Abstract:
Methods and structures are disclosed which avoid electrostatic charge build up and subsequent electrostatic discharge (ESD) during the wafer fabrication process of magnetoresistive (MR) or giant magnetoresistive (GMR) read/write heads of magnetic disk drives. This is achieved by designing the wafer layout and process so that the MR/GMR sensor film is shorted to the magnetic shields of the head through shorting paths so that there is an equal potential between MR/GMR sensor film and magnetic shields during the entire fabrication process.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to protecting read/write heads of magnetic disk drives from electrostatic discharge (ESD) during manufacture, and more particularly to methods and a structure for preventing dielectric breakdown during magnetoresistive (MR) and giant magnetoresistive (GMR) head fabrication. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In a state-of-the-art magnetic disk drive a magnetic transducer, referred to as a read/write head, is formed integrally with a “slider”. The slider flies over a rotating disk, thus allowing the read/write head to record/retrieve information to and from a thin film of magnetic medium, which is coated on the disk. The read portion of the transducer, referred to as a read head, consists of a thin layer of MR or GMR sensor stripe sandwiched between two magnetic shields. A constant current is passed through the sensor stripe, whose resistance varies in response to a previously recorded magnetic pattern. Thus a corresponding varying voltage is detected across the sensor stripe. The magnetic shields help the sensor stripe to focus on a narrow region of the magnetic medium, hence improving the spatial resolution of the read head. The space between the shields is called the read gap. 
     The magnetic shields are electrically conductive. To prevent the sensing current from leaking into the shields, a thin dielectric film insulates the sensor stripe from each shield. However, if the electric potentials differ sufficiently across any of the two dielectric films, the dielectric film will break down, and the read head will be destroyed. Such undesirable destruction occurs quite often in the fabrication of read heads for two reasons. First, the sensor stripe and the shields are deposited and patterned by electrical processes in the vacuum, such as sputtering or ion-beam. Static charge inevitably builds up on all isolated surfaces. Thus an electrostatic field exists between isolated conductors situated at different depth of the wafer, for example between the sensor stripe and the shields. Attempts to neutralize the static surface charge are tedious, costly, and with limited success. Secondly, the read gap is extremely thin (for example, about 150 nm, where n stands for nano or 10 −9 ) in the state-of-the-art read/write heads, in order to achieve high resolution. Correspondingly, the dielectric films are even thinner (for example, a mere 20 nm). These dielectric films can break down under a few volts, and cause electrostatic discharge (ESD) which permanently damages the read sensor. As the magnetic recording technology advances, the dielectric films continue to become thinner and more susceptible to the static charge buildup and dielectric breakdown. 
     The read/write heads are produced en masse in the form of a wafer. Typically each wafer contains over 10,000 heads. A finished wafer is subsequently cut into rows and further diced into sliders. The surface of a read/write head facing the disk medium, known as the air bearing surface (ABS), is created when the wafer is cut into rows. The ABS is subsequently polished to achieve a precise MR stripe height, and etched to form an intricate pattern which is needed in order for the slider to fly on the disk. A finished slider is mounted on an elastic structure, referred to as a suspension. The suspension is then assembled into a disk drive. In each of the above processes, a read head is susceptible to ESD. Even in a finished disk drive, the performance of a read/write head can be adversely affected by static charge buildup on the magnetic medium. Numerous workers in the field have sought solutions to these problems, as demonstrated by the following U.S. patents: 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,186 (Bajorek et al.) teaches a method for shunting MR by soldering the lead terminals at the slider surface, thereby diverting transient current during ESD events. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,605 (Hughbanks et al.) shows the leads of the MR read head and inductive write head shunted together and connected to the slider substrate through a conductive layer at the ABS. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,212 (Erpelding et al.) places solder shunts across adjacent leads of the MR read head, on the suspension. In this and the above two patents, the shunts must be removed before operation of the read/write head. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,757,590 (Phipps et al.) describes removable fusible-links to shunt the MR sensor stripe. The shunts can be opened by electrical means. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,598 (Denison et al.) teaches an arrangement wherein each magnetic shield is connected to a ground lead of the MR sensor, through a resistor deposited with the MR sensor stripe. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,043 (Sato et al.) describes connections between a sensor stripe and both magnetic shields, through an electrical lead. 
