Ionized physical vapor deposition (IPVD) is used to form a magnetic recording disk drive write head main pole with thin side gap layers and a thicker leading gap layer. A metal or metal alloy is formed by IPVD in a trench with a bottom and outwardly sloping sidewalls. An optional Ru seed layer is deposited on the metal or metal alloy. This is followed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) of a Ru smoothing layer. If the IPVD results in metal or metal alloy side gap layers with a rough surface, the ALD process is modified, resulting in a smooth Ru smoothing layer that does not replicate the rough surface of the side gap layers.