JP2003109207A - Thin film magnetic head slider and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for forming accurate air bearing shape by coating a rugged air bearing surface formed by arranging a plurality of thin film magnetic head slider bars with a liquid state photoresist having uniform thickness. SOLUTION: The manufacturing method comprises a step in which two or more thin film magnetic head slider bars with a rectangular parallelepiped shape provided with a plurality of thin film magnetic head elements are prepared and arranged so that each coating surface of the thin film magnetic head slider bar coated with the liquid state photoresist is on one and the same plane, and a resist coating step in which the coating surface is coated with the liquid state photoresist, and a heat curing step in which the coated liquid state photoresist is heat-cured. The resist coating step comprises a step in which the liquid state photoresist is dropped in a helical shape from the outer peripheral side of the coating surface toward the center while rotating the coating surface, and a step in which the coating surface is rotated to spread the dropped liquid state photoresist to the entire coating surface.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head slider applied to an apparatus for recording or reproducing on a magnetic recording medium such as a magnetic disk device (HDD).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recent magnetic recording devices are required to realize higher density recording, and it is certain that this tendency will increase in the future. Accordingly, the thin-film magnetic head slider is required to have a very low flying height on the recording medium and stable flying characteristics that do not change due to the rotation of the recording medium. In order to satisfy this requirement, it is essential to form the shape of the air bearing surface of the thin film magnetic head slider with high accuracy.

In recent years, thin-film magnetic head sliders have been widely used.
A flying height of 1 μm or less is required, and the shape of the air bearing surface is required to be a curved shape or another complicated shape that improves the flying characteristics. Such curved shapes and complicated shapes cannot be realized by machining, and methods using photolithography technology have been proposed. That is, such a shape is formed by forming a mask corresponding to a desired air bearing surface shape, performing exposure and development to form a mask pattern, and then performing dry etching such as ion beam etching. Here, in order to process the air bearing surface shape finely and with high precision, it is important to form a good mask pattern.

The mask pattern is formed by a thin film magnetic head slider bar (hereinafter referred to as "slider bar").
Surface (air bearing surface). The slider bar is a rectangular parallelepiped block cut out from a wafer having a plurality of thin film magnetic head elements by machining. One slider bar is provided with a plurality of thin film magnetic head elements in its length direction, and a plurality of thin film magnetic head sliders can be obtained by cutting the slider bar. However, the number of thin film magnetic head elements in the slider bar is at most 40 to 60. Compared with the fact that a mask pattern is formed on the surface of a wafer and hundreds to thousands of elements are formed in the wafer in a semiconductor processing process for forming an integrated circuit or a thin film magnetic head element forming process, The method of processing the bars one by one has extremely low productivity. Therefore, a large number of slider bars are arranged and the surface on which the mask pattern is formed is treated as a large area such as a wafer. For example, a large number of slider bars are arranged side by side, and the back surface side opposite to the mask pattern forming surface is fixed on the jig with an adhesive to obtain a large area mask pattern forming surface.

When forming a mask pattern, first, the target air bearing surface (mask pattern forming surface)
Then, a resist is applied as a mask material. As a mask material used for dry etching processing, a dry film resist or a liquid photoresist has been proposed. The dry film resist is used for forming wiring on a printed circuit board or the like, and can form a mask having a uniform film pressure that follows the shape of the surface on which the mask is formed. However, the dry film currently on the market is limited to the negative type in terms of mechanical strength from the viewpoint of mechanical strength and the like. The negative resist becomes insoluble in the developer due to the crosslinking reaction of the exposed portion, but the exposure light is attenuated below the resist,
The crosslinking reaction does not proceed sufficiently. As a result, there is a problem that the lower part of the resist is more easily dissolved in the developing solution than the upper part of the resist, and the finally obtained pattern is likely to have an inverse taper shape (inverse trapezoid). This causes the etched workpiece to reattach to the sidewall of the mask pattern in the dry etching process and deteriorate the processing accuracy. Further, the dry film has a thickness of several tens of μm in practical use. The use of such a thick dry film causes a limitation in resolution when forming a very fine and complicated air bearing surface shape.

On the other hand, the liquid photoresist can be used as a positive type resist. Further, when a liquid photoresist having an appropriate viscosity is selected, a resist film having a desired thickness can be obtained, and therefore it is superior in terms of resolution as compared with a dry film.

When the liquid photoresist is coated on the air bearing surface, a spin coater, a roll coater or the like is used. For example, when a spin coater is used, conventionally, the jig 102 to which the slider bar is bonded is
As shown in FIG. 2, the plate 105 of the spin coater 104 with the air bearing surface 100 of the slider bar facing up.
Fix on top. Then, at the center of the air bearing surface 100, the liquid photoresist 108 is formed by using the nozzle 106.
Was dropped, and then the plate 105 was rotated to spread the dropped liquid photoresist 108 over the entire air bearing surface.

