Elimination of write head plating defects using high activation chemically amplified resist
AssigneeHitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
InventorsKim Lee, Dennis McKean
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Abstract
Methods of forming a component of a thin film magnetic head and improving the plating of a component of a thin film magnetic head are provided. The methods include the use of a high activation energy chemically amplified photoresist (CARS) that is contacted with a low pH high saturation magnetic moment plating solution to form a magnetic head component that is essentially free of plating defects. The methods find utility in hard disk drive applications, such as in the manufacture of magnetic poles for the write head of a hard disk drive.
Claims30
A method of forming a component of a thin film magnetic head, wherein the magnetic head is formed from a structure that includes a substrate layer, a seedlayer deposited on the substrate layer, and a photoresist composition layer deposited on the seedlayer, comprising:
- providing a high activation energy chemically amplified photoresist composition as said photoresist composition layer;
- patternwise exposing said photoresist composition layer to an imaging radiation source to form a latent, patterned image in the photoresist composition layer;
- developing the latent image in the photoresist composition layer with a developer to form a patterned photoresist;
- and, performing a plating process to form the thin film magnetic head component by directly contacting the patterned photoresist with a plating process solution having a pH of less than about 3.0,
- wherein the plated thin film magnetic head component is essentially free of plating defects.
A method of improving the plating of a component of a thin film magnetic head, comprising
- forming a frame plating patterned photoresist layer from a layer of a high activation energy chemically amplified photoresist composition coated on a substrate layer, and
- directly contacting the patterned photoresist layer with a plating process solution having a pH of less than about 3.0,
- wherein the plated thin film magnetic head component is essentially free of plating defects.
In a method of plating a component of a thin film magnetic head, wherein a photoresist composition is layered on a substrate layer, formed into a patterned photoresist composition layer and contacted with a plating process solution having a pH of less than about 3.0 in order to form a component of the thin film magnetic head, the improvement which comprises employing a high activation energy chemically amplified photoresist composition as said photoresist composition such that the plated thin film magnetic head component is essentially free of plating defects arising from contact of the photoresist composition layer with the plating process solution.
A frame plating method, comprising:
- forming a pattern in a photoresist composition comprising a high activation energy chemically amplified photoresist, or in a layer of said photoresist composition formed on a substrate, by patternwise exposing said photoresist composition to an imaging radiation source to form a latent, patterned image in the photoresist composition;
- developing the latent image in the photoresist composition with a developer to form a patterned photoresist;
- performing a plating process using the patterned photoresist as a frame by directly contacting the patterned photoresist with a plating process solution having a pH of less than about 3.0, and
- removing the patterned photoresist.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.