     Note that U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,465,186, 5,491,605, 5,699,212, and 5,757,590 alleviate problems caused by static buildup after wafer fabrication. None of them provides any protection against static buildup during wafer fabrication of the MR or GMR read heads. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,539,598 and 4,802,043 do describe electrical connections between the sensor stripe and the shields within the wafer. However, the connections are established too late in the wafer fabrication. In both U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,539,598 and 4,802,043, the sensor stripe and the shields are deposited and patterned as isolated conductors before they are connected to each other. In the state-of-the-art MR/GMR sensors, the dielectric films are too thin to withstand the static charge buildup during the deposition and patterning of the sensor stripe and the second (upper) magnetic shield. The dielectric films often break down before the sensor stripe is connected to either shield. Therefore, the patents cited above did not solve the problem of dielectric breakdown during wafer process. 
     In addition, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,539,598 and 4,802,043 establish permanent electrical connections between the MR sensor and two magnetic shields. In some applications, the sensor stripe must be isolated from the shields before the slider is assembled into a disk drive. This is usually due to the concern that electrical noise from the write head may couple capacitively into the shields. For these applications, the permanent connections described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,539,598 and 4,802,043 are unacceptable. A removable MR-to-shield connection is needed to provide ESD protection during wafer fabrication and slider processes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide methods and a structure to avoid dielectric breakdown during the wafer fabrication of MR or GMR read heads of magnetic disk drives. 
     Another object of the present invention is to avoid dielectric breakdown, without excessively stringent requirements on charge neutralization during wafer fabrication of MR or GMR read heads. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide methods and a structure for the manufacture of MR or GMR read heads having an isolated read-stripe free of defects from dielectric breakdown. 
     These objects have been achieved by depositing the sensor stripe and the magnetic shields contiguously as an integral conductor. In the present invention, the sensor stripe and the magnetic shields are never electrically isolated from each other during the entire wafer process. The sensor stripe and the magnetic shields are always kept in equipotential. Therefore, the risk of dielectric breakdown is eliminated. The electrical connections between the sensor stripe and the magnetic shields are severed only after the wafer process is complete. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 a shows a plan view of a MR/GMR sensor of the prior art. 
     FIG. 1 b  shows a cross-section of the MR/GMR sensor in FIG. 1 a,  with abutted leads. 
     FIG. 2 a  shows a plan view of a MR sensor of U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,043. 
     FIG. 2 b  shows a cross-section of the MR sensor in FIG. 2 a.  The MR sensor is formed in isolation before it is connected to the first magnetic shield. 
     FIGS. 3 a  through  3   l  illustrate the process flow of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 a  shows the plan view of a MR/GMR head immediately before lead deposition. 
     FIG. 4 b  shows a cross section of the MR sensor in FIG. 4 a.  The MR/GMR sensor stripe is temporarily isolated from the first shield. 
     FIG. 5 shows an improvement over the first preferred embodiment, by extending the sensor stripe below at least one of the leads. 
     FIG. 6 shows a plan view of the MR/GMR film during initial phase of deposition. The film is not yet uniform and contiguous. 
     FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of deposition rate control which further enhances the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 a  shows a wafer plan view, illustrating the relative position of sliders, row-kerfs, and column-kerfs. 
     FIG. 8 b  represents one slider of FIG. 8 a,  showing a plan view of the first preferred embodiment of a slider in relation to a slider- and a row-kerf. 
     FIG. 9 shows an alternate layout of the MR/GMR patch, where the connection to both shields are routed through the column-kerf. 