[0008]

However, when a large number of slider bars are arranged, the mask pattern forming surface becomes uneven, and it is impossible to form a uniform liquid photoresist film by the conventional method. For example, when many slider bars are arranged, a gap is created between the slider bars. Further, since the slider bar is subjected to machining and lapping processes, there is variation in the tolerance in its thickness, and in addition, there is variation in the thickness of the adhesive material that bonds the slider bar to the jig. A step is formed on the formation surface. Further, on the air bearing surface, a groove (hereinafter referred to as a “cutting groove”) may be formed by machining in the cutting margin for cutting the slider bar into the slider. In this case, the air bearing surface is , Inevitably has irregularities. In the conventional resist coating method,
Since a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped slider bars are arranged and the liquid photoresist is applied to the air bearing surfaces of the slider bars at one time, the liquid photoresist film can be widely and evenly formed on a surface having steps such as gaps and cutting grooves between the slider bars. It was difficult to form well. For a resist film having a large unevenness in the film thickness, the patterning process cannot be performed accurately and a good mask pattern cannot be obtained. As a result, there is a problem that the processing accuracy of the air bearing surface is deteriorated.

Further, the liquid photoresist is liable to entrap air bubbles at the time of application, and air bubbles are generated from a gap between adjacent slider bars. As a result, there is a problem that the uniformity of the liquid photoresist film is deteriorated.

Further, when the liquid photoresist is applied to the air bearing surface by the conventional method, the resist easily spreads along the cutting groove. Therefore, it is necessary to drop a large amount of liquid photoresist in order to spread the liquid photoresist over the entire air bearing surface. As a result, there is a problem that the production cost becomes high and the mass productivity is poor.

Further, it is desired to improve the resolution by forming the resist film thinner.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head slider which can handle a large number of slider bars at the same time and which is inexpensive and suitable for mass production.

An object of the present invention is to apply a liquid photoresist film with a uniform thickness to the air bearing surfaces of a plurality of slider bars to form fine and complicated air bearing shapes on the slider bar surfaces with high accuracy. To do so.

A further object of the present invention is to prevent the generation of bubbles and improve the film thickness distribution of the liquid photoresist on the surface of the slider bar.

A further object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of liquid photoresist dropped and improve the mass productivity of thin film magnetic head sliders.

[0016]

A first method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic slider according to the present invention comprises a photolithography technique on a predetermined surface of a thin film magnetic head slider,
It is a manufacturing method for forming an air bearing shape. This method prepares a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped thin film magnetic head slider bars including a plurality of thin film magnetic head elements, and a surface to be coated with the liquid photoresist of each of the plurality of thin film magnetic head slider bars (hereinafter, referred to as ""Coatingsurface") are arranged on the same plane.
The method includes a resist coating step of coating a liquid photoresist on the coating surface and a heat curing step of thermally curing the coated liquid photoresist. In the resist coating step, while rotating the coating surface, the liquid photoresist is spirally dropped from the outer peripheral side of the coating surface toward the center, and a resist dropping step, and the coating surface. The step of rotating to spread the dropped liquid photoresist over the entire coating surface is performed.

Preferably, the resist expanding step is performed using a closed spin coater.

A second method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic slider according to the present invention comprises:
It is a manufacturing method for forming an air bearing shape by using a photolithography technique. This method prepares a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped thin film magnetic head slider bars including a plurality of thin film magnetic head elements, and a surface to be coated with the liquid photoresist of each of the plurality of thin film magnetic head slider bars (hereinafter, referred to as " “Coating surface”) are arranged on the same plane, a first resist coating step of coating the liquid photoresist on the coating surface, and a first step of thermally curing the coated liquid photoresist. A heat curing step, a second resist applying step of applying a liquid photoresist onto the liquid photoresist thermally cured in the first heat curing step, and a second resist applying step of applying the liquid photoresist. A second heat curing step of heat curing the liquid photoresist. In the first and second resist coating steps, the liquid dropping is performed in such a manner that the liquid photoresist is spirally dropped from the outer peripheral side of the coating surface toward the center while rotating the coating surface. And a step of rotating the coating surface to spread the dropped liquid photoresist over the entire coating surface.

Preferably, the first resist expanding step in the first resist applying step, and
The second resist expanding step in the second resist applying step is performed by using a closed spin coater.

Preferably, the number of rotations of the closed spin coater in the second resist expansion step is
It is higher than the rotation speed of the sealed spin coater in the first resist expansion step.

The thin film magnetic head slider according to the present invention is manufactured by any one of the above thin film magnetic head slider manufacturing methods.

[0022]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring to the accompanying drawings,
An embodiment of the present invention will be described. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a thin film magnetic head slider bar. Slider bar 1
It is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and has a plurality of magnetic head elements 2 in the length direction. Since one thin film magnetic head slider has a single magnetic head element 2, the slider bar 1 can be regarded as a plurality of thin film magnetic head sliders arranged in a line. The slider bar 1 also includes a cutting groove 4 that partitions each magnetic head slider.

