Method for providing a liftoff process using a single layer resist and chemical mechanical polishing and sensor formed therewith
View Patent ↗A method for providing a liftoff process using a single layer resist and chemical mechanical polishing and sensor formed therewith are disclosed. Chemical mechanical polishing is combined with liftoff using only a single resist layer to allow the removal of leftover fencing on the side of a lifted resist pattern.
1. A method for forming leads, comprising:
forming a liftoff mask having a desired width;
forming leads contiguous to and on opposite sides of the liftoff mask;
removing the liftoff mask, the removal of the liftoff mask leaving fencing on the leads;
forming a layer of carbon over the leads after removal of the mask; and
performing chemical mechanical polishing on the leads at the fencing to preferentially remove a portion of the leads including the fencing and a portion of the carbon layer.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the desired width of the liftoff mask is a trackwidth for a magnetoresistive sensor.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the forming a liftoff mask having a desired width further comprises forming a single layer liftoff mask.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing any remaining carbon using an oxygen plasma.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the forming leads on opposite sides of the liftoff mask further comprises depositing leads using a sputtering process.
6. A method for forming a magnetic read sensor, comprising:
forming a magnetoresistive sensor element; and
forming leads to the magnetoresistive sensor element, the forming the leads to the magnetoresistive sensor element further comprising:
forming a liftoff mask having a desired width over the magnetoresistive sensor element;
forming leads contiguous to and on opposite sides of the liftoff mask and in contact with the magnetoresistive sensor element;
removing the liftoff mask, the removal of the liftoff mask leaving fencing on the leads;
forming a layer of carbon over the leads after removal of the mask; and
performing chemical mechanical polishing on the leads at the fencing to preferentially remove a portion of the leads including the fencing and a portion of the carbon layer.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the desired width of the liftoff mask is a trackwidth for the magnetoresistive read sensor.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein the forming a liftoff mask having a desired width further comprises forming a single layer liftoff mask.
9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising removing any remaining carbon using an oxygen plasma.
10. The method of claim 6 wherein the forming leads on opposite sides of the liftoff mask further comprises depositing leads using a sputtering process.
11. The method of claim 6 wherein the forming the magnetoresistive sensor element further comprises forming an anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) sensor element.
12. The method of claim 6 wherein the forming the magnetoresistive sensor element further comprises forming a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor element.