Patent ID: 6117690
Filing Date: 2000-09-12
Classification: G11B,H01L

Abstract:
A method of fabricating a thin Hall-bar read-head sensor comprising the following steps:providing a semiconductor substrate having an upper surface;depositing a narrow strip of a first insulating material on the upper surface of said substrate;growing a thin strip of a second insulating material over said narrow strip and said substrate;exposing said narrow strip by removing said thin strip until it has a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of said narrow strip thereby also forming two sections of said thin strip;applying a layer of Hall-bar material over said narrow strip and two sections of said thin strip;fabricating three substantially parallel strips of material on said Hall-bar material, the two outer strips being conducting materials and the centrally disposed strip being insulating material;growing a thin layer of said second insulating material over said layer of Hall-bar material and said three strips of material;exposing said three strips by removing said thin layer until it has a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of said three strips, thereby forming two regions of second insulating material located between a respective outer conducting strip and said centrally disposed insulating strip;fabricating a top conducting layer on said centrally disposed insulating strip and said two regions of second insulating material;overcoating the assembly with an insulating material, andcleaving an edge of said substrate to reveal a bottom surface of the Hall-bar sensor, where said two outer conducting strips conduct input current and an output voltage is manifest between said top conducting layer and said substrate.