JP3643063B2 - Manufacturing method of magnetic head - Google Patents

Description

【００３４】
なお、ＤＬＣ膜の膜厚は、予め屈折率２．２以上が得られ成膜条件におけるＤＬＣ膜の成膜速度を測定しておき、この成膜速度に応じて成膜時間を調整することで表中の値を得ている。また、実施例９においてはＤＬＣ膜の下地膜として予めシリコン膜２０Å成膜し、その上にＤＬＣ膜を成膜してすべての膜厚の総和が４０Åになるようにし、実施例１０においてはＤＬＣ膜の下地膜として予めシリコン酸化膜２０Å成膜し、その上にＤＬＣ膜を成膜してすべての膜厚の総和が４０Åになるようにしている。
【００３５】
屈折率２．２以上であることから、ＤＬＣ膜は十分な低摩擦性能が得られることがわかっている。そこで、耐腐食特性に関して、信頼性テスト及び腐食テストを行った。信頼性テストにおいては、５０℃、湿度８０％の環境において７日間保存した後にＭＲ素子の抵抗値の変化を測定することにより腐食状態を確認した。実際には、各ＭＲ素子に対して０．１mAの電流が流れるように電圧を印可してその電圧値を求め、さらにこの電圧値より素子の抵抗値を求めるという操作を前述の環境保存の前後で行い、その抵抗率の変化による評価を行った。
【００３６】
腐食テストにおいては、０．１wt.％の硫酸水溶液に試料を一昼夜浸漬し、ESCA（Ｘ線光電子分光法）により試料表面におけるCo/Cのピーク強度比を確認した。ESCAは、物質にＸ線を照射してその光電効果によって叩き出された電子の運動エネルギーを電場またな磁場を用いて分析、測定するものである。本評価は、本来ＤＬＣ膜表面近傍からはＣ（炭素）のピークしか観察されないにも拘わらず、ＤＬＣ膜にピンホール等が存在して素子の腐食が生じた場合に、Ｃｏ（コバルト：素子の磁性膜に用いられる）のピークが観察されるという現象に基づく。
【００３７】
評価結果を表２に示す。
【表２】

【００３８】
以上の評価結果より、本発明によれば２０Å厚さのＤＬＣ膜において十分な耐腐食特性が得られること、さらに本発明による５Å厚さのＤＬＣ膜は、従来技術による５０Å厚さのＤＬＣ膜より優れた耐腐食特性が得られることも確認された。
【００３９】
また、下地膜としてシリコン膜あるいはシリコン酸化膜何れを用いた場合であっても、ＤＬＣ膜としては２０Å厚さで十分な耐腐食特性が得られることが確認された。さらに、実施例３と実施例９あるいは実施例１０との比較により、ＤＬＣ膜の密着性を改善する必要がある場合、必要充分となる最小厚さの下地層を形成するだけで良いことが確認された。従って、本発明によれば、下地膜を用いて密着性の向上を図った場合であっても、従来技術によるＤＬＣ膜等に対して非常に薄く且つ密着性と耐腐食特性に優れたＤＬＣ膜を形成することが可能であることがわかる。
【００４０】
なお、本実施例においては、磁気ヘッドの保護膜としてＤＬＣ膜を形成する場合についてのみ述べている。しかし、放電を用いた本発明に係る方法によれば、その効果は異なる膜についても同等に得られ、保護膜あるいはその下地膜として例えばシリコン膜、シリコン酸化膜等、種々の膜を本発明に係る保護膜形成方法を用いて形成することが可能である。この場合、シリコン膜を形成する際には原料となるガスとしてシリコンと水素とから構成されるシラン、ジシラン等を、シリコン酸化膜を形成する際にはシリコン、酸素及び水素とから構成されるメタノール、エタノール等を用いればよい。
【００４１】
また、素子部の構成及びその形成方法について具体的に詳述しているが、本発明は当該素子構成に限定されず種々の構造及び膜を有する磁気ヘッド、例えばＡＭＲ素子あるいはＧＭＲ素子を有する磁気ヘッド、書き込み専用の誘導型の磁気ヘッド等に対しても適応することが可能である。
【００４２】
【本発明の効果】
本発明の実施により、膜形成面に対して密着性に優れ、且つより薄い膜厚で十分な耐腐食特性を示すＤＬＣ膜が得られる。また、単体で薄膜化を図った場合においても、従来技術により得られるＤＬＣ膜と比較して、より薄い膜厚で十分な耐腐食特性を示すＤＬＣ膜が得られる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】 本発明に係るＤＬＣ膜形成方法を実施するためのＤＬＣ膜形成装置の概略構成を示す図である。
【図２】 本発明の実施において用いた磁気ヘッドに関し、ＤＬＣ膜形成前の素子部端面を磁気記録媒体側から見た際に観察される構造の概略を示す図である。
【図３】 図２における切断線３−３において素子部等を切断した場合に、磁気記録媒体のトラック幅方向（図中左方）から見た際に観察される構造の概略を示す図である。
【図４】 図２におけるＭＲ素子部を拡大して示す図である。
【符号の説明】
１ ＤＬＣ膜形成装置
２ 石英管
３ 高周波印可装置
４ バイアス印可装置
１０ ガス導入部
１１ 排気ポート
１２ プラズマ発生部
１３ バイアス印可部
１３ａ、ｂ 電極
１４ 棒状基板
３０ 素子部
３２ 下地層
３３ 第１のシールド層
３４ 第１のギャップ層
３５ バイアス層
３６ 第２のギャップ層
３７ 第２のシールド層
３８ 書き込みギャップ層
３９ 薄膜コイル
４０ 平坦化層
４１ 書き込みポール
４２ 保護層
４５ 基板
５０ ＭＲ素子
５１ 下地層
５２ 反強磁性層
５３ ピン層
５４ バリア層
５５ フリー層
５６ キャップ層[0001]
[Field of the Invention]
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a magnetic head used in a hard disk device (hereinafter referred to as HDD). More specifically, in a magnetic head corresponding to a magnetic recording medium having a high recording density, when manufacturing the magnetic head, a diamond-like or hydrogen-containing amorphous carbon film (hereinafter referred to as DLC film) is formed on the magnetic head. The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a magnetic head formed as a protective film.
[0002]
[Prior art]
One external storage device used in a relatively small computer system is an HDD. HDDs are being increased in recording density in response to demands for smaller size and larger storage capacity. One of the components of the HDD is a magnetic head that actually writes and reads information to and from a magnetic recording medium. This magnetic head includes a so-called thin film head, a so-called AMR head or GMR head using a magnetoresistive effect, a TMR head using a tunnel phenomenon, and the like, and various measures are taken to cope with higher recording density. ing.
