Pattern forming method

Details Pattern forming method Pattern forming method

1999-04-15

2001-07-10

Duda, Kathleen (Department: 1756)

Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th

Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive...

Making named article

C430S322000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06258515

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a pattern forming method for bonding a resist film to, for example, the surface of a slider bar, which opposes a recording medium, and for forming the etching patterns of ABS planes on the resist film by exposing and developing the etching patterns to the resist film. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pattern forming method capable of forming etching patterns with a good dimensional accuracy.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a magnetic head device mounted on a hard disc apparatus, a slider is mounted at the extreme end of a gimbal formed of a leaf spring material. A thin film element having a recording and reproducing function is formed on an end of the slider.
FIG. 15
is a perspective view showing the slider with its surface, which opposes a recording medium, facing upward.
Referring to
FIG. 15
, a slider
30
is formed of a ceramic material such as alumina-titanium carbide, silicon (Si) or the like. An air groove
31
is formed on the surface of the slider
30
which opposes a hard disc as a recording medium, and rail portions
32
,
32
are formed on both the sides of the air groove
31
.
As shown in
FIG. 15
, the rail portions
32
,
32
are formed to a prescribed crown shape, and the surfaces of the rail portions
32
,
32
are arranged as ABS planes (floating planes)
33
,
33
. Further, inclining portions
34
,
34
are formed on the end portions A of the rail portions
32
,
32
on the leading sides thereof.
A thin film element
35
is disposed to the end face (end portion) of the slider
30
on the trailing side B thereof.
The thin film element
35
is composed of a reproducing MR head and a recording inductive head which are laminated on each other. The reproducing MR head has a magnetoresistive effect element layer such as an anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) element, a spin valve type thin film element and the like, and the recording inductive head is formed of a core and a coil each composed of a magnetic material.
As shown in
FIG. 15
, a plurality of terminal electrode portions
36
, which are drawn from the thin film element
35
, are formed on the end face B of the slider
30
on the trailing side thereof.
To make the slider
30
, first, a ceramic material serving as the base material of the slider
30
is formed to a disc shape, and a plurality of thin film elements are sputtered on the ceramic material in parallel with each other.
Then, the ceramic material is sliced and a plurality of slender slider bars are formed from the ceramic material.
FIG. 16
is a perspective view showing one of the slider bars
40
.
As shown in
FIG. 16
, a plurality of the thin film elements
35
are formed on a side
41
(end face on the trailing side) of the slider bar
40
.
Numeral
42
shown in
FIG. 16
is the opposing surface of the slider bar
40
which opposes the recording medium, and a plurality of the ABS planes
33
,
33
, which are shown in FIG.
15
and which are as many as the thin film elements
35
, are formed on the opposing surface
42
through exposure and development.
How the etching patterns of the ABS planes were conventionally formed will be described with reference to FIG.
17
.
First, as shown in
FIG. 17
, a plurality of the slider bars
40
(refer to
FIG. 16
) are disposed on a flat jig
45
with the opposing surfaces
42
thereof, which oppose the recording medium, facing upward.
At the time, the respective slider bars
40
are disposed at prescribed intervals
46
to prevent the thin film elements
35
, which are formed on the sides of the slider bars
40
as shown in
FIG. 16
, from being damaged.
As shown in
FIG. 17
, the slider bars
40
are fixed on the jig
45
through an adhesive
47
.
Next, a photosensitive resist film
48
is bonded to the surface of each slider bar
40
.
Although the resist is also available in a liquid state in addition to the film state, the cost of the resist film is lower than that of a resist solution. Further, when the resist solution is used, it must be heated to remove the solvent contained in the resist solution after the surface of each slider bar
40
is coated with the resist solution. The use of the resist film is advantageous because the heating process is not necessary as well as the number of processes can be reduced.
When the etching pattern of each ABS plane is exposed on the surface of the photosensitive resist film
48
through a not shown exposure mask and further the etching pattern is processed in a developing process and a dry etching process, a plurality of the ABS planes
33
,
33
are formed on the opposing surface
42
of each of the slider bars
40
as shown in FIG.
15
.
A plurality of the sliders
30
, which are shown in
FIG. 15
, can be obtained from the single slider bar
40
by cutting off the slider bar
40
, which has a plurality of the ABS planes
33
,
33
formed on the opposing surface
42
thereof, between the thin film elements
35
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, the conventional method for forming the etching pattern of the ABS plane has the following problems.
As shown in
FIG. 17
, a plurality of the slider bars
40
are disposed on the jig
45
and the resist film
48
is bonded to the surface of each slider bar
40
. At the time, since the resist film
48
, which is bonded to the intervals
46
between the slider bars
40
, is bent, the surface of the photosensitive resist film
48
is not made flat.
Another factor, which prevents the surface of the photosensitive resist film
48
from being formed flatly, is the pre-formation of the inclining portions
34
,
34
, which are shown in
FIG. 15
, on the opposing surface
42
of the slider bar
40
in the state of the slider bar
40
shown in
FIG. 16. A
still another factor resides in that the opposing surface
42
of the slider bars
40
are previously formed to the crown shape.
When the etching patterns of the ABS planes are exposed to the surface of the resist film
48
in the state in which the surface of the resist film
48
is not made flat, distortion arises to the etching patterns. There is caused a problem thereby that the ABS planes
33
cannot be formed with a good dimensional accuracy (refer to FIG.
1
.).
After the etching patterns are formed, dry etching is carried out to the slider bars
40
using the etching patterns. However, since the sides of each of the slider bars
40
are exposed, the sides are etched with the dry etching and etched ceramic powder deposits again on the sides of another slider bar
40
adjacent to the above slider bar
40
.
In addition, since the thin film elements
35
(refer to
FIG. 16
) are formed on the side of each of the slider bars
40
, the thin film elements
35
may be damaged with the dry etching.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention, which was made to solve the above problems, is to provide a pattern forming method by which etching patterns can be formed with a particularly good dimensional accuracy, and which can prevent the redeposition of substrate powder in a dry etching process and the damage of thin film elements.
A pattern forming method of a first embodiment of the present invention is characterized by comprising the step of disposing a plurality of slider bars, each having a plurality of elements on a side thereof, on a jig side by side; the preliminary step of bonding a resist film to the surface of each slider bar or coating the surface of each slider bar with a resist solution and filling each interval between the slider bars with the resist film or the resist solution; the step of removing the resist film or the resist solution on each slider bar with a developer and causing the resist film or the resist solution, with which each interval between the slider bars is filled, to remain as it is; the step of bonding a resist film to the surface of each slider bar; the step of exposing and developing the surface of the resist film and forming the etching patterns of ABS planes on the resist film; and the step of applying dry etching to the su

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Pattern forming method does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Pattern forming method, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Pattern forming method will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2456674