Method of forming insulated conductors in a conductive medium and

Abstract

A method of forming a monolithic structure is disclosed in which insulated conductors are embedded in a block or body of conductive material. The conductors are built up on a conductive substrate selectively coated with a dielectric layer to form oversized pads over which the conductors are to be formed. The entire structure is then provided with an overlying conductive layer to allow patterned electrodeposition in which the conductors to be embedded are built up over the pads. After the formation of one level of conductors, the previously deposited conductive layer is selectively removed between the conductors so as to leave the conductors insulated from each other and situated on the oversized pads. The conductors are then overlaid with a dielectric material so as to encase each conductor in an insulative sheath. This is followed by a masking step in which the tops of the conductors are masked off. Thereafter the original conductive substrate is built up so as to surround the sides of the encased conductors and the process is repeated so as to provide an overlying second set of embedded conductors, likewise insulated from the conductive substrate in which they are embedded. The multi-layer embedded conductor structure may be utilized as a magnetic recording head, in the formation of inductors as multiwire cables, or may be utilized as a read/write head for digital computers. The subject device may also be fabricated in the form of a magnetic transducer, used for example in rotary or linear encoders.