Pole trimming method for fabricating a magnetic transducer structure

摘要

A method for forming a magnetic transducer structure. There is first provided a substrate. There is then formed over the substrate a lower magnetic pole layer. There is then formed upon the lower magnetic pole layer a gap filling dielectric layer. There is then formed at least in part upon the gap filling dielectric layer a patterned positive photoresist layer employed in defining through a plating method an upper magnetic pole layer formed at least in part upon the gap filling dielectric layer. The patterned photoresist layer has a first region defining a pole tip of the upper magnetic pole layer and a second region defining a magnetic coil region of the upper magnetic pole layer. The first region of the patterned positive photoresist layer is photoexposed either before or after forming through the plating method the upper magnetic pole layer defined by the patterned positive photoresist layer. The first region of the patterned positive photoresist layer is developed after forming through the plating method the upper magnetic pole layer. Finally, there is then anisotropically etched the upper magnetic pole layer, the gap filling dielectric layer and the lower magnetic pole layer at the location of the first region of the patterned photoresist layer to form an etched upper magnetic pole layer, an etched gap filling dielectric layer and an etched lower magnetic pole layer while employing an anisotropic etch method having a first etch selectivity of the gap filling dielectric layer with respect to the upper magnetic pole layer of at least about 2:1 and a second etch selectivity of the lower magnetic pole layer with respect to the upper magnetic pole layer of at least about 1:1.