US 7,320,170 B2 | ||
Xenon ion beam to improve track width definition | ||
Stuart Kao, Fremont, Calif. (US); Chunping Luo, Milpitas, Calif. (US); Chaopeng Chen, Fremont, Calif. (US); Takahiko Machita, Tokyo (Japan); Daisuke Miyauchi, Tokyo (Japan); and Jei-Wei Chang, Cupertino, Calif. (US) | ||
Assigned to Headway Technologies, Inc., Milpitas, Calif. (US); and TDK Corporation, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
Filed on Apr. 20, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/827,950. | ||
Prior Publication US 2005/0231856 A1, Oct. 20, 2005 | ||
Int. Cl. G11B 5/187 (2006.01); C23F 1/02 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 29—603.15 [29/603.12; 29/603.13; 29/603.14; 29/603.18; 360/324; 360/324.11; 216/22; 216/66; 204/192.34] | 5 Claims |
1. A process to manufacture a CIP GMR read head, comprising
on a substrate, depositing a first pinning layer;
in succession, depositing on said first pinning layer a first pinned layer, a non-magnetic spacer layer, a free layer, a decoupling
layer, a second pinned layer, and a second pinning layer, thereby forming a GMR stack;
on the second pinning layer, forming an etch mask that defines a pedestal;
then, using a beam that consists of xenon ions, ion milling said mask and the GMR stack until a part of said GMR stack, no
more than about 0.1 microns thick, has been removed and the pedestal, having sidewalls with a vertical section that includes
all of said free layer, has been formed;
on the mask and on said second pinning layer, depositing a longitudinal bias layer that fully abuts said free layer without
overlying the free layer;
on said longitudinal bias layer, depositing a conductive lead layer; and
then removing said mask thereby forming said CIP GMR read head.
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