[0003]
The core part in these magnetic heads is composed of an element part that actually writes information to a magnetic recording medium, and a part called a slider (substrate part) formed at the end of the element part. Yes. The predetermined surface and the element portion (end surface) of the slider are configured to float and face the magnetic recording medium integrally at a predetermined distance when information is written.
[0004]
In this element portion, various metals such as a soft magnetic film constituting the element are exposed, and there is a possibility that rust or the like is generated in these metals and their magnetic characteristics and the like are deteriorated. For this reason, a protective film is formed on the surface of the element portion, and various films having corrosion resistance characteristics have been proposed as the protective film. Further, since the slider floats from the recording medium by the wind pressure generated by the rotation of the magnetic recording medium and maintains the above-mentioned predetermined distance, the slider predetermined surface is arranged so that the slider slides easily and with a low load at the initial stage of rotation. Also requires low friction performance.
[0005]
In order to meet these demands, a material having both the above-mentioned corrosion resistance and low friction performance on the surface of the substrate facing the magnetic recording medium and the portion of the element facing the magnetic recording medium (hereinafter referred to as film forming surface). As a protective film, DLC is mainly used as the material in recent years.
[0006]
As an example in which the DLC film is formed on the above-described film forming surface, there is a magnetic head disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-63027. The DLC film is an amorphous film obtained by using plasma discharge, and it has been shown that the formation of the DLC film greatly improves the so-called CSS (contact start / stop) characteristics of the HDD device. In addition, in order to obtain good wear resistance or good durability in the CSS test, a film thickness of 20 mm or more is required, and further, in order to improve the adhesion between the DLC film and the film forming surface Shows that it is effective to form a silicon layer and a silicon carbide layer as a base film.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The so-called flying distance between the above-described film forming surface and the magnetic recording medium is desired to be further reduced with the recent increase in recording density. From this viewpoint, it is necessary to make the protective film thinner and to maintain sufficient corrosion resistance and low friction performance. According to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-63027, in order to obtain sufficient durability (low friction characteristics) using a DLC film, the film thickness may be 20 mm or more. In order to reduce the flying distance while maintaining both of the characteristics, that is, to reduce the thickness of the protective film, it is necessary to develop a method for forming a further protective film or a further DLC film.
