Method and system for providing a perpendicular magnetic recording transducer using a low energy mill

A method for fabricating a magnetic recording transducer comprising:

• providing a main pole having a bottom and a top wider than the bottom;
• providing a bevel capping layer on the top of the main pole, the bevel capping layer being nonmagnetic;
• providing a bottom antireflective coating (BARC) on the bevel capping layer;
• providing a mask on the BARC distal from an air-bearing surface (ABS) location;
• performing a high energy ion mill at an angle from a normal to the top of the main pole and at a first energy after the mask is provided, the high energy ion mill removing a portion of the top of the main pole proximate to the ABS, a portion of the BARC proximate to the ABS, and a portion of the bevel capping layer proximate to the ABS, the high energy ion mill exposing a top bevel surface of the main pole, the first energy being greater than seven hundred electron volts, the angle being at least thirty-five degrees and not more than fifty-five degrees;
• removing the mask and the BARC after the high energy ion mill;
• performing a low energy ion mill at second energy and a glancing angle from the top bevel surface, the glancing angle being at least ten and not more than fifteen degrees, the second energy being less than two hundred electron volts;
• depositing a nonmagnetic gap;
• and
• providing a wrap-around shield on the nonmagnetic gap.

A magnetic recording transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) comprising:

• a main pole having a bottom, a top wider than the bottom, and a top bevel proximate to the ABS;
• an amorphous layer on the top bevel and having a thickness of less than twenty Angstroms;
• a nonmagnetic gap, at least a portion of the nonmagnetic gap residing on the top bevel;
• and
• a wrap-around shield on the nonmagnetic gap.