International Business Machines Corporation

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Scott Arthur MacDonald

Carlton G Willson

Hiroshi Ito

Jeffrey Scott Lille

Kuok San Ho

Christian Rene Bonhote

Jui-lung Li

Marie-Claire Cyrille

Robert Dennis Miller

Quang Le

Robert David Allen

Neil Leslie Robertson

Jordan Asher Katine

Gregory Michael Wallraff

Petrus Antonius Van Der Heijden

Hugo Alberto Emilio Santini

Jean M Frechet

Meng Ding

Harbans S Sachdev

Huey-Ming Tzeng

Frederick Hayes Dill

Hubert Schlosser

Donald Clifford Hofer

Leo L Linehan

Nicholas J Clecak

Xhavin Sinha

Robert Fontana

Ratnam Sooriyakumaran

John C Forster

James F Cameron

Tsann Lin

Richard Hsiao

Ching Hwa Tsang

Gregory Breyta

K Paul Muller

Dennis R McKean

Elizabeth Ann Dobisz

Ranee W Kwong

Arpan Pravin Mahorowala

Michael Joseph Rooks

William Dinan Hinsberg

Ian Robson McFadyen

Thomas Dudley Boone, Jr

Willard E Conley

Robert J Twieg

James Lamar Nix

Thomas Edward Dinan, Jr

John C Cheng

Jennifer Lu

Hiroyuki Hiraoka

Jeffrey W Labadie

William D Hinsberg, Iii

James Hsi-Tang Lee

Eric James Lee

Walter E Mlynko

Josef Michl

George J Hefferon

Ming-Fea Chow

Kaolin N Chiong

Lester A Pederson

Anders Hult

Jer-Ming Yang

Robert T Lynch, Jr

James S Wong

Jennifer Liu

Linda K Somerville

Claus-Peter Niesert

Man-Kit Leung

A magnetic write head for data recording having a magnetic write pole with a stepped magnetic shell structure that defines a secondary flare point. The secondary flare point defined by the magnetic shell portion can be more tightly controlled with respect to its distance from the air bearing surface (ABS) of the write head than can a traditional flare point that is photolithographically on the main pole structure. This allows the effective flare point of the write head to be moved much closer to the ABS than would otherwise be possible using currently available tooling and photolithography techniques. The write head also includes a non-magnetic spacer layer formed over the magnetic shell structure that is recessed from the ABS by a distance that is greater than that of the magnetic shell portion. A magnetic shield is formed over the magnetic shell and non-magnetic spacer.

Perpendicular write head having a stepped flare structure and method of manufacture thereof

A magnetic write head for data recording having a magnetic write pole with a stepped magnetic shell structure that defines a secondary flare point. The secondary flare point defined by the magnetic shell portion can be more tightly controlled with respect to its distance from the air bearing surface (ABS) of the write head than can a traditional flare point that is photolithographically on the main pole structure. This allows the effective flare point of the write head to be moved much closer to the ABS than would otherwise be possible using currently available tooling and photolithography techniques. The write head may also include a magnetic trailing shield that wraps around the main pole portion. The trailing shield can have a hack edge defining a trailing shield throat height that is either between the secondary flare point or coincident or behind the secondary flare point, depending on design requirements.

Embodiments herein provide relatively permanent labeling of an imprint lithography template. The imprint lithography template generally has first and second sides, one side having a pattern to imprint a substrate and the other being optically smooth to unobstructably pass UV light. In one embodiment, a method of labeling the imprint lithography template includes placing a masking layer on a portion of the first side (e.g., the optically smooth side) of the template, forming a liftoff layer on the remainder of the first side of the template, removing the masking layer to expose the portion of the first side of the template, and placing a polymer mark on the exposed portion of the first side of the template. The method also includes depositing an opaque material on the first side of the template and removing the liftoff layer and the mark to form a label on the first side of the template with the deposited opaque material.

Labeling an imprint lithography template

A method for forming a tapered, electroplated structure. The method involves forming a first mask structure having an opening. A shrink material is deposited into the opening, such that the thickness of the shrink material is less than the thickness of the first mask structure. The first mask structure and the shrink material are then heated causing the sides of the opening in the mask structure to bulge inward. The shrink material is then removed, and a first electrically conductive material can then be electroplated into the opening to a thickness that is much less than the thickness of the mask. The bulbous shaped of the deformed photoresist mask forms a taper on the first electrically conductive material. The first mask can then be removed and a second electrically conductive material can be electroplated over the first electrically conductive material.