One of the two planes perpendicular to the thickness direction of the slider bar 1 is an air bearing surface 6 forming an air bearing. This air bearing surface 6
Has an uneven shape due to the cutting groove 4. Further, when a plurality of slider bars 1 are arranged, a gap 8 is formed between the slider bars, and the gap 8 also causes the air bearing surface 6 to have an uneven shape. In addition, multiple slider bars 1
When you arrange, from the variation of the tolerance in the thickness,
There is a step between the slider bars. FIG. 2 shows a method for processing an air bearing surface having such an uneven shape.
Will be described in detail.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a method for processing an air bearing surface according to this embodiment. First, a plurality of slider bars are arranged and fixed on a jig to generate a large area mask pattern forming surface (S10). At this time, the step due to the variation in the thickness of the slider bar is eliminated.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a step of forming a large-area mask pattern forming surface having no step. First, the air bearing surfaces 10 of a plurality of slider bars
(In the figure, each of the divided rectangular small pieces represents a thin film magnetic head slider.) Has a smooth flat surface with high precision flatness, and a suction hole 12 for sucking the slider bar is predetermined. Vacuum suction is performed on the suction fixing jig 14 provided at the position ((1) in FIG. 3). Here, the size of the suction hole 12 can be arbitrarily optimized. Further, the adhesive 16 is applied to the upper surface of the jig 18 in advance.

Next, the back surface 20 of the slider bar, which faces the air bearing surface 10, is brought into contact with the upper surface of the jig 18 coated with the adhesive 16. At this time, the slider bar is still vacuum-adsorbed by the adsorption fixing jig 14 ((2) in FIG. 3). Further, after the slider bar is brought into contact with the upper surface of the jig 18 via the adhesive 16, the adhesive 1
Cure 6

Finally, after the adhesive 16 is cured, the vacuum suction surface of the suction fixing jig 14 is released ((3) in FIG. 3). Thereby, the air bearing surface 10 having no step between the plurality of slider bars, that is, the mask pattern forming surface can be obtained.

However, as shown in FIG. 1, the air bearing surface 10 has a gap 8 between the cutting groove 4 and the slider bar.
Therefore, there is still a step. Hereinafter, a method of uniformly applying the liquid photoresist to the air bearing surface 10 will be described.

In the method according to the present embodiment, a resist is applied by using a closed spin coater 30 as shown in FIG. The closed spin coater 30 includes a lid 32, and the lid 32 can be detachably attached to the spin coater 34. The closed spin coater used this time is a closed spin coater manufactured by Tatsumo Co., Ltd. First, the jig 18 to which a plurality of slider bars are bonded is fixed to the center of the plate 36 with the air bearing surface 10 facing upward. Then, without the lid 32, the plate 36
Rotate at a rotation speed of 50 rpm. Next, the plate 36
While still rotating, the liquid photoresist is spirally dropped from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center (S11). As shown in FIG. 5, while rotating the jig 18 in the direction of the arrow, the nozzle 42 that discharges the liquid photoresist 40 is moved from the outside to the inside of the air bearing surface 10 as shown by the arrow. By doing. The total amount of liquid photoresist used in this case is about 10 ml.

On the other hand, when the liquid photoresist is spirally dropped from the center of the air bearing surface 10 toward the outer peripheral side while the jig 18 is rotated at a rotational speed of 150 rpm, the amount of liquid photoresist used is , 20 ml or more. Both liquid photoresists are SIPR9332 series (viscosity about 50 mPa · s) manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

Next, the lid 32 of the closed spin coater 30 is closed, the jig 18 is closed, and the plate 36 is set to 150 rp.
Rotate for 30 seconds at a rotation speed of 300 rpm, which is greater than m. Thereby, the dropped liquid photoresist,
Spread evenly over the entire air bearing surface 10 (S1
2).

Next, the jig 18 is taken out from the hermetically-sealed spin coater, placed on a hot plate, and the applied liquid photoresist is thermoset at a temperature of 90 ° C. for 5 minutes (S13). The film thickness of the photoresist film formed as described above is 10 μm.

Further, the heat-cured photoresist mask is exposed and developed to form a mask pattern (S14). Then, according to the mask pattern, dry etching such as ion beam etching is performed to form an air bearing (S15). Finally,
The applied resist is removed (S16).

The thickness of the resist film after heat curing is measured at a plurality of predetermined points.
Then, from the measured values, film thickness distribution (hereinafter, referred to as "in-substrate film thickness distribution") data between the arranged thin film magnetic head sliders is obtained. Similarly, for the photoresist film obtained by using the conventional coating method, the in-substrate film thickness distribution data is obtained. Comparing them and calculating by a predetermined method, it is found that the film thickness distribution in the substrate is improved by 5.6% when the method according to the present embodiment is used as compared with the case where the conventional method is used. Recognize.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist is removed while rotating the jig 18 at a predetermined rotation speed.
It is dripped in a spiral shape from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center. This is when using the conventional method,
In addition, it is possible to prevent the resist from spreading along the cutting groove, as compared with the case where the liquid photoresist is dropped in a spiral shape from the center toward the outer peripheral side. Therefore, the amount of the dropped liquid photoresist can be reduced.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist is uniformly spread on the entire air bearing surface 10 by using the closed spin coater 30. Thereby, the deterioration of the film thickness distribution due to the spread of the resist along the cut groove can be suppressed. Further, it is possible to reduce an increase in film thickness at the corner portion peculiar to the square substrate.

