Abstract:
Methods for fabricating a shield structure for a pole tip of a write element for magnetic recording are disclosed. In illustrated embodiments disclosed, a side shield deposition is etched below a front edge surface of the pole tip and one or more depositions are deposited on the etched side shield deposition to form a side shield structure having an extended gap region to enhance performance of the write element. In illustrated embodiments, multiple gap depositions are deposited to form the extended gap region and side shield structure. One or both of the multiple gap depositions are etched to remove outer portions of the deposition prior to depositing the front shield structure.