High performance thin film magnetic write element having high Bsat poles and method for making same

Abstract

A high performance magnetic write element incorporated in a read/write head having a lower pole including high Bsat back gap and write gap pedestals. The write element further including an upper pole connected with the lower pole to form a yoke and a coil disposed within the yoke and enclosed covered with a write gap material and surrounded by insulating material. The write gap material provides separation between the first and second poles at one end of the yoke to form a write gap therebetween. A method of forming the write element of the present invention includes forming the first pole and building thereupon a back gap pedestal and a write gap pedestal at back and front ends of the first pole respectively. A dielectric layer is deposited on top of the first pole and planarized to have an upper surface coplanar with the top of the first and second pedestals. Upon the dielectric layer the coil is formed on which is deposited the write gap material. The write gap material is deposited so as to cover both the back gap and write gap pedestals. An insulation layer is deposited over the write gap material and masked to avoid covering the pedestals. After curing the insulation layer, an etching process removes at the location of the back gap material. The upper pole can then be formed onto the structure to form the yoke. Covering back gap pedestal with write gap material until the insulation has been cured effectively prevents corrosion of the back gap pedestal which would otherwise be caused by the high temperatures necessary to cure the insulation layer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.