By using the method according to this embodiment, the liquid photoresist can be uniformly applied to the entire air bearing surface of the slider bar. Therefore, it is possible to form an air bearing shape with good processing accuracy. In addition, the amount of the liquid photoresist dropped can be reduced as compared with the conventional technique.

In the method according to this embodiment,
By changing the rotation speed of the plate 36 of the closed spin coater 30, liquid photoresists having different viscosities can be used. Even in that case, the same effect as the above-mentioned effect can be obtained.

(Second Embodiment) In the method according to the second embodiment, a closed type spin coater 30 is used to form a two-layer liquid photoresist film. less than,
The method according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows a flowchart describing the method for processing the air bearing surface according to the present embodiment. Similar to the method according to the first embodiment, first, a plurality of slider bars are bonded to the jig 18 by the method shown in FIG.
A mask pattern forming surface having a large area is generated (S20).
Then, the jig 18 is attached to the hermetically-sealed spin coater 30, and the liquid photoresist is spirally dropped from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center as shown in FIG. 5 (S21).

Next, the lid 32 of the closed spin coater 30 is closed, the jig 18 is closed, and the plate 36 is set to 300 rp.
It is rotated at a rotation speed of m for 30 seconds to uniformly spread the dropped liquid photoresist over the entire air bearing surface 10 (S22). Next, the jig 18 is attached to the closed spin coater 3
It is taken out from 0 and placed on a hot plate, and the applied liquid photoresist is thermally cured at a temperature of 90 ° C. for 5 minutes (S23).

Further, the jig 18 is mounted on the closed spin coater 30 again, and the liquid photoresist is spirally dropped from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center as shown in FIG. 5 ( S24). Next, the lid 32 is closed, the jig 18 is sealed, and the plate 36 is rotated at a rotation speed of 300 rpm to evenly spread the dropped liquid photoresist over the entire air bearing surface 10 (S25). Then, the jig 18 is taken out from the hermetically-sealed spin coater 30 and placed on a hot plate, and the applied liquid photoresist is thermoset at a temperature of 90 ° C. for 5 minutes (S2).
6). The thickness of the photoresist film obtained as described above is 18 μm.

Further, the heat-cured photoresist mask is exposed and developed to form a mask pattern (S27). Then, according to the mask pattern, dry etching such as ion beam etching is performed to form an air bearing (S28). Finally,
The applied resist is removed (S29).

The thickness of the resist film after the second heat curing is measured at a plurality of predetermined points. Then, from the measured values, film thickness distribution data (hereinafter referred to as “slider film thickness distribution”) in each thin film magnetic head slider is obtained. Similarly, with respect to the photoresist film obtained by using the conventional coating method, the slider film thickness distribution data is obtained. Comparing them and calculating by a predetermined method, it is found that the film thickness distribution in the slider is improved by 4.8% when the method according to the present embodiment is used as compared with the case where the conventional method is used. Recognize. Further, when the method according to the present embodiment is used, the film thickness distribution in the substrate is 8.5, as compared with the case where the conventional method is used.
% Improved.

In the method according to the present embodiment, by applying the liquid photoresist and heat-curing it twice in succession, a photoresist film having a more uniform thickness than that obtained by using the conventional technique can be obtained. You can

In the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist is removed by rotating the jig 18 at a predetermined number of rotations.
It is dripped in a spiral shape from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center. Thereby, the amount of the liquid photoresist dropped can be reduced.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist is uniformly spread on the entire air bearing surface 10 by using the closed spin coater 30. Thereby, the deterioration of the film thickness distribution due to the spread of the resist along the cut groove can be suppressed. Further, it is possible to reduce an increase in film thickness at the corner portion peculiar to the square substrate.

By using the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist can be uniformly applied to the entire air bearing surface of the slider bar. Therefore, it is possible to form an air bearing shape with good processing accuracy. In addition, the amount of the liquid photoresist dropped can be reduced as compared with the conventional technique.

In the method according to this embodiment,
Liquid photoresists having different viscosities can be used by changing the rotation speed of the plate of the closed spin coater. Even in that case, the same effect as the above-mentioned effect can be obtained.

(Third Embodiment) In the method according to the present embodiment, the closed spin coater 30 is used to
A layer of liquid photoresist film is formed. When applying the liquid photoresist, the rotation speed of the hermetic spin coater 30 at the time of applying the second layer is set to be higher than that of the hermetic spin coater 30 at the time of applying the first layer. Hereinafter, the method according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 shows a flowchart describing the method for processing the air bearing surface according to the present embodiment. Similar to the method according to the first embodiment, first, a plurality of slider bars are attached to the jig 1 by the method shown in FIG.
8 is adhered to generate a mask pattern forming surface having a large area (S30). Then, the jig 18 is attached to the closed spin coater 30, and the liquid photoresist is spirally dropped from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center as shown in FIG. 5 (S31).

