JP2000298821A - Method for manufacturing contact magnetic head - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To improve the efficiency of the work of exposing electrodes provided in a contact type magnetic head, and to reduce the risk of damaging the contact type magnetic head during handling.
To provide a method of manufacturing a contact type magnetic head in which a large number of head elements formed on a substrate can be easily identified. An element layer (1) is provided on a substrate (12) via a separation layer (14).
A plurality of head elements 50 are removed from the element plate 10 on which the
a is a device sheet 26 in which strip-shaped elements connected by a half-cut groove 30 are connected at least at one end thereof.
The element layer 16 is separated. Next, etching is performed in the state of the device sheet 26 to expose the Au pad 16c of each head element 50a included in the device sheet 26.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a contact type magnetic head, and more particularly, to a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium such as a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, and a magnetic disk used for a computer, a digital camera, a digital AV and the like. The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a contact type magnetic head suitable for density recording / reproduction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to achieve high-density recording / reproduction on a magnetic recording medium such as a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, and a hard disk, an area of the magnetic recording medium in which a leakage magnetic flux generated from a magnetic head is written is reduced. It is necessary to accurately read magnetically recorded information from a minute area. To this end, it is desirable that the magnetic recording medium and the magnetic head be as close as possible. As a magnetic recording / reproducing device developed from such a viewpoint, a contact type magnetic head for recording / reproducing magnetic recording information while directly contacting a contact pad having a magnetic pole with a magnetic recording medium is known.

For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-203190, a magnetic head slider (head chip) is provided with a single contact pad made of diamond, and the tip of the contact pad is provided with a center line average roughness Rmax of 0.5 nm. A contact type magnetic head which is spherically polished to a degree is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Application No. 9-225724 discloses a thin-film head chip having a contact pad having a magnetic pole (hereinafter referred to as a "magnetic pole pad") and stabilizing the contact running of the magnetic pole pad. The present applicant has proposed a contact-type magnetic head provided with two contact pads (hereinafter, referred to as “auxiliary pads”) for causing the contact to be performed.

[0005] A contact type magnetic head having such a contact pad can be manufactured by using a lithography technique. Specifically, it is generally manufactured by the following procedure. That is, first, as shown in FIG. 5A, a separation layer 14 made of a material that can be dissolved in an appropriate etchant is formed on a substrate 12, and then the separation layer 1 is formed.
The element layer 16 is formed on the substrate 4 to produce the element plate 10.

The element layer 16 has a number of head elements (not shown), including magnetic yokes, coils, etc., formed therein periodically, and the surface thereof is magnetically connected to each magnetic yoke. A number of pole pads 54 with magnetic poles, 54 ...
Is formed. Although not shown, a large number of auxiliary pads may be formed on the surface of the element layer 16 in some cases.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the surface of the element layer 16 on which the pole pads 54 are formed is covered with a protective resist 2.
2, a plurality of grooves 28, 28 reaching at least the separation layer 14 from the element layer 16 are formed along the boundaries of the head elements 50 a, 50 a. Next, this is immersed in an etching solution to dissolve and remove the separation layer 14, and then the protective resist 22 is removed, as shown in FIG.
A number of contact magnetic heads 50 with pole pads 54;
50 can be separated from the substrate 12.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5D, the separated contact magnetic heads 50, 50... To fix it on the fixing jig 40. Then, as shown in FIG. 5E, the Au pad 16c embedded on the surface of the contact type magnetic head 50 opposite to the surface on which the magnetic pole pads 54 are provided.
To expose. Further, as shown in FIG.
When the pad 16c and the suspension 58 are joined and taken out from the fixing jig 40, the contact type magnetic head 50 supported by the suspension 58 can be obtained.

The Au pad 16c is connected to a coil (not shown) via a lead wire (not shown), and serves as an electrode on the contact type magnetic head 50 side. When the contact magnetic head 50 is cut and separated from the surface, its surface is covered with an insulating layer.

