Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

International Business Machines Corporation

Thomas L Leong

Quang Le

Ying Hong

Yongchul Ahn

Guangli Liu

Zheng Gao

David John Seagle

Aron Pentek

Xiaoyong Liu

Simon H Liao

Yimin Hsu

Howard Gordon Zolla

Jui-lung Li

Satoru Araki

Robert Beach

Ning Shi

David Patrick Druist

Xiaozhong Dang

Jonathan H Griffith

John I Kim

Hicham Moulay Sougrati

Chang-Man Park

Shin Funada

John Jaekoyun Yang

Yunhe Huang

Timothy James Minvielle

Justin Jia-Jen Hwu

Sukhbir Singh Dulay

William J Tilly

Sari Wacks

A magnetic read sensor having a magnetic seed layer, a pinned layer structure formed over the magnetic seed layer, a non-magnetic barrier or spacer layer formed over the pinned layer structure and a magnetic free layer structure formed over the non-magnetic barrier or spacer layer. The pinned layer has a stripe height (measured from the media facing surface) that is greater than a stripe height of the magnetic free layer structure. In addition, the magnetic seed layer structure has a stripe height (also measured from the media facing surface) that is greater than the stripe height of the magnetic pinned layer structure and the magnetic free layer structure. The stripe height of the magnetic seed layer structure can be controlled independently of the stripe heights of the magnetic pinned layer structure and the magnetic free layer structure.

Magnetic read sensor with independently extended pinned layer and seed layer

The present invention generally relates to a magnetic sensor in a read head having a hard or soft bias layer that is uniform in thickness within the sensor stack. The method of making such sensor is also disclosed. The free layer stripe height is first defined, followed by defining the track width, and lastly the pinned layer stripe height is defined. The pinned layer and the hard or soft bias layer are defined in the same process step. This approach eliminates a partial hard or soft bias layer and reduces potential instability issues.

Shape enhanced pin read head magnetic transducer with stripe height defined first and method of making same

A method for manufacturing a magnetoresistive sensor that results in the sensor having a very flat top magnetic shield. The process involves depositing a plurality of sensor layers and then depositing a thin high density carbon CMP stop layer over the sensor layers and forming a mask over the CMP stop layer. An ion milling is performed to define the sensor. Then a thin insulating layer and magnetic hard bias layer are deposited. A chemical mechanical polishing is performed to remove the mask and a reactive ion etching is performed to remove the remaining carbon CMP stop layer. Because the CMP stop layer is very dense and hard, it can be made very thin. This means that when it is removed by reactive ion etching, there is very little notching over the sensor, thereby allowing the upper shield to be very thin.

Method for manufacturing a magnetoresistive sensor having a flat shield

A method is disclosed for fabricating a CPP read head for a magnetic disk drive having an electrical isolation layer. The method includes providing a first shield layer, depositing a sensor stack on the first shield layer, a CMP stop layer is deposited on the sensor stack, and a release layer is deposited a on the CMP stop layer. Photoresist material containing Si is deposited on the release layer, and the photoresist material is then patterned and then oxidized by Reactive Ion Etching to form a high temperature photomask. The electrical isolation layer is then deposited to surround the sensor stack using a high temperature deposition process. The read head is then continued as either an in-stack bias sensor with 'draped shield' variation, or a hard bias stabilization variation.

CPP read sensor fabrication using heat resistant photomask

A method for forming metrology structures for a CMP process is described. A trench edge is formed in a base material or stack of materials which are preferably deposited as part of the process of fabricating the production structures on the wafer. A covering film of a second material with preferably with contrasting SEM properties is deposited over the trench edge in the base material. During CMP the covering film is preferentially worn away at the edge revealing the base material. The width of the base material which has been revealed is a measure of the progress of the CMP. Since the base material and the covering material are preferably selected to have contrasting images in an SEM, a CD-SEM can be used to precisely measure the CMP progress.

CMP process metrology test structures

CMP process control array groups are fabricated upon the surface of the wafer for viewing through an optical microscope. The array groups include a plurality of test arrays, where each array includes a plurality of projecting test features. Each of the projecting test features are formed with the same projecting height and have a hard upper surface layer, such as diamond-like-carbon (DLC). All of the projecting test features within an array are formed with the same diameter, and the diameter of projecting test features of a particular array differs from the diameter of projecting test features in another array. The diameters are chosen such that the DLC surface is removed in specifically designed time increments, such as 5 seconds, from array to array, where projecting test features with the DLC surface removed appear as bright white, while the arrays with test features that retain some DLC surface are significantly darker.

Dual function array feature for CMP process control and inspection

A layer of photoresist provides a stress relief (or cushion) layer between a lift-off polymer layer and a barrier of multi-level lift-off structures. When multiple evaporation steps are required using the same lift-off pattern, the adhesion between organosilicon and organic film is stressed by a first blanked metal film. To prevent delamination between the lift-off polymer layer and RIE barrier photoresist is applied on top of the lift-off polymer and sandwiched between the organosilicon and organic materials. This photoresist acts as a cushion and as an adhesion promoter to reduce delamination after the metal deposition(s).

Methods and apparatus for relieving stress and resisting stencil

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Thomas L Leong