Patent ID: 8797680

Claim:
A perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) transducer comprising: a PMR pole having a top with a plurality of edges, a bottom, and a plurality of sidewalls, the bottom having a bottom width, the top having a top width bigger than the bottom width; an intermediate layer adjacent to the plurality of sidewalls and having an intermediate layer top surface; a write gap on the PMR pole, the write gap including a first layer on the PMR pole, the first layer including a planarization stop layer, the planarization stop layer extending only to the plurality of edges of the top of the PMR pole and adjoining the PMR pole, the planarization stop layer having a top surface, the intermediate layer to surface being aligned with the to surface of the planarization stop layer; and a shield on the write gap, the shield including a bottom surface, a portion of the bottom surface proximate to the PMR pole being substantially flat.