     FIG. 10 shows a plan view of the first embodiment, with two additional via holes for the purpose of cutting off the connection to and between shields. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     We now describe the present invention contrasting it with the prior art. Typical prior art MR/GMR heads are shown in FIG. 1 a  and FIG. 1 b.  FIG. 1 a  shows a plan view of a head with sensor stripe  10  between leads  12 . FIG. 1 b  is the cross-section  1   b-   1   b  of FIG. 1 a  showing a substrate  2 , which is followed by: an insulating film  4 , a first magnetic shield  6 , a thin dielectric film  8 , a MR/GMR sensor stripe  10 , leads  12 , another dielectric film  14 , and a second magnetic shield  16 . In the prior state-of-the-art MR/GMR heads, as shown in FIG. 1 a  and FIG. 1 b,  the MR/GMR sensor stripe  10  and magnetic shields  6  and  16  are built and maintained separately as isolated structures. It is a disadvantage that the dielectric films  8  and  14  of the prior state-of-the-art MR/GMR heads are vulnerable to breakdown during the wafer process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,043 describes a method and structure, in which the sensor stripe  10  and the first magnetic shield  6  are built as separate conductors before being connected together. 
     FIG. 2 a  and FIG. 2 b  are figures adapted from FIG. 4 a  and FIG. 4 b  of U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,043 showing, in FIG. 2 a,  sensor stripe  10 , leads  12 , and the air bearing surface (ABS). FIG. 2 b  is the cross-section  2   b—   2   b  of FIG. 2 a  and shows the same sequence of layers as FIG. 1 b  except that insulating film  4  is omitted, and where the same numerals in FIGS. 1 a/b  and FIGS. 2 a/b  indicate the same item. Referring again to FIG. 2 a  and FIG. 2 b,  it is similarly disadvantageous that the dielectric film  8  is susceptible to breakdown before the connection is established. In the present invention, the sensor stripe  10  and shields  6 ,  16  are built contiguously as an integral conductive structure, as described below in detail. 
     A first preferred embodiment of the present invention, is illustrated in FIG. 3 a  to FIG. 3 l.  Referring now to FIG. 3 a  and FIG. 3 b,  a first magnetic shield  6  is first deposited on a wafer substrate  2 , as in the prior art. It is understood that shield  6  is usually separated from substrate  2  by a first dielectric film  4 , which is typically 3 μm (micron) thick, but which may range from 1 μm to 10 μm. Optionally, one or more via holes (not shown) may be made through dielectric film  4 , to connect shield  6  and substrate  2 . It is understood that shield  6  can be either a contiguous piece over the entire substrate  2 , or patterned into individual pieces (typically one piece per read head) at this stage of the process. 
     Next, a second thin dielectric film  8  is then deposited over the wafer surface, covering shield  6 . As described earlier, thousands of substantially identical MR/GMR read heads are constructed on each wafer. The following description will be focused on a typical read head, unless otherwise specified. The first preferred embodiment consists of the following steps: 
     i. A via hole  22  is made through film  8 , exposing shield  6  therein, as shown in FIG. 3 a  and FIG. 3 b.    
     ii. A MR/GMR film  24  is deposited over the wafer surface, contacting shield  6  through via hole  22 . See FIG. 3 c  and FIG. 3 d.    
     iii. Film  24  is then patterned, using a mask and through an etch process. For each read head, a separate patch  26  is created as shown in FIG. 3 e.  In this illustrative example, patch  26  consists of five integral pieces: a top piece  42  which will be later patterned into the read sensor stripe  10 ; a bottom piece  46  covering the via hole  22  and electrically contacting shield  6 ; a first tab  44  connecting pieces  42  and  46 ; a right piece  50 ; and a second tab  48  connecting pieces  46  and  50 . The number and shape of pieces is can vary to suit requirements and is for illustrative purposes only. 
     iv. Using a different mask, deposit two leads  12  on opposite sides of piece  42 . Leads  12  and piece  42  are electrically connected upon deposition. Leads  12  define the width of sensor stripe  10 . See FIG. 3 f.  Leads  12  also include magnetic layers providing longitudinal bias for the MR sensor (not shown). 
     v. Depositing third thin dielectric film  14  over the entire wafer surface. See FIG. 3 g  and FIG. 3 h.    
     vi. Using a different mask, create a second via hole  52  through film  14  and expose portion of the piece  50 . See FIG. 3 i.    
     vii. Depositing a second magnetic shield  16  over the just formed structures. Shield  16  and bottom piece  46  are electrically connected through via  52 , upon deposition. See FIG. 3 j  and FIG. 3 k.    
