Patent ID: 8451563

Claim:
A method for fabricating a side shield for a magnetic transducer having a nonmagnetic layer and an air-bearing surface location (ABS location) corresponding to an air-bearing surface (ABS), the nonmagnetic layer having a pole trench therein, the pole trench having a shape and location corresponding to the pole, the method comprising: depositing a wet etchable layer, a portion of the wet etchable layer residing in the pole trench; forming a pole having a pole tip region, the pole having a bottom and a top wider than the bottom in the pole tip region, a portion of the pole in the pole tip region residing in the pole trench on at least a first portion of the wet etchable layer; removing at least a second portion of the wet etchable layer and a portion of the nonmagnetic layer such that an air bridge resides between the portion of the pole at the ABS location and an underlying layer; and depositing at least one side shield layer, a portion of the at least one side shield layer substantially filling the air bridge.