JP2002116532A - Method for manufacturing mask pattern, method for patterning thin film and method for producing micro device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a mask pattern having a fine pattern equal to or below the optical limit of an exposer or the like and to provide a method for making thin film patterning fine with the mask pattern. SOLUTION: A thin film 2 to be milled, a polymethylglutarimide(PMGI) layer 3 and an electrode film 4 are formed on a substrate 1 and a resist frame 7 is formed on the electrode film 4. A metallic plating film 8 is formed in the resist frame 7 by a frame plating method using the electrode film 4 as an electrode and the resist frame 7 is dissolved and removed to form a metallic pattern layer 9. This pattern layer 9 is etched to form a pre-mask pattern 10 made fine and the PMGI layer 3 is dissolved and removed with an aqueous alkali solution to obtain the objective mask pattern 11 made fine. The thin film 2 to be milled is then milled through the mask pattern 11 to obtain a patterned thin film 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method of forming a mask pattern, a method of patterning a thin film, and a method of manufacturing a micro device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method of patterning a thin film, there are a method using a milling method, a method using a lift-off method, and a method using both the milling method and the lift-off method. The mask pattern used for patterning the thin film is to prevent the members removed during patterning from adhering to the side surfaces, to suppress the occurrence of burrs, and to facilitate removal by an organic solvent. For this purpose, it is customary to use a T-shaped or inverted trapezoidal cross section in the vertical direction.

[0003] Such a mask pattern is formed, for example, by performing ordinary exposure and development processes as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-6058, so that the upper layer portion is made of photoresist and the lower layer portion is made of polymethyl. It has a two-layer structure of glutarimide, that is, a so-called Bi-layer type resist pattern.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned mask pattern depends on the performance of an exposure machine used at the time of exposure processing, and a narrow pattern cannot be formed due to its optical limit. For this reason, only a relatively wide mask pattern can be formed, and accordingly, narrowing of the thin film patterning has been naturally restricted.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a mask pattern having a narrow pattern smaller than the optical limit of an exposure device or the like, and to provide a method for narrowing a thin film patterning.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object,
Manufacturing method of mask pattern of the present invention (first manufacturing method)
Forms a metal pattern layer by frame plating,
An etching process is performed on the metal pattern layer to produce a narrowed mask pattern.

[0007] A method of manufacturing a mask pattern (second manufacturing method) according to the present invention is characterized in that a reduced mask pattern is manufactured by a relaxation method and a frame plating method.

Further, in the method of manufacturing a mask pattern according to the present invention (third manufacturing method), a metal pattern layer is formed by a relaxation method and a frame plating method, and the metal pattern layer is subjected to an etching process to reduce the size. The method is characterized in that a mask pattern is produced.

The present inventors have conducted intensive studies in order to find a method for producing a mask pattern having a narrow pattern smaller than the optical limit of an exposure device or the like. As a result, they have found that a mask pattern having a narrow pattern smaller than the optical limit of an exposure device or the like can be manufactured by forming a mask pattern using the above-described method.

That is, according to the first manufacturing method,
The metal pattern layer formed in advance by the frame plating method is narrowed by an etching process. Therefore, by appropriately adjusting the degree or time of this etching treatment, the metal pattern layer can be reduced to an arbitrary size, and a mask pattern reduced to below the optical limit of the exposure device can be obtained. It is.

Further, according to the second manufacturing method, a resist frame which has been narrowed to below the optical limit of an exposure device or the like by a relax method in advance is prepared, and a metal is formed in the resist frame by a frame plating method. A metal pattern layer made of a plating film is formed. Therefore, a mask pattern narrowed to the optical limit or less can be easily formed.

In the third manufacturing method, the first manufacturing method and the second manufacturing method are combined to form a narrow metal pattern layer by a relaxation method and a frame plating method. This metal pattern layer is subjected to an etching process. Therefore, it is possible to extremely easily form a mask pattern narrowed to the optical limit or less.