That is, when the element layer 16 is formed on the substrate 12 via the separation layer 14, the Au pad 16c
The element layer 16 in the vicinity has a structure in which an insulating layer 16a, a metal seed 16b, an Au pad 16c, a lead wire 16d, and an insulating layer 16e are stacked in this order, as shown in an enlarged sectional view of FIG. are doing.

The metal seed 16b is interposed between the insulating layer 16a and the Au pad 16c because the Au pad 16c
Is formed by plating. Also, the separation layer 14
The reason why the insulating layer 16a is interposed between the metal seed 16b and the Au pad 16c is to prevent the metal seed 16b from being etched by the etchant used for dissolving the separation layer 14 and further from being etched to the coil and the like. is there.

Therefore, as described above, the Au pad 16
Before joining the suspension 58 to the suspension 58, the Au pad 1
A step of removing the insulating layer 16a covering the surface of the Au pad 6c and exposing the Au pad 16c is required.

As described above, the Au pad 16c is exposed by first separating the element layer 16 from the element plate 10 and cutting the element layer 16 into a contact type magnetic head 50, as shown in FIG. As shown in (1), the contact type magnetic head 50 is fixed to the fixing jig 40 with the adhesive 42 with the surface on which the Au pad 16c is formed facing upward. Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, the insulating layer 16a at the tip of the Au pad 16c is generally removed by using etching means such as ion beam etching.

[0014]

However, in the conventional manufacturing method, the grooves 28 reaching the separation layer 14 are formed along all the boundaries of the head elements 50a.
When the separation layer 14 is dissolved and removed, the contact-type magnetic heads 50 are separated from the substrate 12 in a discrete state.

For this reason, it is necessary to pick up the contact type magnetic heads 50 which have become separated one by one and fix them on a fixing jig, which causes a problem that a long working time is required. Further, the contact type magnetic head 5 separated on the fixing jig
Since 0s cannot be arranged densely, there is a problem that the number of elements that can be processed by one batch of etching is small and work efficiency is poor. Further, each contact type magnetic head 50
Therefore, there is a risk that the contact type magnetic head 50 may be damaged.

Further, among the many head elements 50a formed on the substrate 12, defective elements are also included. Alternatively, a plurality of types of head elements 50a may be formed on one substrate 12. However, when the separation layer 14 is dissolved and removed, if the head elements 50a are separated by a method that is separated, there is a problem that it is difficult to identify the head elements 50a.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the contact type magnetic head can be exposed more efficiently and the contact type magnetic head is less likely to be damaged during handling. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a magnetic head.

Another object to be solved by the present invention is to provide a contact type magnetic head which can easily identify a large number of head elements formed on a substrate, such as identification of defective elements, identification of a plurality of types of elements, and the like. It is to provide a manufacturing method.

[0019]

In order to solve the above problems, a method of manufacturing a contact type magnetic head according to the present invention comprises forming an element layer including a plurality of head elements on a substrate via a separation layer. An element plate manufacturing step of manufacturing the element plate, and a plurality of all cut grooves reaching the separation layer from the surface of the element layer and a plurality of half cut grooves stopping inside the element layer with respect to the element plate. A groove forming step of dividing the element layer into a sheet in which a plurality of strip elements connected by the plurality of head elements via the half-cut groove are connected at least at one end thereof in parallel. Removing the separation layer and separating the sheet from the substrate; an electrode exposing step of exposing the electrodes of the respective head elements in the state of the sheet; Cut to cut It is intended to be subject matter of which is provided with a step.

According to the method of manufacturing a contact type magnetic head according to the present invention having the above structure, the element layer is separated from the substrate as a sheet in which a plurality of head elements are connected by half-cut grooves. Since the electrode is exposed, the work time can be greatly reduced as compared with a case where individual contact type magnetic heads separated separately are picked up and arranged on a fixing jig.

