# US 2013/0157382 A1 · Profile method in magnetic write head fabrication

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- Number: US 2013/0157382 A1
- Document ID: US20130157382A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/328,520
- Filed: 2011-12-16
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2011-12-16
- Assignees: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
- Inventors: Guomin Mao
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130157382A1

## CPC

- H10N 50/01: Manufacture or treatment
- G11B 5/1278: {specially adapted for magnetisations perpendicular to the surface of the record carrier}
- G11B 5/3116: {Shaping of layers, poles or gaps for improving the form of the electrical signal transduced, e.g. for shielding, contour effect, equalizing, side flux fringing, cross talk reduction between heads or between heads and information tracks (G11B5/3113, G11B5/245 take precedence)}
- G11B 5/3163: {Fabrication methods or processes specially adapted for a particular head structure, e.g. using base layers for electroplating, using functional layers for masking, using energy or particle beams for shaping the structure or modifying the properties of the basic layers}
- H10P 74/203: {Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects}
- H10P 74/23: {characterised by multiple measurements, corrections, marking or sorting processes}
- H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R)
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A method according to one embodiment includes depositing a dielectric hard mask layer above a polymer mask under-layer; forming a photoresist mask above the hard mask layer; transferring the image of the photoresist mask onto the hard mask layer using reactive ion etching, thereby defining a hard mask; determining that a critical dimension bias of the hard mask is within or outside a specification; and changing a level of an input source power used during a subsequent reactive ion etching step to move the critical dimension bias towards a target critical dimension bias when the critical dimension bias of the hard mask is outside the specification. Additional embodiments are also disclosed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
depositing a dielectric hard mask layer above a polymer mask under-layer;
forming a photoresist mask above the hard mask layer;
transferring the image of the photoresist mask onto the hard mask layer using reactive ion etching, thereby defining a hard mask;
determining that a critical dimension bias of the hard mask is within or outside a specification; and
changing a level of an input source power used during a subsequent reactive ion etching step to move the critical dimension bias towards a target critical dimension bias when the critical dimension bias of the hard mask is outside the specification.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the level of the input source power is selected based on a linear equation CDB=CDB0+A*ISP at a fixed input bias power, where CDB is a critical dimension bias, CDB0 is a constant representing an intersection of a linear result of the linear equation with the CDB axis, A is a slope of the linear result of the linear equation, and ISP is the input source power.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising changing the level of the input source power used during a subsequent reactive ion etching step when the critical dimension bias of the hard mask is inside the specification but away from the target critical dimension bias.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the target critical dimension bias corresponds to vertical sidewalls of the hard mask after the reactive ion etching.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining that the critical dimension bias of the hard mask is within or outside the specification includes detecting a critical dimension of the photoresist mask and critical dimension of the hard mask in a direction parallel to a plane of deposition of the hard mask layer, calculating the critical dimension bias using the detected photoresist mask critical dimension and the detected hard mask critical dimension, and determining whether the critical dimension bias falls within a range specified by the specification.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the input source power is increased when the critical dimension bias is less than the target critical dimension bias.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the input source power is decreased when the critical dimension bias is greater than the target critical dimension bias.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising transferring an image of the hard mask onto the underlayer using a second reactive ion etching having a different material selectivity than the reactive ion etching after determining that the critical dimension bias of the hard mask is within the specification.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the polymer mask underlayer overlies a magnetic write pole material, further comprising, after performing the second reactive ion etching, performing an ion milling to transfer the image of the under-layer onto the magnetic write pole material, thereby defining a magnetic write pole.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising repeating the: depositing the dielectric hard mask layer, forming the photoresist mask, and transferring the image when the critical dimension bias of the hard mask is outside the specification and using the changed level of the input source power.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising repeating the method on a second wafer using the changed input source power level.

### Claim 12

A method for manufacturing a magnetic write head, the method comprising:
providing a wafer;
depositing a magnetic write pole material on the wafer;
depositing an etch stop layer above the magnetic write pole material;
depositing a polymer mask under-layer above the etch stop layer;
depositing a dielectric hard mask layer above the under-layer;
forming a photoresist mask over the dielectric hard mask layer;
transferring the image of the photoresist mask onto the hard mask layer using reactive ion etching, thereby defining a hard mask;
determining that a critical dimension bias of the hard mask is within or outside a specification;
performing subsequent processing on the wafer when the critical dimension bias of the hard mask is within the specification; and
removing the hard mask when the critical dimension bias of the hard mask is outside the specification and repeating the forming the photoresist mask and the transferring using a different level of an input source power for the reactive ion etching, the different level being selected based on the determining.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the level of the input source power is selected based on a linear equation CDB=CDB0 A*ISP at a fixed input bias power, where CDB is a critical dimension bias, CDB0 is a constant representing an intersection of a linear result (e.g., line on a chart) of the linear equation with the CDB axis, A is a slope of the linear result of the linear equation, and ISP is the input source power.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising changing the level of the input source power used during a subsequent reactive ion etching step on a second wafer when the critical dimension bias of the hard mask is outside the specification, or inside the specification but away from a target critical dimension bias.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the target critical dimension bias corresponds to vertical sidewalls of the hard mask after the reactive ion etching.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The method as recited in claim 12, wherein determining that the critical dimension bias of the hard mask is within or outside the specification includes detecting a critical dimension of the hard mask in a direction parallel to a plane of deposition thereof, detecting a critical dimension of the photoresist mask in a direction parallel to a plane of deposition thereof, calculating the critical dimension bias of the hard mask using the detected critical dimensions of the photoresist mask and photoresist mask, and determining whether the critical dimension bias falls within a range specified by the specification.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the input source power is increased when the critical dimension bias is less than the target critical dimension bias.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the input source power is decreased when the critical dimension bias is greater than the target critical dimension bias.

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising transferring an image of the hard mask onto the underlayer using a second reactive ion etching having a different material selectivity than the reactive ion etching after determining that the critical dimension bias of the hard mask is within the specification.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising, after performing the second reactive ion etching, performing an ion milling to transfer the image of the under-layer onto the magnetic write pole material, thereby defining a magnetic write pole.