In a preferred embodiment of the mask pattern of the present invention, the mask pattern has a two-layer structure in which an upper layer portion is made of metal and a lower layer portion is made of polymethylglutarimide (PMGI). In this case, the upper layer portion and the lower layer portion can be formed by independent steps. Then, by partially removing the PMGI layer with an alkaline aqueous solution in a later step, the generation of burrs can be suppressed, and the dissolution and removal of the mask pattern in the later step can be easily performed. A mask pattern having a shape or a trapezoidal shape can be easily manufactured.

The production of the mask pattern having the two-layer structure is as follows.
In the case of the first manufacturing method, specifically, a step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on a predetermined base material, a step of forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer, Forming a photoresist layer on the photoresist layer, and subjecting the photoresist layer to an exposure and development treatment through a predetermined mask, thereby partially removing the photoresist layer so that the electrode film is exposed; A step of forming a frame, a step of forming a metal plating film in the resist frame by a plating method using the electrode film as an electrode, and dissolving and removing the resist frame to form a metal pattern layer made of the metal plating film. Forming a narrowed pre-mask pattern by performing an etching process on the metal pattern layer. In both cases, a step of removing the portion of the electrode film other than the portion located below the pre-mask pattern, and a step of forming the mask pattern by partially dissolving and removing the polymethylglutarimide layer with an alkaline aqueous solution And preferably containing

In the case of the second manufacturing method, specifically, a step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on a predetermined base material and a step of forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer Forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film, exposing and developing the photoresist layer through a predetermined mask to form a pre-resist frame, and filling the pre-resist frame. Applying an acid-crosslinkable resist material to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and subjecting the acid-crosslinkable resist material to at least one of a heat treatment and an exposure treatment to form the pre-resist of the acid-crosslinkable resist material. A step of partially cross-linking the frame side, and dissolving and removing an uncross-linked portion of the acid-crosslinkable resist material; The step of forming a narrowed resist frame, to which the acid-crosslinkable resist material is attached, and the step of forming a metal plating film by plating using the electrode film as an electrode in the resist frame, Dissolving and removing the resist frame to form a metal pattern layer made of the metal plating film, and removing portions of the electrode film other than those located below the metal pattern layer, and removing the polymethyl glutarimide Forming the narrowed mask pattern by partially removing the layer using an alkaline aqueous solution.

Further, in the case of the third manufacturing method, specifically, a step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on a predetermined base material, and a step of forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer Forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film, exposing and developing the photoresist layer through a predetermined mask to form a pre-resist frame, and filling the pre-resist frame. Applying an acid-crosslinkable resist material to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and subjecting the acid-crosslinkable resist material to at least one of a heat treatment and an exposure treatment to form the pre-resist of the acid-crosslinkable resist material. A step of partially cross-linking the frame side, and dissolving and removing an uncross-linked portion of the acid-crosslinkable resist material; A step of forming a narrowed resist frame in which the acid-crosslinkable resist material is adhered to a surface, and a step of forming a metal plating film by plating using the electrode film as an electrode in the resist frame, Dissolving and removing the resist frame to form a narrowed metal pattern layer made of the metal plating film, and performing an etching process on the metal pattern layer, thereby narrowing the premask pattern. Forming the electrode film, and removing the portion of the electrode film other than the portion located below the pre-mask pattern; and partially dissolving and removing the polymethylglutarimide layer using an alkaline aqueous solution, thereby reducing the narrowing. Forming a patterned mask pattern.

The acid-crosslinkable resist material refers to a resist material containing a material which is crosslinked in the presence of an acid.

The method of patterning a thin film according to the present invention is characterized in that the thin film is patterned using the mask pattern obtained as described above. According to the method for patterning a thin film of the present invention, since a thin film is patterned using a mask pattern narrowed below the optical limit of an exposure device or the like, an extremely fine patterned thin film can be obtained. The thin film can be patterned by a milling method, a lift-off method, or a combination of the milling method and the lift-off method.

