Method for fabricating a magnetic writer having an asymmetric gap and shields

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9153255-B1
Application number	US-201414289345-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 28, 2014
Priority date	Mar 5, 2014
Publication date	Oct 6, 2015
Grant date	Oct 6, 2015

Abstract

A method and system provide a magnetic transducer. An intermediate including multiple sublayers is provided. A trench is formed in the intermediate layer. A main pole having a bottom, a top wider than the bottom, a first side and a second side opposite to the first side is provided in the trench. An asymmetric gap is provided along the first and second sides of the main pole. The asymmetric gap terminates closer to the top of the main pole along the first side than on the second side. The asymmetric gap has a first thickness along the first side and a second thickness different from the first thickness along the second side. An asymmetric shield is provided on the asymmetric gap. The asymmetric shield includes a half side shield having a bottom between the top and the bottom of the main pole and terminating on the asymmetric gap.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for fabricating magnetic transducer having air-bearing surface (ABS) location comprising:
providing an intermediate layer including a plurality of sublayers;
forming a trench in the intermediate layer using at least one etch;
providing a main pole in the trench, the main pole having a bottom, a top wider than the bottom, a first side and a second side opposite to the first side;
providing an asymmetric gap along the first side and the second side of the main pole, the asymmetric gap terminating closer to the top of the main pole along the first side than on the second side of the main pole, the asymmetric gap having a first thickness along the first side of the main pole and a second thickness along the second side of the main pole, the second thickness being different from the first thickness; and
providing an asymmetric shield on the asymmetric gap, the asymmetric shield including a half side shield, a bottom of the half side shield being between the top and the bottom of the main pole and terminating on the asymmetric gap.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing the intermediate layer further includes:
providing a first sublayer in at least a side shield region;
providing an etch stop layer on the first sublayer in the at least the side shield region; and
providing a second sublayer on the etch stop layer in the at least the side shield region.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing the asymmetric gap further includes:
removing a first portion of the intermediate layer along the first side;
providing a first nonmagnetic layer, a first portion of the first nonmagnetic layer residing along the first side of the main pole, a second portion of the first nonmagnetic layer residing between the top of the main pole and the bottom of the main pole and having a first top surface extending in a cross track direction;
removing a second portion of the intermediate layer along the second side of the main pole; and
providing a second nonmagnetic layer, a first portion of the second nonmagnetic layer residing along the second side of the main pole, a second portion of the second nonmagnetic layer residing between the top and the bottom of the main pole and having a second top surface extending in the cross track direction.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the second nonmagnetic layer has a third portion on the second portion of the first nonmagnetic layer, the third portion of the second nonmagnetic layer being closer to the top of the main pole than the second portion of the second nonmagnetic layer.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the bottom of the half side shield resides on the second portion of the first nonmagnetic layer and the third portion of the second nonmagnetic layer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a first portion of the bottom of the half side shield is adjacent to the first side of the main pole, a second portion of the bottom of the half side shield is adjacent to the second side of the main pole and wherein the first portion of the bottom of the half side shield is closer to the top of the main pole than a second portion of the bottom of the half side shield.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing the main pole further includes:
providing at least one main pole layer;
planarizing the at least one main pole layer a remaining portion of the at least one main pole layer having a bottom, a top wider than the bottom, a first side and a second side opposite to the first side; and
forming a trailing bevel in the main pole layer.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the second thickness is less than the first thickness.

9. A method for fabricating magnetic transducer having air-bearing surface (ABS) location comprising:
providing a first sublayer in at least a side shield region;
providing an etch stop layer on the first sublayer in the at least the side shield region;
providing a second sublayer on the etch stop layer in the at least the side shield region, the first sublayer, the second sublayer and the etch stop layer forming an intermediate layer;
forming a trench in the intermediate layer using at least one etch, the trench including a first portion in the first sublayer, a second portion in the second sublayer and a third portion in the etch stop layer;
depositing a seed layer, a portion of the seed layer residing in the trench;
depositing at least one main pole layer;
planarizing the at least one main pole layer a remaining portion of the main pole layer having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side;
removing a first portion of the second sublayer along the first side, thereby exposing a first portion of the etch stop layer on the first side;
providing a first nonmagnetic layer, a first portion of the first nonmagnetic layer residing along the first side, a second portion of the first nonmagnetic layer residing between the top and the bottom of the remaining portion of the main pole layer, the second portion of the first nonmagnetic layer residing on the first portion of the etch stop layer;
providing a sacrificial layer on the first nonmagnetic layer;
providing a trailing bevel in the remaining portion of the main pole layer, thereby forming a main pole having a bottom, a top wider than the bottom, a first main pole side corresponding to the first side and a second main pole side opposite to the first main pole side and corresponding to the second side;
removing a second portion of the intermediate layer along the second side of the main pole and a portion of the sacrificial layer on the first side, exposing the second portion of the first nonmagnetic layer and a second portion of the etch stop layer on the second main pole side;
providing a second nonmagnetic layer, a first portion of the second nonmagnetic layer residing along the second main pole side, a second portion of the second nonmagnetic layer being between the top and the bottom of the main pole and residing on the second portion of the etch stop layer, a third portion of the second nonmagnetic layer residing on the second portion of the first nonmagnetic layer, the first portion of the first nonmagnetic layer, the second portion of the first nonmagnetic layer, the first portion of the second nonmagnetic layer, the second portion of the second nonmagnetic layer and the third portion of the second nonmagnetic layer forming an asymmetric gap layer having a first thickness along the first main pole side and a second thickness along the second main pole side, the first thickness being greater than the second thickness; and
providing an asymmetric shield on the asymmetric gap and the top gap, the asymmetric shield including a half side shield, a bottom of the half side shield being between the top and the bottom of the main pole and terminating on the asymmetric gap, a first portion of the bottom of the half side shield along the first main pole side being closer to the top of the main pole than a second portion of the bottom of the half side shield along the second main pole side.

Assignees

• Western Digital Fremont Llc

Inventors

• Zheng Yi
• Jiang Ming

Classifications

• G11B5/115

  Shielding devices arranged between heads or windings ({G11B5/265} , G11B5/29 take precedence) · CPC title

• G11B5/6082

  Design of the air bearing surface · CPC title

• G11B5/1278 Primary

  specially adapted for magnetisations perpendicular to the surface of the record carrier · CPC title

• G11B5/315

  Shield layers on both sides of the main pole, e.g. in perpendicular magnetic heads · CPC title

• G11B5/3163

  Fabrication methods or processes specially adapted for a particular head structure, e.g. using base layers for electroplating, using functional layers for masking, using energy or particle beams for shaping the structure or modifying the properties of the basic layers · CPC title