Further, since the head elements can be fixed on a fixing jig in a state of a closely arranged sheet, the number of elements that can be processed by one batch of etching is greatly increased. Further, since the handling operation is performed in the state of the sheet, there is little danger of damaging the head element. Furthermore, since each head element does not fall apart, identification of defective elements,
It is easy to identify a plurality of types of elements.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4
Next, an example of a manufacturing process of the contact type magnetic head according to the present invention will be described. 1 to 4, the method for manufacturing a contact type magnetic head according to the present embodiment includes an element plate manufacturing step, a groove forming step, a separating step, an electrode exposing step, and a cutting step.

First, an element plate manufacturing process will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the element plate manufacturing process
This is a step of manufacturing the element plate 10 on which the element layer 16 is formed via the separation layer 14. The substrate 12 includes an element layer 16
It has various shapes and materials depending on the application. Generally, a diameter of about 150 m made of ceramics such as alumina and TiC
m, a ceramic substrate having a thickness of about 2 to 3 mm is used.

The separation layer 14 bonds the substrate 12 and the element layer 16 together with the substrate 1 at the final stage of the manufacturing process.
2 and the element layer 16. Therefore, a material that is easily dissolved by an appropriate etchant is used for the separation layer 14. Specifically, copper,
A metal thin film made of chromium, nickel, or the like is preferable.

The separation layer 14 can be formed on the substrate 12 by using known means such as vacuum deposition, sputtering, plating and the like. Further, the thickness of the separation layer 14 may be arbitrarily determined in consideration of the film formation speed, ease of separation between the substrate 12 and the element layer 16, and the like. Usually several μm to several tens μm
It is about.

The element layer 16 is a layer in which a plurality of head elements (not shown), which become a contact type magnetic head after being separated and cut, are periodically formed, and the thickness thereof is usually about 50 μm. The number of head elements included in the element layer 16 depends on the size of the elements, but is about several thousand to about 10,000 when a substrate having a diameter of about 150 mm is used.

Such an element layer 16 can be manufactured using a lithography technique.
Has a laminated structure in which many thin films are laminated. For the main part of the element layer 16, a ceramic material such as alumina or silica is generally used. In the element layer 16, constituent elements such as magnetic yokes, coils, lead wires, connection pads (Au pads) and the like are formed by the number of head elements.

A plurality of magnetic pole pads 54 project from the surface of the element layer 16. Magnetic pole pad 54
Although it depends on the application, the size of is several tens μm to 100 μm in length and several μm in height when used for high-density recording and reproduction.
m. Magnetic poles (not shown) are provided inside each magnetic pole pad 54, and each magnetic pole is connected to each magnetic yoke (not shown) formed in the element layer 16, respectively. Constitute a magnetic circuit.

The magnetic pole pad 54 is generally made of diamond-like carbon having a high hardness and a small coefficient of friction. In addition, a soft magnetic material such as NiFe (permalloy) is generally used for the magnetic poles inside the magnetic pole pad 54. Co-based amorphous materials such as CoZrTa are used for portions where the magnetic flux density becomes extremely high during recording, such as the tip of the magnetic pole. A material or a high saturation magnetization material such as FeTaN may be used and is not particularly limited.

Next, the groove forming step will be described. In the groove forming step, an etchant is supplied to the separation layer 14 to prevent the separation of the element layer 16, prevent the separation of the head elements, and facilitate the division of the element layer 16. This is a step of forming half-cut grooves to intersect each other along the boundary of each head element.

Here, the entire cut groove and the half cut groove are, for example, the element layer 16 is divided into strip-shaped elements, and in the strip-shaped element, a plurality of head elements are arranged in a line via the half cut grooves. It may be formed so as to be in a sunk state. However, in order to increase the efficiency of the cutting step described below, the element layer 1
It is desirable to form a groove so that 6 is divided into a sheet shape. Specifically, the groove may be formed according to the following procedure.

That is, first, as shown in FIG. 1B, a protective film 22 is formed on the surface of the element plate 10. This is to prevent unnecessary substances such as melts and chips generated when the grooves are formed from adhering to the surface of the element layer 16. Therefore, the protective film 22 only needs to have a thickness that can prevent adhesion of unnecessary substances to the element layer 16. Specifically, 10μ
m.