[0008]
Further, the substrate portion made of ceramic as an insulator and the insulating layer, conductive layer, and magnetic layer present in the element portion are exposed on the film forming surface. For this reason, for example, when a film formation method that generates film formation seeds by discharge is used, a potential difference is generated on the film formation surface, and the film formation speed in the initial stage of film formation may vary greatly depending on the material of the film formation surface. . In this case, a large variation in film thickness occurs, for example, a state in which the film thickness of DLC is locally reduced or the film is not locally formed, and this portion becomes a pinhole or the like and deteriorates corrosion resistance. It is possible.
[0009]
In order to minimize the effects of pinholes on corrosion resistance, measures such as increasing the thickness of the DLC film and creating a state in which no pinholes appear on the surface of the DLC have been conventionally used. It was taken. However, in practice, it is difficult to greatly improve the corrosion resistance characteristics by this measure, and the thickness of the DLC film must be increased more than necessary, and the above-described demand for reducing the thickness of the protective film is met. It was difficult.
[0010]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides a method for forming a DLC film that exhibits sufficient corrosion resistance at a thinner film thickness and can be expected to have good adhesion to a film forming surface. Is. Further, even when the thickness of the DLC film is reduced by itself, the DLC film obtained by the conventional technique is provided with a method for forming a DLC film that exhibits a sufficient corrosion resistance with a thinner film thickness.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, a method of manufacturing a magnetic head according to the present invention includes a recording element and a reproducing device by stacking an insulating layer, a conductive layer, and a magnetic layer on one surface of a substrate and processing each layer into a predetermined shape. Forming a device portion having at least one of the devices, and forming a protective film on at least a part of a predetermined surface of the substrate facing the magnetic recording medium and a portion of the device portion facing the magnetic recording medium. The step of forming the protective film includes a step of generating a plasma using a gas composed of an organic compound to form a film-forming species including ions and radicals, and an ion having a specific potential to supplement ions in the film-forming species. Collecting at least one of the predetermined surfaces of the substrate facing the magnetic recording medium using the film-forming species mainly composed of radicals. It is characterized by a step of forming a protective film on the portion facing the magnetic recording medium in and the device unit.
[0012]
The constituent elements of the organic compound are preferably carbon and hydrogen. Further, each step included in the step of forming the protective film is preferably performed while moving the position spatially by exhausting a gas composed of the film-forming species and the organic compound from a specific direction. Further, prior to the step of forming the protective film, a step of previously forming a silicon film or a silicon oxide film on at least a part of a predetermined surface of the substrate facing the magnetic recording medium and a portion of the element portion facing the magnetic recording medium. It is preferable to include.
[0013]
Embodiment
With regard to the DLC film forming method according to the present invention, an outline of a DLC film forming apparatus embodying the method is shown in FIG. 1, and an embodiment of the method will be described below.
The forming apparatus 1 includes a quartz tube 2, a high-frequency applying device 3 for generating plasma provided outside the quartz tube 2, and a bias applying device 4 for applying a bias. The quartz tube 2 is provided with a source gas introduction part 10 at one end and an exhaust port 11 connected to an exhaust pump (not shown) at the other end. Further, the high-frequency applying device 3 and the bias applying device 4 are arranged so as to constitute a plasma generating unit 12 and a bias applying unit 13 between the gas introducing unit 10 and the exhaust port 11, and further from these, the exhaust port 11 side. A substrate 14 is disposed on the substrate. As the substrate 14, a rod-shaped substrate after element formation described later is used.
