Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

International Business Machines Corporation

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Aplex Group

Huey-Ming Tzeng

Xiao Z Wu

Jacey Robert Beaucage

Paul Arthur Goddu

Kuok San Ho

Meng Ding

Jeffrey Scott Lille

Tsann Lin

Marie-Claire Cyrille

Richard Dale Bunch

Qing Dai

Scott Arthur MacDonald

Tsai-Wei Wu

Dan Saylor Kercher

Jeffrey P Gunder

Eduardo Padilla

Hardayal Singh Gill

Zine-Eddine Boutaghou

Robert Fontana

Neil Leslie Robertson

Ching Hwa Tsang

Jordan Asher Katine

Wipul Jayasekara

Timothy C Reiley

Frederick Hayes Dill

Thomas Dudley Boone, Jr

Prakash Kasiraj

Linden James Crawforth

Glenn Paul Gee

Hicham Moulay Sougrati

John P Herber

A pattern clean-up for fabrication of patterned media using a forced assembly of molecules is disclosed. E-beam lithography is initially used to write the initial patterned bit media structures, which have size and positioning errors. Nano-sized protein molecules are then forced to assemble of on top of the bits. The protein molecules have a very uniform size distribution and assemble into a lattice structure above the e-beam patterned areas. The protein molecules reduce the size and position errors in e-beam patterned structures. This process cleans the signal from the e-beam lithography and lowers the noise in the magnetic reading and writing. This process may be used to fabricate patterned bit media directly on hard disk, or to create a nano-imprint master for mass production of patterned bit media disks.

System, method and apparatus for pattern clean-up during fabrication of patterned media using forced assembly of molecules

Methods of lapping rows of recording heads are described after an air bearing surface (ABS) damascene process is performed. The ABS damascene process uses a selective etching process to form voids in the row of recording heads where conductive material forms a feature in the recording head, such as a wrap around shield. The conductive material is then deposited on the ABS of the row to fill the voids, and the row is lapped. According to methods provided herein, the resistance of one or more lapping guides in the row of recording heads is monitored to determine when the conductive material is removed by the lapping process. When the monitored resistance indicates that the conductive material is removed, the lapping process is stopped. The resistance across one or more lapping guides may also be used to control the lapping process to uniformly lap the conductive material from the ABS.

Controlled lapping for an ABS damascene process

An apparatus and method for lapping and fabricating a read/write head is described. The lapping method includes performing a first lapping process on a structure having the read/write head fabricated therein. The first lapping process is for reducing a first resistive region. The first resistive region is located proximal to a surface of the structure. The first lapping process is for achieving a first lapping benchmark. The lapping method further includes performing a second lapping process on a second resistive region. The second lapping process laps at a rate lesser than the first lapping process. The second lapping process is for achieving a second lapping benchmark. The second resistive region is interposed between the first resistive region and the read/write head. The second resistive region has a different resistive value than the second resistive region.

Distributed shunt structure for lapping of current perpendicular plane (CPP) heads

An improved method for the manufacture of magnetoresistive multilayer sensors is disclosed. The method is particularly advantageous for the production of magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) sensors, which can be damaged at the air bearing surface by conventional lapping and ion milling. The disclosed process protects the ABS of the magnetoresistive sensor by depositing a diamond like carbon layer which remains in place through ion milling. The DLC layer is removed by oxidation subsequent to the formation of the ABS.

Process for the fabrication of multilayer thin film magnetoresistive sensors

A disk drive including a slider with one or more sacrificial structures (extensions) that facilitate lapping to create the air-bearing surface (ABS) is described. The slider includes a magnetic transducer and has a remaining portion of a sacrificial extension protruding on an air-bearing surface, the remaining portion of the sacrificial extension is narrower than the air-bearing surface and aligned with the magnetic transducer. The sacrificial extension makes the surface of the slider which will be lapped non-planar. The sacrificial extension extends below the predetermined ABS plane. When the sliders are individually separated by DRIE, the shape of a mask including the sacrificial extension is projected down into and along the slider body. The mask and resulting slider includes a channel in the slider body that is aligned with the sacrificial extension and disposed on a surface of slider body that is parallel to and opposite from the air-bearing surface.

Storage device having slider with sacrificial extension aligned with channel on opposite surface

One illustrative method of fabricating a read sensor of a magnetic head includes the steps of forming a plurality of read sensor layers on a wafer; etching the read sensor layers to form a read sensor structure with a trench in front of the read sensor structure; forming a highly porous material within the trench; and slicing the wafer and lapping the sliced wafer through the highly porous material until an air bearing surface (ABS) of the magnetic head is reached. Advantageously, the highly porous material in front of the read sensor structure reduces mechanical stress on the read sensor during the lapping process. This reduces the likelihood that the amplitude of the read sensor will be degraded or set in a 'flipped' or reversed orientation, as well as reduces the likelihood that electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage to the read sensor will occur.