As a specific example of the protective film 22, a photoresist film, a polyimide or the like can be given. In particular, a photoresist film is suitable as the protective film 22 because the film can be easily formed and removed. When a photoresist film is formed on the surface of the element layer 16, for example,
A liquid photoresist may be applied to the surface of the element plate 10 using a means such as spin coating, and then cured in an electric furnace.

Next, the element plate 10 on which the protective film 22 is formed
A full kerf and a half kerf are formed on the surface of. The element plate 10 obtained through the above-described steps is, as shown in FIG.
A large number of head elements 50a are regularly arranged on the surface. Therefore, first, as shown in FIG. 2B, the element layer 16 is divided into a square sheet 26 in which a plurality of head elements 50a are arranged vertically and horizontally (hereinafter, this is referred to as a "device sheet 26"). Grooving 2 for
4 (hereinafter, referred to as “sheet division grooves 24”) are formed in the vertical and horizontal directions of the element plate 10.

Further, inside the device sheet 26 divided by the sheet dividing groove 24, an enlarged plan view of FIG. 3A, a sectional view taken along line BB 'of FIG. 3B, and FIG. As shown in the cross-sectional view taken along the line CC ′ of FIG. 2), a linear full cut groove 28 for dividing each head element 50a into a plurality of strip elements.
(Hereinafter, this is referred to as “strip element division groove 28”, and FIG.
(A) Indicated by a solid line. ), And the strip element dividing groove 28
The plurality of half-cut grooves 30 (in FIG. 3A,
Displayed with dotted line. ).

Here, the “entire groove” refers to a groove having a depth reaching at least the separation layer 14. The end of the entire kerf may be stopped in the middle of the separation layer 14 or may reach the substrate 12. Further, the “half cut groove 30” refers to one whose end is stopped inside the element layer 16.

The element layer 1 is used as the device sheet 26.
In order to separate 6, at least one end of each strip element division groove 28 needs to be formed so as not to communicate with the sheet division groove 24. This means that the device sheet 26 is
This is to prevent the head elements 50a connected in a strip shape via the half-cut grooves 30 from being separated when separated from the head element 50. On the other hand, the half cut groove 30 is provided in the sheet dividing groove 2
It is preferable to form them so as to communicate with the fourth. This is because it is easier to divide the device sheet 26 when the half cut groove 30 is formed from one end to the other end of the device sheet 26.

The sheet dividing groove 24, the strip element dividing groove 28, and the half-cut groove 30 can be formed by using means such as dicing and laser scribe. In particular,
Laser scribing is suitable as a groove forming method because the width of the groove can be reduced to about several tens of μm and the material yield is improved. In addition, a wafer scriber may be used for the half-cut groove 30.

Next, the separation step will be described. The separation step is a step of removing the separation layer 14 and separating the element layer 16 from the substrate 12. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1C, the element plate 10 having the sheet dividing groove 24, the strip element dividing groove 28 (not shown), and the half-cut groove 30 is formed, and only the separation layer 14 is formed. Immerse in a dissolving etchant. For example, when copper is used for the separation layer 14, hot nitric acid may be used as an etchant.

When the element plate 10 is immersed in an etching solution,
The etching liquid is supplied to the separation layer 14 through the sheet dividing groove 24 and the strip element dividing groove 28 formed in the element plate 10. Therefore, the separation layer 14 is completely dissolved in about several tens of minutes, and as shown in FIG.
6 separates. Further, when the protective film 22 covering the surface of the element layer 16 is removed, as shown in FIG. 1E, the device sheet 26 in which the plurality of head elements 50a are connected via the half-cut grooves 30 is formed. Obtainable.

When the grooves are formed by laser scribe, the components of the substrate 12, the separation layer 14 and / or the element layer 16 melted by the laser become dross, and the surface of the protective film 22 and the sheet dividing grooves are formed. 24, adhere to the inside of the strip element division groove 28 and the half cut groove 30. In particular, the dross adhered to the sheet section groove 24 and the strip element section groove 28 hinders the supply of the etchant to the separation layer 14 and causes the dissolution rate of the separation layer 14 to be delayed.