Then, the lid 32 of the hermetically sealed spin coater 30 is closed, the jig 18 is hermetically sealed, and the plate 36 is set to 300 rp.
The liquid photoresist is uniformly spread over the entire air bearing surface 10 by rotating it for 30 seconds at a rotation speed of m (S3
2). Next, the jig 18 is taken out of the hermetically-sealed spin coater 30 and placed on a hot plate, and the applied liquid photoresist is thermally cured at a temperature of 90 ° C. for 5 minutes (S).
33).

Further, the jig 18 is mounted on the closed spin coater 30 again, and the liquid photoresist is spirally dropped from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center as shown in FIG. 5 ( S34). Next, the lid 32 is closed and the jig 18 is sealed, and the plate 36 is rotated at a rotation speed of 1000 rpm to uniformly spread the dropped liquid photoresist over the entire air bearing surface 10 (S35).
Then, the jig 18 is taken out from the hermetically-sealed spin coater 30 and placed on a hot plate, and the applied liquid photoresist is thermoset at a temperature of 90 ° C. for 5 minutes (S3).
6). The thickness of the photoresist film obtained as described above is 8 μm.

Further, the heat-cured photoresist mask is exposed and developed to form a mask pattern (S37). Then, according to the mask pattern, dry etching such as ion beam etching is performed to form an air bearing (S38). Finally,
The applied resist is removed (S39).

In the method according to the present embodiment, the thickness of the photoresist film obtained is 8 μm, which is thinner than the thickness of the resist film obtained using the method according to the second embodiment. Further, as compared with the photoresist film formed by the conventional method, the film thickness distribution in the substrate and the film thickness distribution in the slider are improved by 2.6% and 6.7%, respectively.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the application of the liquid photoresist and its thermosetting are continuously performed twice,
The number of rotations of the hermetically-sealed spin coater 30 at the time of the second application is set to be the same as that of the hermetically-sealed spin coater 30 at the time of the first application.
By making the rotational speed higher than the above, it is possible to obtain a photoresist film having a more uniform thickness as compared with the case of using the conventional technique.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist is removed by rotating the jig 18 at a predetermined number of rotations.
It is dripped in a spiral shape from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center. Thereby, the amount of the liquid photoresist dropped can be reduced.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist is uniformly spread on the entire air bearing surface 10 using the closed spin coater 30. Thereby, the deterioration of the film thickness distribution due to the spread of the resist along the cut groove can be suppressed. Further, it is possible to reduce an increase in film thickness at the corner portion peculiar to the square substrate.

By using the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist can be uniformly applied to the entire air bearing surface of the slider bar. Therefore, it is possible to form an air bearing shape with good processing accuracy. In addition, the amount of the liquid photoresist dropped can be reduced as compared with the conventional technique.

In the method of the present embodiment, liquid photoresists having different viscosities can be used by changing the rotation speed of the plate 36 of the hermetically sealed spin coater 30. Even in that case, the same effect as the above-mentioned effect can be obtained.

(Fourth Embodiment) In the method according to the present embodiment, a closed spin coater 30 is used to
A layer of liquid photoresist film is formed. Further, when the liquid photoresist is heat-cured, the temperature during the heat-curing of the first layer is set lower than the temperature during the heat-curing of the second layer. Hereinafter, the method according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 and 11. FIG. 8 shows a flowchart describing the method for processing the air bearing surface according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 shows a temperature profile when the applied liquid photoresist is thermally cured. Similar to the method according to the first embodiment, first, a plurality of slider bars are attached to the jig 18 by the method shown in FIG.
To form a large-area mask pattern formation surface (S40). Then, the jig 18 is attached to the hermetically-sealed spin coater 30, and the liquid photoresist is spirally dropped from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center as shown in FIG. 5 (S41).

Next, the lid 32 of the hermetically sealed spin coater 30 is closed, the jig 18 is hermetically sealed, and the plate 36 is rotated at 300 rpm.
At 30 rpm, the liquid photoresist is uniformly spread over the entire air bearing surface 10 (S42).
Next, the jig 18 is taken out of the closed spin coater 30 and placed on a hot plate. Then, the applied liquid photoresist is thermally cured at a temperature of 60 ° C. for 5 minutes as indicated by the solid line a in FIG. 11 (1) (S43).

Further, the jig 18 is mounted on the closed spin coater 30 again, and the liquid photoresist is spirally dropped from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center as shown in FIG. 5 ( S44). Next, the lid 32 is closed, the jig 18 is sealed, and the plate 36 is rotated at a rotation speed of 1000 rpm to uniformly spread the dropped liquid photoresist over the entire air bearing surface 10 (S45).
Then, the jig 18 is taken out from the closed spin coater 30 and placed on the hot plate. Then, the applied liquid photoresist is heat-cured at a temperature of 90 ° C. for 5 minutes as indicated by a broken line b in 11 (1) (S46). The thickness of the photoresist film obtained as described above is 6 μm.

Further, the thermosetting photoresist mask is exposed and developed to form a mask pattern (S47). Then, according to the mask pattern, dry etching such as ion beam etching is performed to form an air bearing (S48). Finally,
The applied resist is removed (S49).

