Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Head – Core
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-22
2004-11-23
Watko, Julie Anne (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Head
Core
C720S718000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06822833
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to disc drive components, and more particularly but not by limitation to providing component features that have narrow widths.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the manufacture of a disc drive, write transducers are usually deposited in multiple layers on a trailing edge of a slider using thin film techniques. For many of the layers, thin film lithography is used to define widths of component features.
As illustrated in PRIOR ART
FIG. 2
, a typical thin film lithographic process
20
begins at step
22
where a layer of radiation-sensitive material, also called positive resist material
24
, is deposited on a substrate or layer
26
which is to receive a deposit of metal having a desired shape. At step
28
, the positive resist material
24
is exposed to radiation
30
through a mask
32
, and then the positive resist material
24
is baked. The radiation
31
that passes through an opening in the mask
32
and the baking process alter the chemical properties of the positive resist material in an exposed region
34
. The radiation
31
transfers the opening pattern in the mask to the positive resist material
24
. Next, at step
36
, the positive resist
24
is developed in a solvent that washes away the altered positive resist in the exposed region
34
, leaving a slit
38
in the positive resist
24
with a shape defined by the mask
32
. Next, at step
42
, an electroplated feature
44
is electroplated in the slit
38
. The shape of the electroplated feature
44
is defined by the shape of the slit
38
that is, in turn defined by the shape of an opening in mask
32
. After formation of the feature
44
, which is typically a pole tip, the remaining positive resist
24
is stripped, leaving the desired feature
44
deposited on layer
26
as shown at step
45
.
As illustrated at inset illustration
46
, the feature
44
is an integral narrow central portion of a larger “dog bone” shaped thin film deposit
48
. The feature
44
is later lapped along a line
50
to form a write pole tip.
It is known by those skilled in the art that the slit
38
can be used, alternatively, to etch a pattern in the underlying layer
26
instead of being used to electroplate a feature. It is also known by those skilled in the art that a negative type resist can be used rather than using a positive resist. With a negative type resist, regions that are exposed to radiation become cross-linked, and the unexposed regions of the negative resist are washed away in step
36
rather than the exposed regions of the resist. Various negative type and positive type resists, electroplating processes and etchants are commercially available to perform various thin film lithographic processes.
There is a desire to use thin film lithographic techniques to define increasingly narrower widths of various disc drive components such as write pole tips. As areal densities of data stored on discs increases to more than one terabit per square inch, there is a need to reduce the width of write pole tips and other features to less than 30 nanometers in order to accommodate this higher areal density. It is found, however, that known thin film lithographic techniques are not able to reliably provide features with widths less than 30 nanometers in a mass production environment.
There is thus a need for providing disc drive components having features such as pole tips and read heads with widths less than 30 nanometers that can be reliably produced in a mass production environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Disclosed are components for use in a disc drive that include a component substrate having a substrate surface. A self-assembled image layer comprising an organic monolayer is formed over the substrate surface. The self-assembled image layer includes a self-assembled developed region defining a developed width.
Each component also includes a feature layer that is self-assembled over the self-assembled image layer. The feature layer is joined by a self-assembly bond to the self-assembled developed region in the image layer. The feature layer has a feature width that is limited to the developed width.
These and other features and benefits that characterize embodiments of the present invention will be apparent upon reading the following detailed description and review of the associated drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5079600 (1992-01-01), Schnur et al.
patent: 5510628 (1996-04-01), Georger et al.
patent: 5514501 (1996-05-01), Tarlov
patent: 5728431 (1998-03-01), Bergbreiter et al.
patent: 6146767 (2000-11-01), Schwartz
patent: 6197399 (2001-03-01), Naito et al.
patent: 6686017 (2004-02-01), Ogawa
patent: 0 853 311 (1998-07-01), None
Anders S. et al.: “Lithography and self-assembly for nanometer scale magnetism”, Microelectronic Engineering, Elsevier Publishers, BV., Amsterdam, NL, vol. 61-62, Jul. 2002, pp. 569-575, XP004360586, ISSN: 0167-9317.
Article from the Applied Physics Letters, vol. 78, No. 18, dated Apr. 30, 2001, pp. 2760-2762, entitled “Fabrication of <5 nm width lines in poly(methylmethacrylate) resist using a water:isopropyl alcohol developer and ultrasonically-assisted development”,Yasin et al.
Article from J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 13(4), Jul./Aug. 1995, pp. 1473-1476, entitled “Fabrication of sub-10-nm silicon lines with minimum fluctuation”,Namatsu et al.
Article from Macromolecules 2000, 33, 9575-9582, American Chemical Society, Published on Web Dec. 26, 2000, entitled “Guided Self-Assembly of Symmetric Diblock Copolymer Films on Chemically Nanapatterned Substrates”,Yang et al.
Article from Langumuis 2001, 17, pp. 228-233, American Chemical Society, entitled “Proximity X-ray Lithography Using Self-Assembled Alkylsiloxane Films: Resolution and Pattern Transfer”,Yang et al.
Article from J. Phys. Chem. B. 2000, 104, 7403-7410, 2000 American Chemical Society, entitled “Chemical Modification of Self-Assembled Monolayers by Exposure to Soft X-rays in Air”,Kim et al.
Eckert Andrew Robert
Liu Chao
Yang Xiaomin
Seagate Technology LLC
Watko Julie Anne
Westman Champlin & Kelly
LandOfFree
Disc drive magnetic component with self assembled features does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Disc drive magnetic component with self assembled features, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Disc drive magnetic component with self assembled features will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3333179