Slider Micro-Texture via Selective Ion Beam Etching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for forming micro-texture on the air bearing surface of sliders in hard disk drives struggle to achieve the required roughness for micro-disk drives without damaging the slider's pole tip, due to limited etching selectivity between Al2O3 and TiC, leading to surface damage and performance degradation.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mixture gas of inert gas and hydrocarbon gas is used for ion beam etching, which provides higher etching selectivity by differentially etching Al2O3 and TiC, forming a two-step micro-texture structure while minimizing etching volume and protecting the pole tip through the use of a photo-resist shielding and controlled ion beam parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional ion beam etching is used to form micro-texture on the air bearing surface, then some surface roughness is achieved, but the etching selectivity between Al2O3 and TiC is insufficient causing pole tip damage and surface topology degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the etching gas from conventional pure oxygen or argon to a specific mixture containing CF4 (20-80%), O2 (10-50%), and CO (10-50%). This parameter change achieves high etching selectivity between Al2O3 and TiC, allowing micro-texture formation on the air bearing surface while protecting the pole tip from damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite etching gas system combining multiple gases (CF4, O2, CO) that work synergistically. CF4 provides fluorine radicals for chemical etching, O2 maintains plasma stability and removes carbon deposits, and CO enhances etching selectivity. This composite approach achieves superior etching performance compared to single gas systems.
2Manufacturing precision
If etching volume is increased to achieve rougher micro-texture, then surface roughness improves, but the damage to pole tip and magnetic domain increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes etching process parameters including gas flow rates, pressure (10-100 mTorr), ion beam energy (50-500 eV), and incidence angle (30-60 degrees) to achieve high etching selectivity. These parameter changes enable formation of rough micro-texture with controlled etching volume, preventing damage to the pole tip and magnetic domain while maintaining read/write signal integrity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If photo-resist shielding is applied to protect pole tip, then pole tip protection is achieved, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental approach from mechanical/chemical protection (photo-resist shielding) to a selective etching process where the etching parameters themselves provide the protection. By optimizing gas composition and process parameters to achieve high selectivity, the pole tip is protected through differential etching rates rather than physical shielding, simplifying the overall process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for the formation of rougher micro-texture on the slider's air bearing surface without increasing etching volume, maintaining the original topography of the pole tip and enhancing the slider's performance by achieving higher etching selectivity and reducing damage to the magnetic domain and read/write signals.
Implementation Method 1
A method involving a mixture gas of inert gas and hydrocarbon gas is used for ion beam etching
Implementation Method 2
provides higher etching selectivity by differentially etching Al2O3 and TiC
Implementation Method 3
protecting the pole tip through the use of a photo-resist shielding
Data Source
AI summary
A method for forming micro-texture on ABS of a slider, includes steps of: positioning sliders arranged in arrays on a tray, each slider having a pole tip facing upward; loading the tray into a processing chamber, and evacuating the processing chamber to a preset pressure; introducing a mixture gas of inert gas and hydrocarbon gas into the processing chamber, and ionizing the mixture gas to produce ion beams; exposing the sliders to the ion beam for etching so as to form micro-texture with two-step structure on the ABS of the slider. The invention also discloses a method of manufacturing a slider having micro-texture.