Patent ID: 8486285

Claim:
A method of forming a write pole, comprising the steps of: forming a damascene trench in a substrate layer of a wafer; forming a stop layer over the substrate layer of the wafer after the step of forming the damascene trench, the stop layer having an opening above the damascene trench in the substrate layer; forming a buffer layer over the stop layer, the buffer layer having an opening above the opening of the stop layer; plating a layer of magnetic material over the wafer after the stop layer and the buffer layer are formed; disposing a first sacrificial material over a region of the magnetic material above the damascene trench; performing a milling or etching operation over the wafer to remove the magnetic material not covered by the first sacrificial material and to remove the first sacrificial material; disposing a second sacrificial material over the wafer; and performing a polishing operation over the wafer to remove the region of the magnetic material above the damascene trench, to remove the second sacrificial material, and to remove the buffer layer.