Patent ID: 8578594

Claim:
A process for fabricating a magnetic recording transducer having a main pole including a pole top, a plurality of sides, and a shield adjacent to at least one of the plurality of sides for use in a data storage system, comprising: providing a substrate, an underlayer and a first nonmagnetic intermediate layer deposited to a first thickness on and in contact with the underlayer; performing a first scanning polishing on a first section of the first intermediate layer to planarize the first section of the first intermediate layer to a second thickness; providing a plurality of trenches in the first section of the first intermediate layer; providing a plurality of main poles in the plurality of trenches in the planarized first section of the first intermediate layer; providing a first pattern of photoresist on and in contact with the first section of the first intermediate layer, the pattern comprising an aperture to define a side shield trench; performing a wet etch to remove at least a portion of the first intermediate layer thereby exposing at least one of the plurality of main pole sides; and depositing side shield material in the side shield trench.