Method of providing a low-stress sensor configuration for a lithography-defined read sensor

A method of fabrication of a magnetic head including a read head sensor includes providing a read sensor stack having a front edge, a rear edge, a right side edge and a left side edge, and at least one pinning layer. The left side edge, right side edge, front edge and rear edge of the sensor stack are milled. The read sensor stack is annealed in a magnetic field to set the final orientation of the pinning layer, and the read sensor stack is encapsulated in overcoat material having a front surface. A projected final ABS boundary is established which lies within the overcoat material. A trim range is established relative to the projected final ABS boundary. The front surface of the overcoat material is lapped until the overcoat front surface is within the trim range. Residual overcoat material is then removed by ion beam etching.

Method of fabrication of magnetic head having annealed embedded read sensor

A process is described for fabricating sliders with reduced lapping damage to the hard-bias materials. The stack of layers for the magnetic sensor is deposited on a wafer and patterned into an initial shape. The hard-bias structures are fabricated at the side of the magnetic sensor as in the prior art. In each of the two described embodiments of the invention, the hard-bias material below the ABS is reduced or removed and replaced with a fill material such as alumina. A first embodiment reduces the hard-bias material below the ABS by forming an extended lapping gap along the ABS in both the sensor and hard-bias material. A second embodiment forms a photoresist mask over the sensor and the portion of the hard-bias/lead structures above the ABS and the exposed hard-bias/lead material below the ABS is thinned or completely removed by milling.

Method for reducing damage to sliders during lapping

A method of making a read sensor while protecting it from electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage involves forming a severable shunt during the formation of the read sensor. The method may include forming a resist layer over a plurality of read sensor layers; performing lithography with use of a mask to form the resist layer into a patterned resist which exposes left and right side regions over the read sensor layers as well as a shunt region; etching, with the patterned resist in place, to remove materials in the left and right side regions and in the shunt region; and depositing, with the patterned resist in place, left and right hard bias and lead layers in the left and right side regions, respectively, and in the shunt region for forming a severable shunt which electrically couples the left and right hard bias and lead layers together for ESD protection.

Method of making a read sensor while protecting it from electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage

Magnetic sensors are fabricated with an initial length that is slightly longer than their finished length. The sensors are then critically lapped and exposed for target signal output. The final target length of the sensors is obtained by first exposing the sensors to a photolithographic process and then directly lapping the excess length from the sensors. The length of sensor material that is removed is in the range of several nanometers. The target end point during lapping may be ascertained by detecting the change in resistance between the sensor and leads in the lapping tool as the excess material is lapped from the sensor.

Critically exposed lapping of magnetic sensors for target signal output

An in-line lapping guide uses a contiguous resistor in a cavity to separate a lithographically-defined sensor from the in-line lapping guide. As lapping proceeds through the cavity toward the sensor, the resistance across the sensor leads increases to a specific target, thereby indicating proximity to the sensor itself. The contiguous resistor is fabricated electrically in parallel to the sensor and the in-line lapping guide. The total resistance across the sensor leads show resistance change even when lapping through the cavity portion. One method to produce the contiguous resistor is to partial mill the cavity between the sensor and the in-line lapping guide so that a film of metal is left. Total resistance across leads is the parallel resistance of the sensor, the contiguous resistor, and the in-line lapping guide.

In-line contiguous resistive lapping guide for magnetic sensors

An electrical lapping guide (ELG) incorporated into a shield of a magnetic head for measuring lapping process during construction of the magnetic head.

Electrical lapping guide embedded in a shield of a magnetic head

A method of forming an embedded read element is used in the fabrication process of a magnetic head assembly including write and read heads. In this method, three photolithographic patterning steps are applied for defining the designed height of the embedded read element, defining its designed width, and connecting it with conducting layers, respectively. An in-line lapping guide is also formed with a spacing in front of the embedded read element. In this method, two mechanical lapping steps are applied, one monitored by measuring the resistance of a parallel circuit of the embedded read element and the in-line lapping guide, and the other monitored by measuring the GMR response of the embedded read element.

Method of forming an embedded read element

A process for fabricating sliders with one or more sacrificial structures (extensions) that facilitate lapping to create the air-bearing surface (ABS) is described. Prior to separating individual sliders from a wafer, a mask of material that is not removable by deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) is patterned on the surface of the sliders. The mask outlines a sacrificial extension around portions of the magnetic transducer elements that are nearest the predetermined plane which will become the ABS. The sacrificial extension makes the surface of the slider which will be lapped non-planar. The sacrificial extension extends below the predetermined ABS plane. When the sliders are individually separated by DRIE, the shape of the mask including the sacrificial extension is projected down into and along the slider body.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Huey-Ming Tzeng