Method and system for providing a structure in a microelectronic device using a chromeless alternating phase shift mask
AssigneeWestern Digital (Fremont), LLC
InventorsHai Sun, Winnie Yu, Hongping Yuan, Yizhong Wang, Xianzhong Zeng
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for providing a microelectric device, such as a magnetoresistive read sensor are described. The method and system include providing a mask layer on the microelectric device. The method and system further include exposing the mask layer to provide a mask. A portion of the mask covers a portion of the microelectric device. The step of exposing the mask layer further includes utilizing a chromeless alt-phase shift mask for providing the portion of the mask.
Claims12
A method for providing a structure in a microelectric device comprising:
- providing a mask layer on the microelectric device;
- exposing the mask layer to provide a mask, a portion of the mask covering a portion of the microelectric device, the exposing the mask layer further including utilizing a chromeless alt-phase shift mask (chromeless alt-PSM) mask for providing the portion of the mask, the chromeless alt-PSM mask including a first region, a second region, and a transition between the first region and the second region, the transition corresponding to the portion of the mask and being free of an opaque material, the transition corresponding to a phase change between the first region and the second region for transmitted light, the first region having a border section free of the phase change for the transmitted light.
A method for providing a read sensor in a magnetic head comprising:
- providing at least one read sensor layer;
- providing a mask layer on the at least one read sensor layer;
- exposing the mask layer to provide a mask, a portion of the mask covering a portion of the at least one read sensor layer, the exposing the mask layer further including utilizing a chromeless alt-phase shift mask (chromeless alt-PSM) for providing the portion of the mask, the chromeless alt-PSM mask including a first region, a second region, and a transition between the first region and the second region, the transition corresponding to the portion of the mask and being free of opaque material, the transition corresponding to a phase change between the first region and the second region for transmitted light, the first region having a border section free of the phase change for the transmitted light;
- defining the at least one read sensor using the mask, the one read sensor residing under the portion of the mask.
A method for providing a chromeless alt-phase shift mask (chromeless alt-PSM) mask from a quartz layer covered by a chrome layer, the method comprising:
- removing a first portion and a second portion of the chrome layer, the first portion and the second portion of the chrome layer being separated by a chrome line, a first quartz portion being exposed by removal of the first portion of the chrome layer, a second quartz portion being exposed by removal of the second portion of the chrome layer;
- etching the second quartz portion to form a transition such that a phase change of one hundred eighty degrees exists between light transmitted by the first quartz portion and the second quartz portion, the first quartz portion having a first border section, the second quartz portion having a second border section, at least one of the first border section and the second border section being free of the phase change for the light;
- and
- removing the chrome line such that the transition is free of an opaque material.
A method for providing a chromeless alt-phase shift mask (chromeless alt-PSM) mask from a quartz layer covered by a chrome layer, the method comprising:
- removing a first portion of the chrome layer to expose a first quartz portion of the quartz layer;
- etching the first quartz portion such that a phase change of one hundred eighty degrees exists between light transmitted by the first quartz portion and a remaining portion of the quartz layer;
- removing a second portion of the chrome layer adjacent to the first portion of the quartz layer, a second quartz portion of the quartz layer being exposed by removal of the second portion and being adjacent to the first quartz portion along a transition, the first quartz portion having a first border section, the second quartz portion having a second border section, at least one of the first border section and the second border section being free of the phase change for the light, the transition being free of an opaque material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.