[0014]
Next, a DLC film forming process using the forming apparatus will be described. The substrate 14 that has been subjected to pre-treatment that seems to be necessary, such as surface cleaning, is fixed in a predetermined position in the quartz tube 2, and gas such as air existing in the quartz tube 2 is exhausted as much as possible. After exhaust, the pressure inside the quartz tube 2 becomes equal to or lower than the first predetermined pressure, and then a hydrocarbon-based gas such as methane is introduced from the gas introduction unit 10. After the gas is introduced, the amount of gas introduced or the gas exhaust speed is adjusted by an adjustment mechanism (not shown) so that the inside of the quartz tube 2 has a pressure suitable for discharge or film formation. Thereafter, a high frequency of a predetermined voltage or higher is applied to the inside of the quartz tube 2 by the high frequency application device 3 to cause the plasma generation unit 12 to generate plasma using a hydrocarbon-based gas.
[0015]
Ions and radicals generated by the plasma sequentially move in the direction of the exhaust port 11 due to the airflow existing in the quartz tube 2 and reach the bias applying portion 13. In the bias applying unit 13, positive and negative voltages are applied to the electrodes 13a and 13b, respectively, and the aforementioned ions having a positive or negative potential are captured by any of the electrodes. As a result, almost only radicals reach the substrate 14 as film formation species. Note that most of the raw material gas that has not been activated in the plasma is exhausted through the exhaust port 11 as it is.
[0016]
According to this method, it is possible to form a DLC film using an almost homogeneous film-forming species having an extremely small ion component. Therefore, even if a conductive portion made of metal and a nonconductive portion made of ceramic or the like are mixed on the substrate, a potential difference does not occur during film formation. That is, it becomes possible to deposit the film-forming species evenly on the substrate surface without being affected by the potential difference, and DLC while maintaining the film-forming speed equivalent to that on the ceramic on the metal surface, which has been regarded as a problem in the past. A film can be formed. In addition, radicals that are not affected by the electric field in the discharge space are mainly used for film formation, so that even if the shape of the film formation part protrudes into the discharge space, for example, the dependency of the film formation rate on some unevenness of the shape Becomes smaller. For this reason, even if there are so-called recesses such as irregularities on the substrate, it is possible to form the DLC film evenly on these recesses.
[0017]
In general, it is known that a light-transmitting thin film has a certain correlation between its film quality and refractive index. Furthermore, when the film quality of the DLC film obtained by this forming method is set to a refractive index of 2 to 2.35 when a film thickness of 30 to 60 nm is formed on a silicon wafer, it is confirmed that good friction characteristics can be obtained. ing. When the refractive index is 2 or less, the friction characteristics deteriorate, and it is preferable to obtain a higher refractive index when focusing only on the friction characteristics. However, when the refractive index is 2.35 or more, the friction characteristics do not change significantly.
[0018]
In order to increase the refractive index, it is effective to increase the high frequency applied power. However, when the refractive index is set to 2.35 or more, the friction characteristic corresponding to the increase in the required high frequency applied power is obtained. I can't. In consideration of the above, when forming an actual DLC film, film forming conditions for obtaining a value of a refractive index of 2.2 to 2.3 capable of obtaining a film characteristic equivalent to that of a refractive index of 2.2 showing a suitable film characteristic are obtained. Is desirable.
[0019]
In addition, as the above-described pretreatment of the substrate 14, there are various treatment methods such as wiping off oil with alcohol and the like, and ultrasonic cleaning. However, these pretreatments are not always necessary, and are appropriate depending on the state of the film formation surface. It is only necessary to perform appropriate processing. As the hydrocarbon gas used as a raw material, methane, ethane, propane, butane, ethylene, acetylene, propylene, or the like can be used. Furthermore, liquid hydrocarbons such as benzene and toluene can also be used if they are gasified and prevented from being reliquefied in a reaction system such as inside a quartz tube.
[0020]
In the present embodiment, a so-called induction discharge type in which a coil for high frequency application is wound around the outer periphery of the quartz tube 2 is illustrated as the high frequency application device 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this mode, and various types such as a so-called capacitive discharge type in which the outside of the quartz tube is sandwiched between a plurality of electrodes, an internal electrode type in which a capacitive discharge type electrode or the like is arranged inside the quartz tube 2, an ECR type, etc. The form of can be adapted. Moreover, as a high frequency to be applied, any frequency in the frequency range from kilohertz to gigahertz can be used. In the present invention, a quartz tube is used as a container for film formation. However, if the tube is made of a material capable of applying high-frequency radio waves to the inside thereof or has a configuration, it is used. It is possible to apply.