Method for manufacturing a magnetic write head

A method and structure for reducing corrosion during the manufacture of perpendicular write heads is disclosed. Auxiliary pole structures (otherwise known as trailing shields and wrap around shields) are susceptible to corrosion due to their iron containing composition and small dimensions. The impact of corrosion can be reduced by utilizing a gap material comprising an upper surface of noble metals, which extends from underneath the auxiliary pole and is exposed to the same corrosive environment during processing. The area of the exposed gap material is limited to optimize corrosion protection.

Structure and method for reduced corrosion of auxiliary poles during the fabrication of perpendicular write heads

A method for making a magnetoresistive read head so that the pinned ferromagnetic layer is wider than the stripe height of the free ferromagnetic layer uses ion milling with the ion beam aligned at an angle to the substrate supporting the stack of layers making up the read head. The stack is patterned with photoresist to define a rectangular region with front and back long edges aligned parallel to the read head track width. After ion milling in two opposite directions orthogonal to the front and back long edges, the pinned layer width has an extension. The extension makes the width of the pinned layer greater than the stripe height of the free layer after the substrate and stack of layers are lapped. The length of the extension is determined by the angle between the substrate and the ion beam and the thickness of the photoresist.

Method for making a magnetoresistive read head having a pinned layer width greater than the free layer stripe height

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

A method for forming a perpendicular magnetic recording head using an air-bearing surface damascene process and perpendicular magnetic recording head formed thereby is disclosed. The perpendicular head is formed by depositing a pseudo trailing shield layer over a pole layer and selectively etching the pseudo trailing shield layer to a depth equal to a desired trailing shield throat height. Then, a magnetic material is deposited in the resulting void.

Perpendicular magnetic recording head built using an air-bearing surface damascene process

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

A read head has a bottom lead made of material that is relatively polish resistant and a top lead layer that polishes down more easily than the bottom layer. With this structure, when the layers are deposited and then polished down, the top layer recesses away from the sensor (and bottom lead layer) in a controlled fashion, providing an acceptable lead structure that reduces the mismatch between the read head physical read width and magnetic read width.

Magnetic read head with dual layer lead

A suspended resist bridge suitable for lithographically patterning MR sensors having trackwidths narrower than 0.2 micron is fabricated using the method of the present invention. First, PMGI is spun onto a substrate to form a first thin resist layer. Next, PMMA is spun onto the first resist layer to form a second resist layer. The PMMA layer is exposed to an electron beam to pattern the trackwidth of the MR sensors. E-beam exposed PMMA is then developed in an IPA solution. The resist structure is then placed in a basic solution for dissolving PMGI, which results in a fully undercut resist bridge that is used for patterning the MR sensors.

Fully undercut resist systems using E-beam lithography for the fabrication of high resolution MR sensors

A bilayer mask employed for lift off has a top strip which bridges between first and second bilayer portions and is completely undercut so that when one or more materials is sputter deposited the materials do not form fences abutting recessed edges of a bottom layer in undercuts below a top layer. Sacrificial protective layers are formed on a sensor and lead layers for protecting these components while overlapping portions of these materials on the top of the sensor formed during deposition can be removed by ion beam sputtering, after which the sacrificial protective layers can be removed by ion milling or reactive ion etching.

Photolithographic process for extreme resolution of track width definition of a read head

A magnetic head including a dual layer induction coil fabricated by reactive ion etching (RIE) techniques. An etch stop layer and an etchable insulation material layer and an induction coil etching mask are fabricated on a first magnetic pole. Induction coil trenches are thereafter RIE etched into the insulation material to the etch stop layer, and the first induction coil is fabricated into the induction coil trenches. Following a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) step, a second etch stop layer, a second layer of etchable insulation material and a second induction coil etching mask are fabricated. Second induction coil trenches are RIE etched into the second insulation material layer to the second etch stop layer, and a second induction coil is fabricated into the second induction coil trenches. A second CMP step is followed by an insulation layer and the fabrication of a second magnetic pole (P ) upon the insulation layer.

Dual coil and lead connections fabricated by image transfer and selective etch

A photoresist composition which includes hydroxycarborane either incorporated as a monomeric dissolution modifier or as pendent groups on a polymer backbone. The photoresist composition is particularly useful in a bilayer thin film imaging lithographic process in which ultraviolet radiation-imaging in a wavelength range of between about 365 nm and about 13 nm is employed.

Hydroxycarborane photoresists and process for using same in bilayer thin film imaging lithography

The present invention relates to an improved lithographic imaging process for use in the manufacture of integrated circuits. The process provides protection to the photoresist film from airborne chemical contaminants.

Process for imaging of photoresist

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Scott Arthur MacDonald