A magnetic write apparatus has a media-facing surface (MFS) and includes an auxiliary pole, coil(s) and a main pole having a pole tip and a yoke. The pole tip occupies part of the MFS. The yoke has a yoke length measured from the MFS in a yoke direction perpendicular to the MFS. The yoke length is less than four microns. The main pole has a total length in the yoke direction and a width in a cross-track direction. The main pole is continuous along the total length. The aspect ratio of the main pole is the total length divided by the width and exceeds one. The main pole includes surface(s) having a nonzero acute flare angle from the MFS. The auxiliary pole is adjacent to the main pole and recessed from the MFS by not more than 1.05 micron. The coil(s) energizes the main pole and have not more than two turns.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a substrate, and a thin film layer on the substrate having transducers therein. A portion of a bearing surface slot extends along the substrate, the portion of the bearing surface slot defining a skiving edge. A length of a tape bearing surface between the substrate and the skiving edge is in a range of about 7 to about 30 microns.

Systems and methods for controlling stray fields of a magnetic feature are provided. One such method can involve selecting a plurality of materials for a magnetic feature, selecting a plurality of additives, combining the plurality of materials for the magnetic feature and the plurality of additives in an electrolyte solution to form a combined solution, adding nitrogen to the combined solution, degassing the combined solution, depositing the combined solution as a thin film on a wafer using pulse plating, and lapping the thin film to form an edge of the magnetic feature. In several embodiments, the magnetic feature is a component of a magnetic transducer such as a writer pole, a reader shield, or a writer shield.

A write head having a main pole, a gap layer, and at least two sacrificial layers. In accordance with one embodiment, a method includes depositing a non-magnetic gap layer of material above a main pole layer of magnetic material; depositing a sacrificial layer of material above the non-magnetic gap layer of material; etching a portion of the sacrificial layer of material while not entirely removing the sacrificial layer of material; and depositing additional sacrificial material to the etched sacrificial layer.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a module having a substrate, read and write transducers positioned towards a media facing side of the module, and a closure. The write transducers include write poles having media facing sides with zero or near-zero recession from a plane extending along the media facing side of a substrate of the module. The read transducers each have two shields. Media facing sides of the two shields are recessed a same amount from the plane, and are more recessed from the plane than the write poles.

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a module having a substrate, read and write transducers positioned towards a media facing side of the module, and a closure. The write transducers include write poles having media facing sides with negative, zero or near-zero recession from a plane extending along the media facing side of a substrate of the module. The read transducers each have two shields. Media facing sides of the two shields are recessed a same amount from the plane, and are more recessed from the plane than the write poles.

A magnetic write apparatus has a media-facing surface (MFS) and includes an auxiliary pole, coil(s) and a main pole having a pole tip and a yoke. The pole tip occupies part of the MFS. The yoke has a yoke length measured from the MFS in a yoke direction perpendicular to the MFS. The yoke length is less than four microns. The main pole has a total length in the yoke direction and a width in a cross-track direction. The main pole is continuous along the total length. The aspect ratio of the main pole is the total length divided by the width and exceeds one. The main pole includes surface(s) having a nonzero acute flare angle from the MFS. The auxiliary pole is adjacent to the main pole and recessed from the MFS by not more than 1.05 micron. The coil(s) energizes the main pole and have not more than two turns.

A magnetic write apparatus has a media-facing surface (MFS) and includes an auxiliary pole, coil(s) and a main pole having a pole tip and a yoke. The pole tip occupies part of the MFS. The yoke has a yoke length measured from the MFS in a yoke direction perpendicular to the MFS. The yoke length is less than four microns. The main pole has a total length in the yoke direction and a width in a cross-track direction. The main pole is continuous along the total length. The aspect ratio of the main pole is the total length divided by the width and exceeds one. The main pole includes surface(s) having a nonzero acute flare angle from the MFS. The auxiliary pole is adjacent to the main pole and recessed from the MFS by not more than 1.05 micron. The coil(s) energizes the main pole and have not more than two turns.

A method according to one embodiment includes lapping an end of a section of a thin film wafer for polishing the end of the section, the section having a plurality of rows of transducers formed on a substrate. A bearing surface slot is formed in the polished end at a location that defines a tape bearing surface extending between the bearing surface slot and portions of the transducers exposed on the polished end. A row is sliced from the section, the row having the polished end and bearing surface slot.

Methods of forming a NFT the methods including forming a hard mask positioned over at least a portion of the rod, the hard mask including at least one layer; patterning a resist mask over the hard mask, the resist mask having an edge positioned over at least a portion of the rod; etching a portion of the hard mask to expose a back edge of the rod and to form a back edge of the hard mask, wherein the back edge of the rod is equivalent to the back edge of the peg; and wherein a forward portion of the rod which is the portion of the rod forward of the back edge is covered by the hard mask; forming a disc mask including a void configured to form a disc of a NFT, the disc mask being formed over at least a portion of the hard mask so that the exposed back edge of the rod is within the void configured to form the disc; etching an area exposed in the void of the disc mask to remove both a rear portion of the rod and the surrounding dielectric up to the back edge of the hard mask edge; depositing a disc material in the etched void, wherein the back edge of the hard mask defines the front edge of the disc and the back edge of the rod is in contact with the front edge of the disc; and polishing the deposited disc material to form a top surface substantially planar with the top of the forward rod portion.