[0021]
The bias applying device 4 uses a DC power source, and positive and negative electrodes 13a and 13b arranged in the bias applying unit 13 are connected to the bias applying device 4, respectively. As the electrodes 13a and 13b, so-called mesh electrodes made of metal wires are used so that radicals or non-activated gas can easily move to the exhaust port 11 side. However, the present invention is not limited to this mode, and it is also possible to apply a device that uses a high frequency as the bias applying device.
[0022]
Although a mesh electrode is suitable, it is not limited to a mesh electrode as long as it has a shape that allows radicals to pass to the exhaust port side from the electrode, such as a punching metal in which a plurality of holes are formed in a metal plate. . In this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which radicals, ions, and gas are transferred to the vicinity of the substrate 14 by exhaust from the exhaust port 11 provided at the end of the quartz tube 2. However, the plasma generating unit 12, the electrodes 13a and 13b, and the substrate 14 may be arranged close to each other, and the exhaust port 11 may be arranged differently from the configuration.
[0023]
【Example】
Using the DLC film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a DLC film was actually formed on the film forming surface of the magnetic head under various conditions, and a reliability and corrosion resistance test was performed. The results obtained by carrying out the present invention are described in detail below. The following detailed description will be made on a method of manufacturing a magnetic head including a method of forming a DLC film, such as a method of forming an element. As the element, a TMR element is used for a reproducing unit, and a so-called inductive type is used for a recording unit. An electric-magnetic conversion element is used.
[0024]
FIG. 2 schematically shows the structure of the magnetic head used in the practice of the present invention, which is observed when the end surface of the element part before the DLC film is formed is viewed from the magnetic recording medium side. FIG. 3 shows an outline of the structure observed when viewed from the track width direction (left side in the figure) of the magnetic recording medium when the element portion or the like is cut along the cutting line 3-3 in FIG. FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the MR element portion in FIG. A method of forming a magnetic head according to the present invention will be described below with reference to these drawings.
[0025]
In the method of forming a magnetic head, a plurality of element sections 30 are simultaneously formed on a ceramic wafer-like substrate 45 such as AlTiC (AlTiC) using, for example, a thin film forming technique and a processing technique used when forming a semiconductor. The Here, the said board | substrate becomes a slider at the time of isolate | separating each element part 30 separately and producing a magnetic head core. In addition, the thin film formed in a present Example is formed by thin film formation methods, such as a sputtering method, for example.
[0026]
In actual element formation, an alumina film having a thickness of about 5 μm is formed on the substrate 45 as the base layer 32, and a second permloy film having a thickness of 2 μm that acts as a magnetic shield for the MR element 50 is formed thereon. 1 shield layer 33 is formed. Thereafter, a 0.05 μm-thick tantalum film or the like is formed as the first gap layer 34 on the first shield layer 33, and the MR element 50 is formed on the tantalum film.
[0027]
Specifically, from the top of the first gap layer 34, the underlayer 51 made of tantalum, permalloy, copper, or nichrome (NiCr), the antiferromagnetic layer 52 made of iridium-manganese, etc., and made of cobalt-iron. A so-called pinned layer 53, a barrier layer 54 made of an alumina oxide film, a so-called free layer 55 made of cobalt-iron or permalloy, and a cap layer 56 made of tantalum are sequentially formed, and after film formation, photolithography, etching processes, etc. are performed. The MR element 50 is formed by removing these films while leaving only predetermined portions. In the removed portion, a cobalt-platinum film or the like is formed as the bias layer 35 so as to be in contact with both end portions of the MR element 50. The MR element 50 and the bias layer 35 are configured to have a thickness of 35 nm.
[0028]
After the formation of the bias layer 35, the second gap layer 36 made of a tantalum film having a thickness of 0.05 μm, the second shield layer 37 made of permalloy having a thickness of 4 μm, an alumina film having a thickness of 0.3 μm, and the like. A write gap layer 38 is formed sequentially. A copper thin film used for the thin film coil 39 is formed on the write gap layer 38, and the copper thin film is processed into a predetermined coil shape through processing steps such as photolithography and etching.
