Patent ID: 6972928

Claim:
A magnetic recording transducer, said transducer having a thin film magnetic write head of reduced feature size made by a process that comprises the steps of: forming a polymeric base layer over a substrate; applying a hardmask layer over said base layer; applying an imaging photoresist layer over said hardmask layer; defining a trench in said photoresist layer that exposes said hardmask layer, said trench having substantially vertical side walls and a bottom defined by said hardmask layer; depositing a spacer layer isotropically or directionally at an angle using a deposition process to cover said trench side walls; performing a first anisotropic etching process to remove horizontal portions of said spacer layer and said hardmask from said trench bottom while leaving intact vertical portions of said spacer layer that cover said trench side walls, thereby initiating formation of a first portion of a narrowed trench; and performing a second anisotropic etching process to extend said narrowed trench through said base layer to said substrate; whereby a magnetic write head feature of reduced feature size may be formed in said narrowed trench.