Magnetic pole fabrication process and device
AssigneeUnaxis USA Inc.
InventorsBoris Kobrin, Edward Ostan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for fabricating an electroplating mask for the formation of a miniature magnetic pole tip structure. The method incorporates a silylation process to silylate photoresist after creating a photoresist cavity or trench in the electroplating mask. The silylation process is performed after a dry etch of the photoresist. Alternatively, silylation is performed after a lithographic patterning of the trench. As a result of chemical biasing, the vertical side walls of the photoresist layer shift inward creating a narrower trench. The resulting structure formed after electroplating has a width of less than 0.3 micrometers. This structure can be used as a magnetic pole of a thin film head (“TFH”) for a data storage device.
Claims16
A method for fabricating a multi-layer electroplating mask for the formation of a submicrometer structure, the multi-layer electroplating mask including a substrate, a seedlayer deposited on said substrate, a first photoresist layer deposited on said seedlayer, a hard mask layer deposited on said first photoresist layer, and a second photoresist layer deposited on said hard mask layer, said first photoresist layer being thicker than said second photoresist layer, comprising:
- performing a photoresist etch of said first photoresist layer to define a trench having vertical sidewalls;
- and
- after said photoresist etch, performing a silylation of said trench for a predetermined period of time to narrow said trench in width.
A method for fabricating a multi-layer electroplating mask for the formation of a submicrometer magnetic structure, the multi-layer electroplating mask including a substrate, a seedlayer deposited on said substrate, and a photoresist layer deposited on said seedlayer, said photoresist layer having a thickness of about 4 micrometers to about 6 micrometers, comprising:
- lithographically patterning said photoresist layer with an exposure to define a trench having vertical sidewalls;
- and
- performing a silylation of said trench for a predetermined period of time to narrow said trench in width.
A method of fabricating a submicrometer structure from a multilayer electroplating mask structure that includes a substrate, a seedlayer deposited on said substrate, and a first photoresist layer deposited on said seed-layer, comprising:
- lithographically patterning said photoresist layer with an exposure to define a trench having vertical sidewalls;
- developing said photoresist layer;
- performing a silylation of said trench to narrow said trench in width;
- performing an electroplating process to form a submicrometer structure that is coupled to said seedlayer.
A method of fabricating a submicrometer structure from a multi-layer electroplating mask structure that includes a substrate, a seedlayer deposited on said substrate, a first photoresist layer deposited on said seedlayer, a hard mask layer deposited on said first photoresist layer, and a second photoresist layer deposited on said hard mask layer, said first photoresist layer being thicker than said second photoresist layer, comprising:
- performing a photoresist etch of said first photoresist layer to define a trench having vertical sidewalls;
- after said photoresist etch, performing a silylation of said trench for a predetermined period of time to narrow said trench in width;
- and
- performing an electroplating process to form a submicrometer structure that is coupled to said seedlayer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.