an opening in the non-magnetic fill layer, the material removal process being performed sufficiently to expose the magnetic wrap-around trailing shield within the opening in the non-magnetic fill layer;
- and
- electroplating a magnetic trailing return pole over the fill layer, such that the magnetic trailing return pole extends into the opening in the fill layer to contact the wrap-around trailing magnetic shield within the opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.