In the method according to the present embodiment, the thickness of the photoresist film obtained is 6 μm, which is thinner than any of the resist films obtained using the methods according to the above-described embodiments. Further, the film thickness distribution in the substrate and the film thickness distribution in the slider are improved by 41.7% and 35%, respectively, as compared with the photoresist film formed by the conventional method. Further, the bubble generation rate of the liquid photoresist is 2.7% as compared with the case where the conventional method is used.
Get lower.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the application of the liquid photoresist and its heat curing are carried out twice in succession, and the curing temperature at the first thermal curing is set to be higher than the desired curing temperature (90 ° C.). Set to low temperature (60 ° C). The photoresist is not completely thermoset at the time of the first thermosetting, but is once melted and thermoset at the time of the second thermal setting. By performing the above-mentioned stepwise processing, the generation of bubbles in the liquid photoresist is reduced.

Further, as described above, the conventional technique is used by once thermally curing the photoresist at a temperature lower than the desired curing temperature, then melting them at the desired curing temperature and thermally curing them again. It is possible to obtain a photoresist film having a more uniform thickness than in the case where it is not formed.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist is removed by rotating the jig 18 at a predetermined number of rotations.
It is dripped in a spiral shape from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center. Thereby, the amount of the liquid photoresist dropped can be reduced.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist is uniformly spread on the entire air bearing surface 10 by using the closed spin coater 30. Thereby, the deterioration of the film thickness distribution due to the spread of the resist along the cut groove can be suppressed. Further, it is possible to reduce an increase in film thickness at the corner portion peculiar to the square substrate.

By using the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist can be uniformly applied to the entire air bearing surface of the slider bar. Therefore, it is possible to form an air bearing shape with good processing accuracy. In addition, the amount of the liquid photoresist dropped can be reduced as compared with the conventional technique.

In the method of the present embodiment, liquid photoresists having different viscosities can be used by changing the rotation speed of the plate 36 of the hermetically sealed spin coater 30. Even in that case, the same effect as the above-mentioned effect can be obtained.

(Fifth Embodiment) In the method according to the present embodiment, the application of the liquid photoresist and its thermosetting are carried out twice in succession, and at the time of one thermosetting, the temperature is set from room temperature to a predetermined temperature. Gradually increase to the curing temperature of.
Hereinafter, the method according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 9 and 11. FIG. 9 shows a flowchart describing the method for processing the air bearing surface according to the present embodiment. Similar to the method according to the first embodiment,
First, a plurality of slider bars are bonded to the jig 18 by the method shown in FIG. 3 to generate a mask pattern forming surface having a large area (S50). Then, the jig 18 is attached to the hermetically sealed spin coater 30, and the liquid photoresist is removed.
As shown in (4), it is spirally dropped from the outer peripheral side toward the center (S51).

Next, the lid 32 of the hermetically sealed spin coater 30 is closed, the jig 18 is hermetically sealed, and the plate 36 is set to 300 rp.
It is rotated at a rotation speed of m for 30 seconds to uniformly spread the dropped liquid photoresist on the entire air bearing surface 10 (S52).

Next, the jig 18 is attached to the closed spin coater 30.
Then, the liquid photoresist applied to the liquid photoresist is heat cured (S53). this is,
As indicated by the solid line a in (2) of FIG. 11, the temperature is 40 ° C. for 10 minutes, and the temperature is 5 ° C. for 5 minutes.
It is carried out step by step with minutes.

Further, the jig 18 is mounted on the closed spin coater 30 again, and the liquid photoresist is spirally dropped from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center as shown in FIG. 5 ( S54). Then, the lid 34 is put on to close the jig 18, and the plate 36 is set to 1000 rpm.
And the dropped liquid photoresist is spread evenly over the entire air bearing surface 10 (S5).
5). Then, the jig 18 is taken out from the hermetically-sealed spin coater 30 and placed on a hot plate, and the applied liquid photoresist is thermally cured (S56). This is as shown by the broken line b in (2) of FIG.
The temperature is 40 ° C. for 10 minutes, the temperature is 60 ° C. for 5 minutes, and the temperature is 90 ° C. for 5 minutes. The thickness of the photoresist film obtained as described above is 6 μm.

Further, the thermosetting photoresist mask is exposed and developed to form a mask pattern (S57). Then, according to the mask pattern, dry etching such as ion beam etching is performed to form an air bearing (S58). Finally,
The applied resist is removed (S59).

In the method according to the present embodiment, the thickness of the photoresist film obtained is 6 μm, which is sufficiently thin.
Further, as compared with the photoresist film formed by the conventional method, the generation rate of bubbles in the liquid photoresist is
3.0% lower.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the application of the liquid photoresist and its thermosetting are performed twice successively. In addition, the maximum temperature (1
The second curing temperature) is set lower than the maximum temperature (second curing temperature) reached during the second thermal curing.
This is because at the time of the first heat curing, the applied photoresist is once heat cured at a temperature (60 ° C.) lower than the desired curing temperature (90 ° C.), and the photoresist is further applied to all the resists. Is completely heat-cured during the second heat-curing. The photoresist is not completely thermoset at the time of the first thermosetting, but is once melted and thermoset at the time of the second thermal setting. By performing the above-mentioned stepwise processing, the generation of bubbles in the liquid photoresist is reduced.

