Planarizing method for fabricating an inductive magnetic write head for high density magnetic recording

• US 6,024,886 A
• Filed: 12/05/1997
• Issued: 02/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Headway Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Headway Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Lee, Rodney E., Feng, Yongchang, Han, Cherng-Chyi, Wang, Hui-Chuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam
• Assistant Examiner(s): VerSteeg, Steven H.
• Application Number:
  US08/985,648
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 216/22, 216/38, 216/41, 216/66, 430/313, 430/319, 430/320, 29/603.07, 29/603.16, 29/603.18
• US Class Current: 216/38
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3116 Shaping of layers, poles or gaps for improving the form of the electrical signal transduced, e.g. for shielding, contour effect, equalizing, side flux fringing, cross talk reduction between heads or between heads and information tracks G11B5/3113, G11B5/245 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/313 Disposition of layers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3163 Fabrication methods or processes specially adapted for a particular head structure, e.g. using base layers for electroplating, using functional layers for masking, using energy or particle beams for shaping the structure or modifying the properties of the basic layers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3967 Composite structural arrangements of transducers, e.g. inductive write and magnetoresistive read G11B5/3906 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49032 Fabricating head structure or component thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49048 Machining magnetic material [e.g., grinding, etching, polishing]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49052 by etching

Abstract

Within a method for forming a magnetic transducer head there is first provided a substrate having formed thereover a lower magnetic pole layer in turn having formed thereupon a gap filling layer which is substantially planar. There is then formed upon the gap filling layer a patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer which serves as an etch mask layer for forming from the gap filling layer and the lower magnetic pole layer a patterned gap filling layer and an etched lower magnetic pole layer having a lower magnetic pole tip integral thereto, while simultaneously forming an etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer from the patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer. There is then formed upon the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer and the etched lower magnetic pole layer a backfilling insulator layer to a thickness greater than a thickness of the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer plus a thickness of the patterned gap filling layer plus a thickness of the lower magnetic pole tip. There is then planarized the backfilling insulator layer to form a patterned planarized backfilling insulator layer an exposed upper surface of which is coplanar with an exposed upper surface of the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer. Finally, there is then formed a patterned upper magnetic pole layer contacting the exposed upper surface of the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer.

Claims

1. A method for forming a magnetic transducer head comprising:

providing a substrate;

forming over the substrate a lower magnetic pole layer;

forming upon the lower magnetic pole layer a gap filling layer which is substantially planar;

forming through a first photolithographic method upon the gap filling layer a patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer;

etching a while employing the patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer as a etch mask layer, the gap filling layer and the lower magnetic pole layer to form a patterned gap filling layer and an etched lower magnetic pole layer having a lower magnetic pole tip integral thereto, where the patterned gap filling layer and the lower magnetic pole tip are aligned with an etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer formed from the patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer;

forming upon the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer and the etched lower magnetic pole layer a backfilling insulator layer, the backfilling insulator layer being formed to a thickness greater than a thickness of the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer plus a thickness of the patterned gap filling layer plus a thickness of the lower magnetic pole tip;

planarizing the backfilling insulator layer to form a patterned planarized backfilling insulator layer an exposed upper surface of which is coplanar with an exposed upper surface of the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer; and

forming through a second photolithographic method a patterned upper magnetic pole layer contacting the exposed upper surface of the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the magnetic transducer head is chosen from the group of magnetic transducer heads consisting of inductive write magnetic transducer heads, inductive read magnetic transducer heads, inductive write-inductive read magnetic transducer heads, inductive write-mapnetoresistive (MR) read magnetic transducer heads and merged inductive write-magnetoresistive (MR) read magnetic transducer heads.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the backfilling insulator layer is formed from an insulator material selected from the group of insulator materials consisting of silicon oxide insulator materials, silicon nitride insulator materials and aluminum oxide insulator materials.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the planarizing method is chosen from the group of planarizing methods consisting of reactive ion etch (RIE) etchback planarizing methods and chemical mechanical polish (CMP) planarizing methods.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer serves as a planarizing stop layer when forming the patterned planarized backfilling insulator layer from the backfilling insulator layer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the first photolithographic method employs a patterned first photoresist layer of thickness from about 10000 to about 50000 angstroms to provide the patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer of a first linewidth from about 0.2 to about 2.0 microns, and

the second photolithographic method employs a patterned second photoresist layer of thickness from about 20000 to about 80000 angstroms to provide the patterned upper magnetic pole layer of a second linewidth from about 0.5 to about 4.0 microns.

7. A method for forming an inductive write-magnetoresistive (MR) read magnetic transducer head comprising:

providing a substrate, the substrate having a first side and a second side;

forming over the first side of the substrate a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor element layer;

forming over the first side of the substrate a lower magnetic pole layer;

forming upon the lower magnetic pole layer a gap filling layer which is substantially planar;

forming through a first photolithographic method upon the gap filling layer a patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer;

etching, while employing the patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer as a etch mask layer, the gap filling layer and the lower magnetic pole layer to form a patterned gap filling layer and an etched lower magnetic pole layer having a lower magnetic pole tip integral thereto, where the patterned gap filling layer and the lower magnetic pole tip are aligned with an etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer formed from the patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer;

forming upon the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer and the etched lower magnetic pole layer a backfilling insulator layer, the backfilling insulator layer being formed to a thickness greater than a thickness of the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer plus a thickness of the patterned gap filling layer plus a thickness of the lower magnetic pole tip;

planarizing the backfilling insulator layer to form a patterned planarized backfilling insulator layer an exposed upper surface of which is coplanar with an exposed upper surface of the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer; and

forming through a second photolithographic method a patterned upper magnetic pole layer contacting the exposed upper surface of the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the backfilling insulator layer is formed from an insulator material selected from the group of insulator materials consisting of silicon oxide insulator materials, silicon nitride insulator materials and aluminum oxide insulator materials.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the planarizing method is chosen from the group of planarizing methods consisting of reactive ion etch (RIE) etchback planarizing methods and chemical mechanical polish (CMP) planarizing methods.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the etched patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer serves as a planarizing stop layer when forming the patterned planarized backfilling insulator layer from the backfilling insulator layer.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein:

the first photolithographic method employs a patterned first photoresist layer of thickness from about 10000 to about 50000 angstroms to provide the patterned upper magnetic pole tip layer of a first linewidth from about 0.2 to about 2.0 microns; and

the second photolithographic method employs a patterned second photoresist layer of thickness from about 20000 to about 80000 angstroms to provide the patterned upper magnetic pole layer of a second linewidth from about 0.5 to about 4.0 microns.