Patent ID: 8345383

Claim:
A method of forming a PMR head on a substrate, comprising: (a) depositing a first dielectric layer having a top surface on a substrate and forming an opening with sidewalls and a bottom therein that corresponds to the shape of a main pole layer to be deposited in a subsequent step; (b) sequentially depositing a stack of layers on said first dielectric layer that fills said opening; said stack of layers comprises a lower second dielectric layer; a seed layer on the second dielectric layer; and a main pole layer with a bottom surface and two sidewalls contacting the seed layer wherein said main pole layer includes a narrow pole section terminating at an ABS and a second section having flared sides adjoining the narrow pole section at an end opposite the ABS; (c) planarizing said stack of layers along a top surface of the seed layer to provide a planar top surface of the main pole layer; (d) performing a two step ion beam etch (IBE) process consisting of: (1) a first IBE step with vertical directionality that removes a portion of said seed layer to expose a top surface of the first dielectric layer within a certain distance of the ABS; and (2) a second IBE step with an angular component to form a taper on the top surface of the narrow pole section and a portion of the second section; (e) removing exposed portions of the first dielectric layer except within a certain distance of the narrow pole section and second section; (f) depositing a write gap layer on the first dielectric layer and main pole layer, said write gap, first dielectric layer, and second dielectric layer together form a side gap on either side of the narrow pole section and a portion of the second section; (g) removing the write gap layer over a portion of the main pole layer where a top yoke is to be deposited in a subsequent step; (h) depositing a magnetic layer on the write gap and main pole layer comprising: (1) a side shield having a sidewall on either side of the narrow pole section and along a portion of the second section, and adjacent to said side gap wherein a first side gap distance between each side shield sidewall and main pole layer sidewall along the top surface of said narrow pole section and second section is less than a second side gap distance between each side shield sidewall and main pole layer sidewall along the bottom surface of said narrow pole section and second section; (2) a trailing shield formed above a top surface of said narrow pole section; and (3) a top yoke formed on a portion of the main pole layer; and (i) removing a photoresist layer between the trailing shield and top yoke to form a trench opening that is subsequently filled with a dielectric layer.