Furthermore, in the method according to the present embodiment, the temperature is raised stepwise to the predetermined curing temperature during each heat curing. As a result, unlike the case where the temperature is raised all at once, the generation of bubbles in the liquid photoresist is reduced.

Further, as described above, the conventional technique is used by once thermally curing the photoresist at a temperature lower than the desired curing temperature, then melting them at the desired curing temperature and thermally curing them again. It is possible to obtain a photoresist film having a more uniform thickness than in the case where it is not formed.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist is removed by rotating the jig 18 at a predetermined number of rotations.
It is dripped in a spiral shape from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center. Thereby, the amount of the liquid photoresist dropped can be reduced.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist is uniformly spread on the entire air bearing surface 10 using the closed spin coater 30. Thereby, the deterioration of the film thickness distribution due to the spread of the resist along the cut groove can be suppressed. Further, it is possible to reduce an increase in film thickness at the corner portion peculiar to the square substrate.

By using the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist can be uniformly applied to the entire air bearing surface of the slider bar. Therefore, it is possible to form an air bearing shape with good processing accuracy. In addition, the amount of the liquid photoresist dropped can be reduced as compared with the conventional technique.

In the method of this embodiment, liquid photoresists having different viscosities can be used by changing the number of rotations of the plate 36 of the hermetically sealed spin coater 30. Even in that case, the same effect as the above-mentioned effect can be obtained.

(Sixth Embodiment) In the method according to the present embodiment, when the liquid photoresist is cured, the temperature is kept at room temperature for a predetermined time, and then the temperature is gradually increased from the room temperature to a predetermined curing temperature. To raise. Below, FIG.
The method according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 shows a flowchart describing the method for processing the air bearing surface according to the present embodiment. Similar to the method according to the first embodiment, first, a plurality of slider bars are attached to the jig 18 by the method shown in FIG.
To form a large area mask pattern forming surface (S60). Then, the jig 18 is attached to the hermetically-sealed spin coater 30, and the liquid photoresist is spirally dropped from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center as shown in FIG. 5 (S61).

Next, the lid 32 of the hermetically sealed spin coater 30 is closed, the jig 18 is hermetically sealed, and the plate 36 is set to 300 rp.
Rotate for 30 seconds at a rotation speed of m to spread the liquid photoresist evenly over the entire air bearing surface 10 (S6).
2).

Next, the jig 18 is attached to the closed spin coater 3
Remove from 0 and place on a hot plate, 10 at room temperature
Leave for a minute. After 10 minutes, the temperature of the hot plate is raised to thermally cure the applied liquid photoresist.
This is performed stepwise at a temperature of 40 ° C. for 10 minutes, and subsequently at a temperature of 60 ° C. for 5 minutes, as indicated by the solid line a in (3) of FIG. 11 (S63).

Further, again, the jig 18 is attached to the hermetically-sealed spin coater 30, and the liquid photoresist is spirally dropped from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center as shown in FIG. 5 ( S64). Then, the lid 34 is put on to close the jig 18, and the plate 36 is set to 1000 rpm.
And the dropped liquid photoresist is spread evenly over the entire air bearing surface 10 (S6).
5). Then, the jig 18 is taken out of the hermetically-sealed spin coater 30 and placed on a hot plate, and the applied liquid photoresist is thermally cured (S66). This is as shown by the broken line b in (2) of FIG.
The temperature is 40 ° C. for 10 minutes, the temperature is 60 ° C. for 5 minutes, and the temperature is 90 ° C. for 5 minutes. The thickness of the photoresist film obtained as described above is 6 μm.

Further, the heat-cured photoresist mask is exposed and developed to form a mask pattern (S67). Then, according to the mask pattern, dry etching such as ion beam etching is performed to form an air bearing (S68). Finally,
The applied resist is removed (S69).

In the method according to the present embodiment, the thickness of the photoresist film obtained is 6 μm, which is sufficiently thin.
Further, as compared with the photoresist film formed by the conventional method, the generation rate of bubbles in the liquid photoresist is
3.2% lower.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the application of the liquid photoresist and its thermosetting are continuously performed twice. In addition, the maximum temperature (1
The second curing temperature) is set lower than the maximum temperature (second curing temperature) reached during the second thermal curing.
This is because at the time of the first heat curing, the applied photoresist is once heat cured at a temperature (60 ° C.) lower than the desired curing temperature (90 ° C.), and the photoresist is further applied to all the resists. Is completely heat-cured during the second heat-curing. The photoresist is not completely thermoset at the time of the first thermosetting, but is once melted and thermoset at the time of the second thermal setting. By performing the above-mentioned stepwise processing, the generation of bubbles in the liquid photoresist is reduced.

Further, in the method according to the present embodiment, the temperature is raised stepwise to a predetermined curing temperature during each heat curing, and particularly, at the time of the first heat curing, the applied photoresist is applied. Is allowed to stand at room temperature for a predetermined time before raising the temperature. As a result, unlike the case where the temperature is raised all at once, the generation of bubbles in the liquid photoresist is reduced.

