Patent ID: 8035930

Claim:
A side shield structure in a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) write head having a main pole layer with a write pole having top and bottom surfaces terminating at a pole tip at an air bearing surface (ABS) wherein said write pole is further comprised of two sides that each connect to a side of a flared portion of the main pole layer at a neck height (NH) distance from the ABS, comprising: (a) a first side shield section formed on either side of the write pole, said first side shield section has a first side along the ABS, a second side connected to the first side and facing a side of the write pole, a third side formed perpendicular to the ABS and at a greater distance from the write pole than the second side, and a fourth side opposite the first side; (b) a first non-magnetic gap layer with a certain thickness and having a top surface and bottom surface which are formed along planes that are parallel to the ABS, said bottom surface adjoins the fourth side of a first side shield section and said top surface adjoins a first side of a second side shield section on either side of the write pole; (c) a second non-magnetic gap layer that is formed along either side of the write pole and flared portion of the main pole layer, said second non-magnetic gap layer provides a first gap distance between a side of the write pole and a second side of the first side shield section, and provides a second gap distance between the sides of the flared portion and the second shield section; and (d) a second side shield section formed on either side of the flared portion of the main pole layer, said second side shield section has a first side parallel to the ABS and contacts the first non-magnetic gap layer, a second side formed parallel to a side of the flared portion of the main pole layer, a third side coplanar with a third side of the first side shield section, and a fourth side opposite the first side of the second side shield section.