[0029]
Subsequently, a flattening layer 40 made of a photoresist or the like is formed on the thin film coil 39, and insulation of each coil wire and flattening of unevenness by each wire are achieved. Thereafter, the planarizing layer 40 and the write gap layer 38 are each processed into a predetermined shape by an etching process or the like, and a 5 μm-thick permalloy film is formed as a write pole 41 on the write gap 38, which has a width of 0.5 μm. Processing is performed so as to obtain a predetermined shape. After the processing, an alumina film is formed as the protective layer 42 so that the total thickness of the element portion is 30 μm.
[0030]
After forming the plurality of element portions 30 on the Altic substrate 45 through the above steps, the Altic substrate 45 is cut into a rod shape for each row of the element portions 30. After the cutting, the rod-like substrate is fixed to a polishing apparatus (not shown), and the element end face 45a and the slider predetermined surface 45b, which are cut surfaces, are simultaneously polished to obtain MR height MH and throat height SH having predetermined values. In the polishing apparatus, a surface plate made of a soft metal is rotated, and a suspension containing diamond abrasive grains is dropped onto the surface plate, and polishing is performed by pressing a predetermined surface of the rod-shaped substrate against the surface plate. Done. Further, if necessary, uneven portions (not shown) having a predetermined shape, such as rails for satisfactorily floating the magnetic head when the magnetic recording medium is rotated, are further formed on the predetermined slider surface 45a after polishing.
[0031]
At the time of the above polishing, there is a case where a smear phenomenon occurs such that the end face of the metal film is thinly stretched due to ductility, thereby causing a short circuit in each metal film. In this case, milling or reverse sputtering is performed to remove these short-circuit portions. So-called milling or the like is known in which argon gas is used and an acceleration voltage of 100 to 500 V is applied and the target portion is removed by the sputter phenomenon caused by the accelerated argon ions.
[0032]
After completion of polishing or the like, a DLC film 47 (broken line portion in FIG. 3) is formed on the film formation surface including the element portion end surface 45a and the slider predetermined surface 45b. In the actual manufacturing method of the magnetic head, after the DLC film is formed, the individual elements are separated and each is handled as a magnetic head core. However, in this embodiment, various tests are performed in the state of the rod-shaped substrate after the DLC film is formed in order to simultaneously perform a reliability test or the like for a plurality of element portions.
[0033]
Table 1 shows the conditions for forming the DLC film in this example.
[Table 1]

[0034]
The DLC film has a refractive index of 2.2 or higher in advance, and the film formation speed of the DLC film under the film formation conditions is measured in advance, and the film formation time is adjusted according to this film formation speed. The values in the table are obtained. In Example 9, a silicon film 20 mm is formed in advance as a base film for the DLC film, and a DLC film is formed on the silicon film so that the total thickness becomes 40 mm. In Example 10, DLC film is formed. As a base film for the film, a silicon oxide film 20 mm is formed in advance, and a DLC film is formed thereon so that the total thickness of all the films becomes 40 mm.
[0035]
Since the refractive index is 2.2 or more, it is known that the DLC film can obtain a sufficiently low friction performance. Therefore, a reliability test and a corrosion test were performed on the corrosion resistance. In the reliability test, the corrosion state was confirmed by measuring the change in resistance value of the MR element after being stored for 7 days in an environment of 50 ° C. and 80% humidity. Actually, the voltage value is obtained by applying a voltage so that a current of 0.1 mA flows to each MR element, and the resistance value of the element is obtained from this voltage value. And evaluated by the change in resistivity.
[0036]
In the corrosion test, the sample was immersed overnight in a 0.1 wt.% Sulfuric acid aqueous solution, and the Co / C peak intensity ratio on the sample surface was confirmed by ESCA (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). ESCA analyzes and measures the kinetic energy of electrons bombarded by the photoelectric effect of a substance irradiated with X-rays using an electric field or magnetic field. In the present evaluation, Co (cobalt: element of the element) is formed when pinholes or the like exist in the DLC film and the element is corroded in spite of the fact that only the C (carbon) peak is observed from the vicinity of the surface of the DLC film. This is based on the phenomenon that a peak of (used for a magnetic film) is observed.
[0037]
The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.
[Table 2]

[0038]
From the above evaluation results, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a sufficient corrosion resistance in a 20 Å thick DLC film, and the 5 Å thick DLC film according to the present invention is more than the 50 Å thick DLC film according to the prior art. It was also confirmed that excellent corrosion resistance was obtained.