When the element layer 16 is separated from the substrate 12, the element layer 16 and the substrate 12 may be mechanically connected by dross, making it difficult to separate the element layer 16.
Further, if the dross is adhered to each head element and used as a contact type magnetic head 50, the dross adhered may damage the magnetic recording medium.

Therefore, the groove 2 is formed by laser scribing.
It is desirable to remove dross after adding 4, 28 and 30 and before separating the element layer 16. Specifically, dross may be removed by using a method proposed by the present applicant in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-3616.

That is, first, after the grooves 24, 28, and 30 are formed by laser scribing, the element plate 10 is immersed in an etching solution capable of dissolving the element layer 16, and a gap is formed at the interface between the dross and the element layer 16 attached thereto. Form. Further, ultrasonic vibration is applied to the element plate 10 using megasonic or the like. Thereby, the dross is destroyed, and the dross can be easily removed from the element layer 16.

Next, the electrode exposing step will be described. The electrode exposing step is performed by using Au formed in the device sheet 26.
This is a step of exposing the pad (electrode) 16c. Specifically, the electrodes may be exposed according to the following procedure.

That is, first, as shown in FIG. 4A, the device sheet 26 separated from the element plate 10 is
The magnetic pole pad 54 is fixed on the fixing jig 40 with an appropriate adhesive 42 with the surface on which the magnetic pole pad 54 is formed downward. As the adhesive 42, wax, photoresist, or the like may be used.

Next, the fixing jig 40 to which the device sheet 26 is adhered is put into an etching apparatus, and the insulating layer on the surface of the device sheet 26 is removed by etching. As an etching method, specifically, ion beam etching (IBE) or the like is preferable. As a result, FIG.
As shown in (1), the Au pad 16c is exposed on the surface of each head element 50a included in the device sheet 26.

After exposing the Au pad 16c,
Before joining the suspension 58, an element characteristic test for confirming the presence or absence of disconnection or other defects may be performed. Specifically, as shown in FIG.
In the state of No. 6, the probe 46 is attached to the exposed Au pad 16c.
You just have to press.

When a defective element is found as a result of the element characteristic inspection, as shown in FIG. 4D, the defective element is placed on the surface of the head element 50a determined to be defective by using a laser or the like. It is preferable to form a groove (bad mark) 48 for identifying that

As described above, if the Au pad 16c is exposed in the state of the device sheet 26, the contact type magnetic heads 50 separated separately are picked up one by one and arranged on the fixing jig 40. As compared with the method described above, the work time for arranging the jigs on the fixing jig 40 can be greatly reduced.

Further, since the head elements 50a can be fixed on the fixing jig 40 in the state of the device sheet 26 densely arranged, the number of elements that can be processed by etching per batch can be increased. Work efficiency is improved. Moreover, since there is no need to handle the individual head elements 50a, there is very little risk of damaging the head elements 50a in the electrode exposing step.

When the element characteristics are inspected in the state of the device sheet 26, not only the defective element can be easily identified, but also the position of the defective element on the substrate 12 can be easily known. .

Further, when the element layer 16 is formed on the substrate 12, different types of head elements can be formed for each device sheet 26. In this case, it becomes extremely easy to discriminate and classify different types of head elements 50a, or to perform element characteristic inspections under different conditions for different types of head elements 50a. In addition, this makes it easy to automate a series of steps even when different types of head elements 50a are formed on one substrate 12.

Next, the cutting step will be described. In the cutting step, the device sheet 2 exposing the Au pad 16c is exposed.
6 is a step of removing the fixing jig 6 from the fixing jig 40 and dividing the jig 6 along the half-cut groove 30. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4E, the device sheet 26 is divided into a plurality of contact-type magnetic heads 50.

In this case, since the device sheet 26 is divided along the half-cut groove 30, the plurality of contact-type magnetic heads 50, 50 are arranged in a line in the device sheet 2.
Separated from 6. Therefore, even when a defective element is included in the obtained contact magnetic head 50, the defective element can be easily selected.

