Wrap-Around Shielded Writer with Highly Homogeneous Shield Material

Abstract

A perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) head is fabricated with a main pole shielded laterally by a pair of side shields, shielded above by a trailing shield and shielded optionally below by a leading shield. The shields and the seed layers on which they are formed are formed of materials having substantially the same physical characteristics including the same material composition, the same hardness, the same response to processes such as ion beam etching (IBE), chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), mechanical lapping, such as the slider ABS lapping, the same coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) as well as the same B s . Optionally, the trailing shield may be formed on a high B s seed layer to provide the write head with improved down-track performance.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A PMR write head comprising:
 a main pole;   a magnetic shield at least partially surrounding said main pole and formed in the ABS plane of said pole tip, wherein said shield includes a trailing shield portion and a portion including two side shields, wherein said trailing and side shield portions are formed of the same magnetic material and are formed using the same seed layers and form a substantially continuous structure, and wherein   said trailing and side shield portions are separated from said main pole by a substantially continuous non-magnetic layer, wherein said non-magnetic layer forms a write gap layer extending laterally between inner edges of said side shields and along a trailing edge of said main pole and wherein said non-magnetic layer forms a side gap between side edges of said main pole and inner edges of said side shields.   
     
     
         2 . The PMR write head of  claim 1  further including a leading edge shield portion formed beneath a leading edge of said main pole and continuous with said trailing edge shield portion and said side shield portions and thereby completely surrounding said main pole and wherein said leading edge shield portion is separated from said main pole by a leading edge gap that is formed as a portion of said non-magnetic layer. 
     
     
         3 . The PMR write head of  claim 1  wherein said main pole is formed of material having a high B s , ranging from 2.2 T to 2.4 T. 
     
     
         4 . The PMR write head of  claim 3  wherein said main pole is formed of NiFe, CoFe, CoNiFe, CoFePd, or CoFeN. 
     
     
         5 . The PMR write head of  claim 1  wherein said leading and trailing shields and their seed layers, are formed of material having a B s  ranging from 1.5 T to 2.2 T. 
     
     
         6 . The PMR write head of  claim 5  wherein said material is NiFe, CoFe, CoNiFe, CoFePd, or CoFeN.