[0039]
In addition, it was confirmed that even if a silicon film or a silicon oxide film was used as the base film, sufficient corrosion resistance was obtained with a thickness of 20 mm as the DLC film. Further, comparison between Example 3 and Example 9 or Example 10 confirms that when it is necessary to improve the adhesion of the DLC film, it is only necessary to form a base layer having a minimum thickness that is necessary and sufficient. It was done. Therefore, according to the present invention, even when the adhesion is improved by using a base film, the DLC film is extremely thin and excellent in adhesion and corrosion resistance compared to the DLC film according to the prior art. It can be seen that can be formed.
[0040]
In this embodiment, only the case where a DLC film is formed as a protective film of the magnetic head is described. However, according to the method of the present invention using discharge, the effect can be obtained equally for different films, and various films such as a silicon film and a silicon oxide film can be applied to the present invention as a protective film or a base film. It can be formed using such a protective film forming method. In this case, silane, disilane, or the like composed of silicon and hydrogen is used as a raw material gas when forming a silicon film, and methanol is composed of silicon, oxygen, and hydrogen when forming a silicon oxide film. Ethanol or the like may be used.
[0041]
Further, the configuration of the element portion and the method of forming the element portion are specifically described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the element configuration, and a magnetic head having various structures and films, for example, a magnetic head having an AMR element or a GMR element. The present invention can be applied to a head, a write-only induction type magnetic head, and the like.
[0042]
[Effect of the present invention]
By implementing the present invention, it is possible to obtain a DLC film having excellent adhesion to the film forming surface and exhibiting sufficient corrosion resistance with a thinner film thickness. In addition, even when the thickness of the DLC film is reduced by itself, a DLC film exhibiting sufficient corrosion resistance with a thinner film thickness can be obtained as compared with the DLC film obtained by the conventional technique.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a DLC film forming apparatus for carrying out a DLC film forming method according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of a structure observed when an end surface of an element part before forming a DLC film is viewed from the magnetic recording medium side in the magnetic head used in the practice of the present invention.
3 is a diagram showing an outline of a structure observed when viewed from the track width direction (left side in the figure) of the magnetic recording medium when the element portion or the like is cut along the cutting line 3-3 in FIG. is there.
4 is an enlarged view showing an MR element part in FIG. 2. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 DLC film formation apparatus 2 Quartz tube 3 High frequency application apparatus 4 Bias application apparatus 10 Gas introduction part 11 Exhaust port 12 Plasma generation part 13 Bias application part 13a, b Electrode 14 Rod-shaped substrate 30 Element part 32 Base layer 33 1st shield layer 34 First gap layer 35 Bias layer 36 Second gap layer 37 Second shield layer 38 Write gap layer 39 Thin film coil 40 Flattening layer 41 Write pole 42 Protective layer 45 Substrate 50 MR element 51 Underlayer 52 Antiferromagnetic Layer 53 Pin layer 54 Barrier layer 55 Free layer 56 Cap layer

Claims (4)

Forming an element portion having at least one of a recording element and a reproducing element by laminating an insulating layer, a conductive layer, and a magnetic layer on one surface of the substrate and processing each layer into a predetermined shape; and magnetic recording on the substrate And a step of forming a protective film on at least a part of a predetermined surface facing the medium and a portion of the element portion facing the magnetic recording medium, wherein the step of forming the protective film comprises: ,
Generating plasma using a gas containing an organic compound to form a film-forming species containing ions and radicals;
Collecting the ions in the film-forming species with an electrode having a specific potential so that the radicals are mainly composed of the radicals;
A protective film is formed on at least a part of a predetermined surface of the substrate facing the magnetic recording medium and a part of the element portion facing the magnetic recording medium using the film-forming species mainly composed of the radical. And forming the magnetic head. The method according to claim 1, wherein the constituent elements of the organic compound are carbon and hydrogen. Each of the steps included in the step of forming the protective film is performed while moving the position spatially by exhausting a gas composed of the film-forming species and the organic compound from a specific direction. The method according to claim 2. Prior to the step of forming the protective film, a silicon film or a silicon oxide film is previously formed on at least a part of a predetermined surface of the substrate facing the magnetic recording medium and a portion of the element portion facing the magnetic recording medium. The method of claim 2 including the steps.

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