Thin-film electrode layer, thin film magnetic head using the same, and method for forming electrodes in a thin film magnetic head
AssigneeAlps Electric Co., Ltd.
InventorsAkira Takahashi, Jun Takahashi, Yuko Kawasaki, Kenji Honda, Naohiro Ishibashi, Eiji Umetsu
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Abstract
A thin-film electrode layer having a superior electromigration resistance is disclosed. The thin-film electrode layer includes a first base layer composed of β-Ta, a main conductive layer composed of Au, and a protective layer. The protective layer is a composite of a Cr sublayer and an α-Ta sublayer. A thin-film magnetic head having the thin-film electrode layers and a method for forming electrodes in the thin-film magnetic head are also disclosed.
Claims18
A thin-film electrode layer comprising:
- a base layer including a first base sublayer including β-Ta and a second base sublayer including Cr;
- a main conductive layer including Au;
- and
- a protective layer,
- wherein the second base sublayer is disposed between the first base sublayer and the main conductive layer.
A method for making electrodes of a thin-film magnetic head, comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a first base sublayer comprising β-Ta on a magnetoresistive element and on permanent magnet layers disposed at the two sides of the magnetoresistive element;
- (b) forming a second base sublayer comprising Cr on the first base sublayer;
- (c) forming a main conductive layer comprising Au on the second base sublayer;
- (d) forming protective layers on the main conductive layer at regions outside a track width region of the magnetoresistive element;
- (e) performing reactive ion etching on the main conductive layer using the protective layers as a mask to remove a portion of the main conductive layer that lies inside the track width region;
- and
- (f) performing ion milling on the first base sublayer and the second base sublayer to remove portions of the first base sublayer and the second base sublayer that lie inside the track width region.
A method for making electrodes of a thin-film magnetic head, comprising the steps of:
- (g) forming a first base sublayer comprising β-Ta on an antiferromagnetic bias layer disposed on a magnetoresistive element;
- (h) forming a second base sublayer comprising Cr on the first base sublayer;
- (i) forming a main conductive layer comprising Au on the second base sublayer;
- (j) forming a protective layer comprising β-Ta on the main conductive layer;
- (k) forming mask layers comprising Cr on the protective layer at portions outside a track width region of the magnetoresistive element;
- (l) performing reactive ion etching on the protective layer and the main conductive layer using the mask layers to remove portions of the protective layer and the main conductive layer that lie inside the track width region;
- and
- (m) performing ion milling on the first base sublayer and the second base sublayer using the protective layer as a mask to remove portions of the first base sublayer and the second base sublayer that lie inside the track width region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.