Wafer-level fabrication method for top or side slider bond pads
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorsRoger L. Hipwell, Jr., Wayne A. Bonin, Kyle M. Bartholomew, John R. Pendray, Zine-Eddine Boutaghou
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is used for fabricating sliders for use in a disc drive actuation system, the sliders having bonds pads formed on either a top surface or side faces of the slider. The method comprises providing a substrate having a top surface. Trenches are formed in the substrate and filled with a bond pad material to form slider bond pads. Excess bond pad material is removed from the trenches such that the slider bond pads are flush with the top surface of the substrate. A transducer is fabricated on the top surface of the substrate. Finally, the slider bond pads are exposed.
Claims22
A method for forming sliders, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate having a top surface;
- forming trenches in the substrate;
- filling the trenches with a bond pad material to form slider bond pads;
- removing excess bond pad material from the trenches so that the slider bond pads are flush with the top surface of the substrate;
- fabricating a transducer supported by the substrate such that the transducer is positioned on a trailing edge of the slider;
- and
- partitioning the substrate to expose the slider bond pads along a surface in addition to the top surface of the substrate.
A method of forming sliders, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate having a top surface;
- forming trenches in the top surface of the substrate such that they are exposed only at the top surface;
- filling the trenches with a bond pad material to form slider bond pads;
- planarizing the bond pad material to the top surface of the substrate;
- fabricating a transducer on the top surface, including interconnects between the transducer and the slider bond pads;
- and
- forming the substrate into a slider, the forming comprising:
- partitioning the substrate to expose the slider bond pads along a surface additional to a trailing edge surface of the slider and other than an air bearing surface of the slider, and such that the transducer is positioned on the trailing edge of the slider with access to the air bearing surface of the slider.
The method of 16 wherein the filling the trenches with the bond pad material step comprises:
- insulating the trenches with a first insulation layer;
- depositing a conductive seedlayer in the trenches;
- depositing a second insulation layer over the conductive seedlayer;
- etching the second insulation layer to expose conductive surfaces in the trenches;
- and
- plating the bond pad material to form the slider bond pads.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.