Method for providing a pole in a magnetic recording transducer using a cathodic etch

A method for fabricating a magnetic recording transducer having an ABS location and an intermediate layer having a pole trench therein, the intermediate layer being nonmagnetic, the method comprising:

• plating at least one magnetic pole layer in a plating solution at a first cathodic current, the at least one magnetic pole layer having a top surface and a pole tip portion, a first portion of the at least one magnetic pole layer residing in the trench, the at least one magnetic pole layer having a seam in the pole tip portion extending to the top surface of the at least one magnetic pole layer, the at least one magnetic pole layer further including Co35Ni4Fe61 and having a saturation magnetization of at least 2.3 T;
• applying a second cathodic current to the at least one magnetic pole layer in the plating solution to cathodically etch a second portion of the at least one magnetic pole layer from the seam at a rate of not more than 0.1 nanometers/second and form a seam trench therein, the second cathodic current being less than the first cathodic current;
• plating at least one magnetic refill layer in the plating solution at a third cathodic current, the at least one magnetic refill layer configured to refill the seam trench, the at least one additional magnetic refill layer further including Co61Ni9Fe30 and having a refill saturation magnetization of at least 2.0 T, the third cathodic current being greater than the second cathodic current and less than the first cathodic current;
• and
• plating at least an additional magnetic pole layer in the plating bath at a fourth cathodic current, the fourth cathodic current being substantially the same as the first cathodic current, the additional magnetic pole layer residing layer on at least the top surface of the at least one magnetic pole layer and the magnetic refill layer, the at least one additional magnetic pole layer further including the Co35Ni4Fe61 and having the saturation magnetization of at least 2.3 T.