As the cutting method, various methods can be used, and there is no particular limitation. For example, the device sheet 26 may be fixed by suction using a suction jig, and may be bent along the half-cut groove 30. Alternatively, the device sheet 26 may be attached to an adhesive tape, and may be bent along the half-cut groove 30.

Finally, by bonding the exposed Au pad 16c and the suspension 58, a contact type magnetic head 50 supported by the suspension 58 is obtained as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the contact-type magnetic head 50 is completed by wrapping the tip of the pole pad 54 to completely expose the pole at the tip of the pole pad 54.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention. is there.

For example, in the above embodiment, the element plate 10
Although the linear strip element dividing grooves 28 are formed in parallel with each other, the shape of the strip element dividing grooves 28 may be zigzag. As a result, a triangular or trapezoidal contact magnetic head can be manufactured with high yield.

In the above embodiment, the method of manufacturing the contact magnetic head 50 having the magnetic pole pad 54 has been described. However, the present invention is applicable to a contact magnetic head having both the magnetic pole pad 54 and the auxiliary pad. The present invention can be applied.

Further, the present invention can be applied to an induction type contact magnetic head for performing horizontal magnetization, a contact type magnetic head for performing vertical magnetization, or an MR head utilizing the magnetoresistive effect. The same effect as in the embodiment can be obtained.

[0062]

According to the method of manufacturing a contact type magnetic head according to the present invention, an element layer is separated from an element plate as a device sheet in which a plurality of head elements are connected by half-cut grooves, and electrodes are exposed in a state of the device sheet. Therefore, it is not necessary to arrange the individually separated head elements on the fixing jig, and the working time can be greatly reduced.

Since the head elements can be densely arranged on the fixing jig, the number of elements that can be processed by one batch of etching can be increased.
Further, since there is no need to handle individual head elements, there is an effect that there is little risk of damaging the head elements in the electrode exposing step.

Further, since the head element does not become scattered between the time when the element layer is formed on the substrate and the time when the element characteristics are inspected, the element element such as the identification of a defective element and the identification of a plurality of types of elements can be obtained. This has the effect of making it easier to identify

As described above, according to the method of manufacturing a contact magnetic head according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the work time required for the electrode exposing step and to reduce the frequency of occurrence of defective elements.
As a result, it is possible to greatly reduce the manufacturing cost of the contact type magnetic head and to improve the reliability, and this is an invention which is extremely effective in industry.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a process chart showing a method for manufacturing a contact type magnetic head according to the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a state in which head elements are regularly formed on the surface of an element plate, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which sheet dividing grooves are formed in the element plate shown in FIG.

FIG. 3A is an enlarged plan view of a device sheet, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB ′ of FIG.
(C) is a sectional view taken along line CC ′.

FIG. 4 is a continuation of the process chart shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a process chart showing a method for manufacturing a conventional contact magnetic head.

FIG. 6 is a process chart showing a conventional method for exposing an Au pad.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Element board 12 Substrate 14 Separation layer 16 Element layer 16c Au pad (electrode) 24 All cut groove (sheet division groove) 26 Device sheet 28 All cut groove (strip element division groove) 30 Half cut groove 50 Contact magnetic head 50a Head element

Claims (1)

[Claims] An element plate manufacturing step of manufacturing an element plate having an element layer including a plurality of head elements formed on a substrate via a separation layer; and By forming a plurality of all cut grooves reaching the separation layer and a plurality of half cut grooves stopping inside the element layer, the element layers are connected by the plurality of head elements via the half cut grooves. A plurality of strip elements, at least one end of which is divided into sheets that are connected in parallel at least at one end thereof; a separation step of removing the separation layer and separating the sheet from the substrate; and a state of the sheet. A method of manufacturing a contact-type magnetic head, comprising: an electrode exposing step of exposing electrodes of the respective head elements; and a cutting step of cutting the sheet along the half-cut grooves.