     viii. The sensor stripe  10  and magnetic shields  6 ,  16  are now constructed as an integral part, i.e., items  6 ,  26 , and  16  are a contiguous conductive structure. Proceed with normal wafer process. Dielectric films  8  and  14  are protected against dielectric breakdown all the way to the completion of wafer process. 
     ix. After the completion of wafer fabrication, all material below the air bearing surface (ABS) will be removed when the wafer is cut into rows (this is illustrated in FIGS. 8 a/b ). The electrical connection between sensor stripe  10  and shields  6 ,  16  are automatically removed. 
     The above process is shown as block diagram in FIG.  31 . 
     Through the above description, the following advantages of the present invention become apparent by referring to FIG. 3 a  to FIG. 3 l:  First, the MR/GMR sensor stripe  10  and magnetic shields  6 ,  16  are constructed as a contiguous piece. Therefore, they are always in equipotential. Dielectric films  8  and  14  are never subject to an electrostatic field, hence immune to ESD throughout the wafer process. Second, the electrical connection between stripe  10  and shields  6 ,  16  are automatically removed during slider fabrication, creating a MR/GMR read head with isolated sensor stripe  10 , which many disk drive manufacturers demand. 
     The present invention offers yet another advantage: Each shield  6  or  16  is connected to stripe  10  through tab  44  or  48 , respectively. Since tabs  44  and  48  are formed from the MR/GMR thin film, it affords modest resistivity, which is low enough to maintain equipotential between stripe  10  and shields  6 ,  16 , yet high enough to permit detection of an inadvertent electrical short across each of the dielectric films  8  and  14 . Typically, the inadvertent short is caused by defects such as pinhole, residual of photo-resist, and re-deposition of etched material. It has relatively low resistance, usually below 100 Ohms, and rarely exceeding 10 kOhms. Advantageously, tabs  44  and  48  can be made with precisely known resistance, for example 1000±100 Ohms. Depending on the application, a resistance may be selected which can range from 100 to 5000 Ohms. An inadvertent short would shunt either tab  44  or tab  48 , thereby reducing the corresponding tab resistance by a noticeable amount. By comparing measured tab resistance with the nominal value, and comparing the value of adjacent sliders, such an inadvertent short can be identified. Furthermore, whether the short exists across film  8  or  14  can also be identified. This information is useful for the failure analysis and process improvement. 
     The first preferred embodiment described above is particularly suitable for MR/GMR heads with contiguous leads. A contiguous lead is constructed on top of a MR/GMR film  24 , as shown in FIG. 3 g  and FIG. 3 h.  Therefore, the deposition of leads  12  in step iv described above does not sever the electrical connection between the top piece  42  and first tab  44 . Presently most MR/GMR heads are built with abutted junctions, as shown in FIG. 1 b.  An abutted junction is constructed by first etching away the MR/GMR film in the area which will be occupied by leads  12 . We next refer to FIG. 4 a  and FIG. 4 b,  where FIG. 4 b  is the cross-section  4   b—   4   b  of FIG. 4 a.  After the MR/GMR film is etched away, and before leads  12  are deposited, top piece  42  is electrically isolated from first tab  44  and shield  6 . During this period of time the portion of film  8  directly under sensor stripe  10  is susceptible to dielectric breakdown, although photo-resist  11  provides some protection by keeping the static charge at a height above sensor stripe  10 . 
     For MR/GMR heads with abutted leads, the first preferred embodiment may be improved by a second preferred embodiment by expanding the top piece  42  (see Arrow A), or reducing the length of left lead  12  (see Arrow B), as shown in FIG. 5, so that it is not disconnected from first tab  44  during the lead construction. This improvement is also applicable, however not required, for read heads with contiguous leads. 
     Referring back to FIG. 3 c  and FIG. 3 d  and examining more closely the electrical connection between MR/GMR film  24  and shield  6  it is apparent that, through via hole  22 , film  24  is electrically connected to shield  6  as soon as film  24  is deposited. However, film  24  is not created instantly as a contiguous film. Due to slight spatial variation in the deposit rate, a multitude of isolated patches may exist during the initial phase of the deposition. It is also possible that at least one patch  25  of film  24  is located away from via hole  22  and temporarily isolated from shield  6  at the beginning of the deposition process, as illustrated in FIG.  6 . As MR/GMR film  24  becomes thicker, it becomes contiguous and electrically connected to shield  6 . To protect dielectric film  8  from breakdown, a novel process improvement is described now. The deposit rate of film  24  should be substantially lower (i.e., between 0.2 and 2 Å/second than the average deposit rate at the beginning of deposition) thereby reducing the rate of static charge built up and allowing the static charge to dissipate through the dielectric film  8 , or to be neutralized by thermal electrons. This effectively reduces the electrostatic field in film  8 , thus preventing dielectric breakdown at the beginning of the deposition. After film  24  becomes contiguous, typically when a few Å (Angstrom) thick, e.g., from 1 to 10 Å, the deposit rate can be raised substantially to a range from 0.5 to 5 Å/second to improve the throughput, without risk of dielectric breakdown. The novel process is shown as a block diagram in FIG.  7 . Block  71  illustrates the period of lower deposit rate followed by Block  72 , illustrating the period of higher deposit rate. The deposit rate may be raised either continuously (i.e., ramped) or in discrete steps (i.e., stepped). It is also applicable to the deposition of shield  16 . 
     As noted above, the sensor stripe to shield connections in the first preferred embodiment are preserved throughout the wafer process. After the wafer fabrication is complete, the wafer is cut into rows and diced into sliders  58 . Refer to FIG. 8 a  where four sliders  58  in a 2 by 2 array are depicted. The space between adjacent rows which will be consumed by cutting is called the row-kerf  62 . Cutting of the row-kerf creates the air bearing surface (ABS). The space between adjacent sliders on the same row, also to be consumed by cutting, is called the column-kerf  60 . In the first preferred embodiment, the sensor stripe-to-shield connections are removed when the wafer is cut into rows. This is why via holes  22  and  52  are located in row-kerfs  62 , as shown in FIG. 8 b.    
     It is often desirable to keep the sensor stripe-to-shield connection until the rows are diced into sliders. This is because during the post-wafer fabrication, the rows are still subject to high electrostatic fields in the carbon overcoat (COC) and ABS etching processes. Although the electrostatic field in these processes can be reduced somewhat through process optimization and equipment improvement, it is more cost-effective to eliminate the hazard of dielectric breakdown by maintaining the sensor stripe to shield connection. For this purpose via holes  22  and  52  can be relocated away from the row-kerf  62 , i.e., to the area above the ABS. It is understood that components shown in one Figure which are similar to components shown in another Figure are identified by the same reference numbers. To preserve real-estate in the column-kerf  60  (for other useful features such as electronic lapping guide, serial number, and alignment marks), via holes  22  and  52  may reside within the slider  58 . In order to sever the sensor stripe-to-shield connections, first tab  44  may be routed through column-kerf  60 , as illustrated in FIG.  9 . 
     Occasionally, and primarily for the purpose of failure analysis, it is desirable to disconnect sensor stripe  10  from shields  6  and  16  during the wafer process. This can be accomplished in yet another preferred embodiment by creating a via hole  62  through first tab  44 . An additional via hole  64  can also be created through  48 , if it is desirable to disconnect shield  6  from shield  16  as well. See FIG.  10 . 
     It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, tabs  44  and  48  can be made to have resistance values other than 1 kOhm. “Dead-shorts” of near zero resistance serve equally well the purpose of ESD protection, although they do not preserve the ability to detect inadvertent sensor stripe to shield shorts. Similarly, tab  48  can be eliminated, so that pieces  46  and  50  are merged into one piece, also via holes  22  and  52  overlap. This saves real estate in the wafer surface, while losing the capability to distinguish inadvertent shorts across dielectric films  8  and  14 . Furthermore, if the MR/GMR sensors are designed such that film  24  lies on top of leads  12 , the order of film  24  and leads  12  deposition, as described in the first preferred embodiment, has to be reversed accordingly. 
     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.