Magnetic pole fabrication process and device
AssigneeUnaxis USA Inc.
InventorBoris Kobrin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for fabricating a submicrometer structure. The method incorporates a sputtering process to deposit an electromagnetic material from a seedlayer onto a vertical sidewall. The vertical sidewall is subsequently removed, leaving a free-standing pole-tip. The resulting structure formed can have a a width of less than 0.3 micrometers, if desired. This structure can be used as a magnetic pole of a thin film head (“TFH”) for a data storage device.
Claims14
A method for forming a submicrometer structure from a multi-layer mask structure, the multi-layer mask structure including a substrate, a seedlayer deposited on said substrate, a first polymer layer deposited on said seedlayer, a mask layer deposited on said first polymer layer, and a second polymer layer deposited on said mask layer, said first polymer layer being thicker than said second polymer layer and said second polymer layer being a photosensitive polymer, comprising:
- performing a first etch of said first polymer layer to define a vertical sidewall portion of said first polymer layer;
- and
- sputtering atoms from said seedlayer onto said vertical sidewall portion of said first polymer layer to form the submicrometer structure, wherein said seedlayer comprises a magnetic material.
A method for forming a submicrometer structure from a multi-layer mask structure, the multi-layer mask structure including a substrate, a seedlayer deposited on said substrate, and a polymer layer deposited on said seedlayer, said polymer layer being a photosensitive polymer, comprising:
- lithographically patterning said polymer layer with an exposure to define a vertical sidewall portion of said polymer layer;
- and
- 'sputtering atoms from said seedlayer onto said vertical sidewall portion of said polymer layer to form the submicrometer structure, wherein said seedlayer comprises a magnetic material.
A method of fabricating a submicrometer structure from a multi-layer mask structure that includes a substrate, a seedlayer deposited on said substrate, and a polymer layer deposited on said seedlayer, said polymer layer being a photosensitive polymer and having a thickness of about 4 micrometers to about 6 micrometers, comprising:
- lithographically patterning said polymer layer with an exposure to define a vertical sidewall portion of said polymer layer;
- sputtering atoms from said seedlayer onto said vertical sidewall portion of said polymer layer to form a submicrometer structure that is coupled to said seedlayer, wherein said seedlayer comprises a magnetic material.
A method for forming a submicrometer structure from a multi-layer mask structure, the multi-layer mask structure including a substrate, a seedlayer deposited on said substrate, a first polymer layer deposited on said seedlayer, a mask layer deposited on said first polymer layer, and a second polymer layer deposited on said mask layer, said first polymer layer having a thickness of about 4 micrometers to about 6 micrometers and being thicker than said second polymer layer, said second polymer layer being a photosensitive polymer, comprising:
- lithographically patterning said second polymer layer with an exposure;
- developing the second polymer layer;
- performing a second etch on said mask layer;
- performing a polymer etch of said first polymer layer to define a vertical sidewall portion of said first polymer layer;
- and
- sputtering atoms from said seedlayer onto said vertical sidewall portion of said first polymer layer to form the submicrometer structure, wherein said seedlayer comprises a magnetic material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.