Method for making narrow top poles for inductive magnetic heads

In a method of forming the top magnetic pole of an inductive magnetic head being formed on a wafer, the improvement comprising:

• forming a photolithographic material on the wafer that extends over a layer of insulating material at a hill region and gap region of the inductive magnetic head and over a waste region of the wafer;
• patterning a mask on the photolithographic material defining a paddle region over the hill region, a feeder region over the waste region, and a trench region between the feeder region and the paddle region, the trench region extending over the gap region;
• and
• admitting solvent into the feeder region to flow in a laminar flow through the feeder region, throughout the trench region and into the paddle region to form the mask and expose a surface of the layer of insulating material in the paddle and trench regions of the mask.