Method for making a write head for magnetic recording

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9972345-B1
Application number	US-201514974743-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A method includes depositing a layer of pole material on a substrate. The layer of pole material has a bottom surface that is adjacent to the substrate and a top surface that is opposite the bottom surface. A masking material is deposited over a portion of the top surface. Material from the pole material unprotected by the masking material is removed to form a write pole having first and second side walls. At least a portion of a trench formed by removal of the material from the layer of pole material is filled with a sacrificial material. The mask and a portion of the write pole at the top surface are removed to form a beveled trailing edge surface. The sacrificial material is then removed. Front shield gap material is deposited over the beveled trailing edge surface and over portions of the side walls.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
depositing a layer of pole material on a substrate, the layer of pole material having a bottom surface adjacent to the substrate and a top surface opposite the bottom surface;
depositing a masking material over a portion of the top surface;
removing material from the pole material unprotected by the masking material to form a write pole having first and second side walls between the portion of the top surface protected by the masking material and the substrate;
filling at least a portion of at least one trench formed by removal of the material from the layer of pole material with a sacrificial material;
removing the mask and removing a portion of the write pole at the top surface to form a beveled trailing edge surface of the write pole;
removing the sacrificial material after forming the beveled trailing edge surface; and
depositing front shield gap material over the beveled trailing edge surface and along portions of the side walls.

2. The method of claim 1 and wherein the sacrificial material comprises a copper layer.

3. The method of claim 2 and wherein the removing the sacrificial material after forming the beveled trailing edge surface comprises carrying out a wet etch process to remove the copper layer.

4. The method of claim 1 and wherein the filling at least the portion of the at least one trench with the sacrificial material comprises substantially entirely filling the at least one trench with the sacrificial material.

5. The method of claim 1 and wherein the filling at least the portion of the at least one trench with the sacrificial material comprises only partially filling the at least one trench with the sacrificial material to form a sacrificial structure that occupies a first portion of the trench.

6. The method of claim 5 and further comprising filling a second portion of the trench unoccupied by the sacrificial structure with an insulating material.

7. The method of claim 6 and further comprising depositing or plating at least one side shield after removing the sacrificial structure and in place of the removed sacrificial structure, wherein a thickness of the deposited or plated at least one side shield corresponds to a thickness of the sacrificial structure.

8. The method of claim 1 and further comprising depositing a front shield seed material on the front shield gap material deposited over the beveled trailing edge surface and along the portions of the side walls.

9. The method of claim 8 and further comprising removing portions of the front shield seed material deposited on portions of the front shield gap material deposited along the portions of the side walls.

10. The method of claim 1 and further comprising depositing shield material to form a front shield over the front shield gap and side shields below the front shields.

11. The method of claim 10 and wherein the front shield and the side shields are formed in a single deposition step.

12. The method of claim 10 and wherein the front shield and the side shields are formed in separate deposition steps.

13. A write head formed by the method of claim 1 .

14. A method comprising:
depositing a layer of pole material on a substrate, the layer of pole material having a bottom surface adjacent to the substrate and a top surface opposite the bottom surface;
depositing a masking material over a portion of the top surface;
removing material from the pole material unprotected by the masking material to form a write pole having first and second side walls between the portion of the top surface protected by the masking material and the substrate;
partially filling at least one trench formed by removal of the material from the layer of pole material with a sacrificial material to form a sacrificial structure that occupies a first portion of the trench, and filling a second portion of the trench with an insulating material;
removing the mask;
removing the sacrificial structure; and
depositing front shield gap material over the beveled trailing edge surface and along portions of the side walls.

15. The method of claim 14 and further comprising depositing at least one side shield after removing the sacrificial structure and in place of the removed sacrificial structure, wherein a thickness of the deposited at least one side shield corresponds to a thickness of the sacrificial structure.

16. The method of claim 14 and further comprising removing a portion of the write pole at the top surface to form a beveled trailing edge surface of the write pole after removing the mask and before removing the sacrificial structure.

17. A method comprising:
depositing a layer of pole material on a substrate, the layer of pole material having a bottom surface adjacent to the substrate and a top surface opposite the bottom surface;
depositing a masking material over a portion of the top surface;
removing material from the pole material unprotected by the masking material to form a write pole having first and second side walls between the portion of the top surface protected by the masking material and the substrate;
filling at least a portion of at least one trench formed by removal of the material from the layer of pole material with a sacrificial material;
removing the mask;
performing at least one shaping operation on the write pole;
removing the sacrificial material after performing the at least one shaping operation; and
depositing front shield gap material over the beveled trailing edge surface and along portions of the side walls.

18. The method of claim 17 and wherein performing the at least one shaping operation on the write pole comprises removing a portion of the write pole at the top surface to form a beveled trailing edge surface of the write pole.

19. The method of claim 17 and further comprising depositing shield material to form a front shield over the front shield gap and side shields below the front shields without any separation between the front shield and the side shields by the front shield gap.

20. The method of claim 17 and wherein the filling at least the portion of the at least one trench with the sacrificial material comprises only partially filling the at least one trench with the sacrificial material to form a sacrificial structure that occupies a first portion of the trench, and filling a second portion of the at least one trench with an insulating material.

Assignees

• Seagate Technology Llc

Inventors

• Tian Wei
• Yin Hauqing
• Lu Lei
• Luo Yong
• Mundenar Joseph

Classifications

• G11B5/1278 Primary

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

• G11B5/112

  Manufacture of shielding device · CPC title

• G11B5/1272 Primary

  Assembling or shaping of elements (G11B5/1278 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G11B5/232

  Manufacture of gap · CPC title

• G11B5/315

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