Further, as described above, once the materials are thermally cured at a temperature lower than the desired curing temperature, they are melted at the desired curing temperature and then thermally cured, so that the conventional technique is used. Also, a photoresist film having a more uniform thickness can be obtained.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist is removed while rotating the jig 18 at a predetermined number of rotations.
It is dripped in a spiral shape from the outer peripheral side of the air bearing surface 10 toward the center. Thereby, the amount of the liquid photoresist dropped can be reduced.

In the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist is uniformly spread on the entire air bearing surface 10 by using the closed spin coater 30. Thereby, the deterioration of the film thickness distribution due to the spread of the resist along the cut groove can be suppressed. Further, it is possible to reduce an increase in film thickness at the corner portion peculiar to the square substrate.

By using the method according to the present embodiment, the liquid photoresist can be uniformly applied to the entire air bearing surface of the slider bar. Therefore, it is possible to form an air bearing shape with good processing accuracy. In addition, the amount of the liquid photoresist dropped can be reduced as compared with the conventional technique.

In the method of this embodiment, liquid photoresists having different viscosities can be used by changing the rotation speed of the plate 36 of the hermetically sealed spin coater 30. Even in that case, the same effect as the above-mentioned effect can be obtained.

By using the method described above, a liquid photoresist film having a good distribution and a uniform thickness can be formed even on an air bearing surface having an uneven shape such as a cutting groove. As a result, it is possible to form the air bearing surface of any shape with fineness and high accuracy, and it is possible to greatly improve the productivity and also to improve the yield.

[0097]

According to the present invention, a liquid photoresist film can be applied to the air bearing surfaces of a plurality of slider bars with a uniform thickness.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a thin film magnetic slider bar.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for processing an air bearing surface according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a method of bonding a plurality of thin film magnetic slider bars onto a jig.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a sealed spin coater.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method of dropping a liquid photoresist according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for processing an air bearing surface according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of processing an air bearing surface according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of processing an air bearing surface according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for processing an air bearing surface according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of processing an air bearing surface according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a temperature profile according to the present invention when a liquid photoresist is thermoset.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional resist coating method.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Magnetic head slider bar 2 Magnetic head element 4 cutting grooves 6 Air bearing surface 8 Gap between slider bars 10 Large area air bearing surface 18 jigs 30 Closed spin coater

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Sadayoshi Ito             1 Juden Matsushita, 1-8 Koshinmachi, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture             Child Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Ryuichi Nakagami             1 Juden Matsushita, 1-8 Koshinmachi, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture             Child Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kozo Tagashi             1 Juden Matsushita, 1-8 Koshinmachi, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture             Child Industry Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5D042 NA02 PA08 RA02

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A manufacturing method for forming an air bearing shape on a predetermined surface of a thin film magnetic head slider by using a photolithography technique, the rectangular thin film magnetic head slider bar including a plurality of thin film magnetic head elements. A plurality of thin film magnetic head slider bars, and arranging the thin film magnetic head slider bars so that the liquid photoresist coating surfaces (hereinafter referred to as “coating surfaces”) are on the same plane. A resist coating step of applying a liquid photoresist to, and a heat curing step of thermally curing the applied liquid photoresist, wherein the resist coating step comprises rotating the coating surface to form a liquid photoresist,
A resist dropping step of dropping the coating surface in a spiral shape from the outer peripheral side toward the center, and a resist expanding step of rotating the coating surface to spread the dropped liquid photoresist over the entire coating surface. Thin film magnetic head slider manufacturing method. 2. The method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head slider according to claim 1, wherein the step of expanding the resist is performed by using a closed spin coater. 3. A thin film magnetic head slider bar having a rectangular parallelepiped shape, comprising a plurality of thin film magnetic head elements, which is a manufacturing method for forming an air bearing shape on a predetermined surface of a thin film magnetic head slider by using a photolithography technique. A plurality of thin film magnetic head slider bars, and arranging them so that the surfaces to be coated with the liquid photoresist of the plurality of thin film magnetic head slider bars (hereinafter referred to as “coating surfaces”) are on the same plane. A first resist applying step of applying a liquid photoresist to the first photoresist, a first thermosetting step of thermally curing the applied liquid photoresist, and a liquid photoresist thermally cured in the first thermosetting step. A second resist coating step of coating a liquid photoresist, and the second resist coating step A second heat-curing step of heat-curing the applied liquid photoresist, wherein the first and second resist applying steps rotate the application surface while applying the liquid photoresist onto the application surface. A thin film magnetic method comprising: a resist dropping step of spirally dropping from the outer peripheral side toward the center; and a resist expanding step of rotating the coating surface to spread the dropped liquid photoresist over the entire coating surface. Head slider manufacturing method. 4. The first resist expanding step in the first resist coating step and the second resist expanding step in the second resist coating step are each performed by using a hermetic spin coater. The method for manufacturing a thin film magnetic head slider according to claim 3, wherein 5. The rotational speed of the hermetic spin coater in the second resist expanding step is higher than the rotational speed of the hermetic spin coater in the first resist expanding step. Method for manufacturing thin film magnetic head slider of. 6. A thin film magnetic head slider manufactured by the manufacturing method according to claim 1.