Micropattern Formation for Magnetic Recording Head Using Electroless CoFeB Deposition

The method of electroless deposition of CoFeB thin films has been improved and used to fabricate the write head core for magnetic recording. The currently available method is poorly selective in depositing thin films on surfaces patterned with photoresist; i.e. , the deposition occurs not only on the catalytic surface but also on the surface of the photoresist. To improve the selectivity, the effects of bath agitation and organic additives were investigated. Extraneous deposition on the photoresist was decreased by deposition with agitation in a paddle plating cell system and/or by adding thiodiglycolic acid in the bath without any effect on the coercivity of the resulting thin film. The new techniques enabled consistently uniform deposition of the film on the patterned surface of the write head core. The improved electroless deposition system operated under optimized conditions is suitable for future applications involving the deposition of the alloy in fine-patterned structures.