US 5,472,736 A · Method of making a bi-level coil for a thin film magnetic transducer

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic transducer in which a layer of photoresist material is used to pattern the turns of a bi-level electrical coil. The thickness of the photoresist layer is increased to the maximum height of the bi-level coil. A multi-turn spiral type rectangular trench is formed to define the pattern of the coil structure. In the first coil plating step, a first coil section is plated in the trench to approximately the midpoint of its height. The layer of the resist material is then cured and a blocking mask is deposited over the portion of the first coil section that is not to be further increased in height. The area of the coil that is not blocked by the blocking mask is again plated using the initial pattern until each partial turn in the unblocked section reaches the top of the groove. The cured resist material and the blocking mask are then removed. Since both plating steps rely on the same pattern that has been formed in the photoresist material, alignment errors and mask tolerance problems experienced with prior art methods are virtually eliminated, thereby resulting in substantially higher yields and lower manufacturing costs.

Claims2

Dependent claims

A method of making a bi-level coil structure for a thin film magnetic transducer comprising the steps of:

depositing photoresist material on a base to a level that defines a height of said bi-level coil structure;
forming a patterned groove in said photoresist material, said patterned groove having a depth substantially equal to said height of said bi-level coil structure;
depositing a coil by plating conductive material in said groove to a level about the midpoint of the depth of said groove;
curing said photoresist material;
locating a blocking mask over a portion of said deposited coil, so that another portion of said deposited coil remains exposed;
plating a conductive material over the exposed portion of said deposited coil to a level substantially at the top of said groove so that said bi-level coil structure is formed as a continuous single coil of varying thickness;
and
depositing insulation material over said bi-level coil structure.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of making a bi-level coil for a thin film magnetic transducer

Life of this patent

Method of making a bi-level coil for a thin film magnetic transducer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims2