Production method of thin film magnetic head

Claim 1

A production method of a thin film magnetic head, said thin film magnetic head including: a lower magnetic film; an upper magnetic film having one end thereof coming into contact with one end of said lower magnetic film and having an end opposite to said one end facing a corresponding end of said lower magnetic film via a magnetic gap, thereby forming a magnetic circuit having a magnetic gap at a part thereof in cooperation with said lower magnetic film; coil conductor films having part thereof passing between said upper and lower magnetic films and crossing said magnetic circuit, and having a predetermined number of windings; and an insulating member made of an organic material electrically insulating said coil conductor films from one another and said coil conductor films from at least said upper magnetic film; said upper and lower magnetic films, said coil conductor films and said insulating member being formed in lamination by thin film technique; said method characterized in that a flattening coating made of a further organic material, having a surface, is formed on a portion of said insulating member at which said upper magnetic film is to be formed, wherein said portion of said insulating member at which the upper magnetic film is to be formed has a concavo-convex surface before etching of said portion, the flattening coating being formed, before the formation of said upper magnetic film, in such a thickness that the surface of said flattening coating can be flattened; and then etching is performed to etch said flattening coating and parts of said insulating member so as to expose the entire portion of said insulating member on which said upper magnetic film is to be formed such that the surface of said portion is flattened, the portion, ranging from the surface of said flattening coating to said insulating member, being etched and changed into a substantially flat surface having a height up to 0.1 μm by plasma-assisted etching technique under such a condition where the etching speed of said flattening coating is substantially equal to that of said insulating member.

Claim 14

A method of forming a thin film magnetic head, comprising: forming a lower magnetic film on a substrate; forming coil conductor films on said lower magnetic film, said coil conductor films being insulated from said lower magnetic film, said coil conductor films having a predetermined number of windings; forming an insulating member made of an organic material electrically insulating said coil conductor films from one another and for electrically insulating said coil conductor films from an upper magnetic film to be formed on top of said coil conductor films, said insulating member having a non-uniform surface, wherein a portion of the insulating member on which said upper magnetic film is to be formed has a concavo-convex surface; forming a flattening coating made of a further organic material at least on the portion of said insulating member, having the concavo-convex surface, on which said upper magnetic film is to be formed, said flattening coating having a surface opposed to the surface adjacent said insulating member, said flattening coating having a thickness sufficient such that the opposed surface can be flattened; etching said flattening coating down to said insulating member so as to expose the entire portion of the insulating member on which said upper magnetic film is to be formed, to flatten the surface on which said upper magnetic film is to be formed such that the flattened surface has a height of up to 0.1 μm, said etching being performed by a plasma-assisted etching technique under such a condition where the etching speed of said flattening coating is substantially equal to that of said insulating member; and forming said upper magnetic film on the flattened surface, said upper magnetic film being formed to have one end coming into contact with one end of said lower magnetic film, and to have an end opposite to said one end facing a corresponding end of said lower magnetic film via a magnetic gap, to thereby form a magnetic circuit having a magnetic gap at a part of the upper magnetic film in cooperation with said lower magnetic film.

Claim 15

A method of forming a thin film magnetic head, comprising: forming a lower magnetic film on a substrate; forming coil conductor films on said lower magnetic film, said coil conductor films being insulated from said lower magnetic film, said coil conductor films having a predetermined number of windings; forming an insulating member made of an organic material electrically insulating said coil conductor films from one another and for electrically insulating said coil conductor films from an upper magnetic film to be formed on top of said coil conductor films, said insulating member having a non-uniform surface, wherein a portion of the insulating member on which said upper magnetic film is to be formed has a concavo-convex surface; forming a flattening coating made of a further organic material at least on the portion of said insulating member, having the concavo-convex surface, on which said upper magnetic film is to be formed, said flattening coating having a surface opposed to the surface adjacent said insulating member, said flattening coating having a thickness sufficient such that the opposed surface can be flattened; etching said flattening coating down to said insulating member so as to expose the entire portion of the insulating member on which said upper magnetic film is to be formed, to flatten the surface on which said upper magnetic film is to be formed such that the flattened surface has a height of up to 0.1 μm, said etching being performed by a plasma-assisted etching technique under such a condition where the etching speed of said flattening coating is substantially equal to that of said insulating member; and forming said upper magnetic film on the flattened surface, said upper magnetic film being formed to have one end coming into contact with one end of said lower magnetic film, and to have an end opposite to said one end facing a corresponding end of said lower magnetic film via a magnetic gap, to thereby form a magnetic circuit having a magnetic gap at a part of the upper magnetic film in cooperation with said lower magnetic film.