The "predetermined substrate" in the above description is
It includes not only a single substrate but also a below-mentioned thin film to be milled and a predetermined base film constituting a micro device.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. 1 to 10 show a method of manufacturing a mask pattern of the present invention (first method).
FIG. 4 is a process chart showing an example of a method of patterning a thin film of the present invention using a mask pattern produced by the method of (1). In this example, a case where a thin film is patterned by a milling method will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, a thin film 2 to be milled is formed on a substrate 1 by, for example, a sputtering method. Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a PMGI layer 3 is applied on the thin film 2 to be milled. Next, as shown in FIG. 3, on the PMGI layer 3, an electrode film 4 that functions as an electrode when forming a metal plating layer by a frame plating method is formed by a sputtering method or the like.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, a negative type photoresist layer 5 is applied and formed on the electrode film 4 and exposed through a predetermined mask 6 by UV irradiation or the like. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, the portions exposed by the development process are dissolved and removed, and a resist frame 7 is formed. Next, as shown in FIG. 6, a plating process is performed in the resist frame 7 using the electrode film 4 as an electrode by a frame plating method, and a metal plating film 8 is formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the resist frame 7 is dissolved and removed with an organic solvent to form a metal pattern layer 9 having a width W1. Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the metal pattern layer 9 is subjected to an etching process to narrow the metal pattern layer 9 and remove the electrode film 4 other than the portion located below the metal pattern layer 9, Width W composed of remaining portion 9A of metal pattern layer 9 and remaining portion 4A of electrode film 4
1 ′ (<W1) Pre-mask pattern 10 is formed. Note that as the etching treatment, either a dry etching method or a wet etching method can be used.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the PMGI layer 3
Is partially removed with an alkaline aqueous solution, to obtain a mask pattern 11 in which the upper portion is made of the remaining portion 9A of the metal pattern layer and the remaining portion 4A of the electrode film, that is, the metal, and the lower portion is made of PMGI. Then, the mask pattern 1
By milling the thin film 2 to be milled through 1, a patterned thin film 12 as shown in FIG. 10 can be manufactured. The mask pattern 11 is dissolved and removed in a later step.

In the above, the electrode film 4 and the metal plating film 8
Are preferably made of the same material. Thus, the upper layer portion of the mask pattern 11 can be made of a single metal material, and problems such as insufficient strength due to the presence of the interface can be solved.

In the above, the mask pattern 1
1 has a T-shaped cross section in the vertical direction. Therefore,
As described above, the operation of generating burrs and dissolving and removing them later can be easily performed. In the etching process of the metal pattern layer, by making the etching process anisotropic, an inverted trapezoidal mask pattern can be easily formed.

Next, an example of a method of patterning a thin film according to the present invention, in which a thin film is patterned using a mask pattern manufactured by the second manufacturing method, will be described. This example also shows a case where a thin film is patterned by a milling method. 11 to 18 are views showing a thin film patterning step in this example. 1 to 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In this example, first, through the steps shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a pre-resist frame 13 having a width W2 is formed on the electrode film 4 as shown in FIG. Next, as shown in FIG. 12, an acid-crosslinkable resist material 14 is applied to the surface of the pre-resist frame 13 so as to fill the inside of the pre-resist frame 13.

Next, the acid-crosslinkable resist material 14 is subjected to a heat treatment or an exposure treatment. Then, the material which crosslinks due to the presence of the acid contained in the acid crosslinkable resist material 14 generates an acid therein, so that the acid crosslinkable resist material 14 is partially crosslinked by the acid, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG.
Form A.

Thereafter, the uncrosslinked portion of the acid-crosslinkable resist material 14 is dissolved and removed, as shown in FIG.
A resist frame 15 having a reduced width W2 ′ (<W2) is obtained by attaching a cross-linking layer 14A to the surface of the pre-resist frame 13. The steps shown in FIGS. 12 to 14 are usually called a relaxation method.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 15, a metal plating film 16 is formed in the resist frame 15 by plating using the electrode film 4 as an electrode by frame plating. Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the resist frame 15 is dissolved and removed with an organic solvent or the like to obtain a metal pattern layer 17 having a width W2 ′.

Next, the metal film 4 other than the portion located below the metal pattern layer 17 is partially removed by etching or the like, and the PMGI layer 3 is partially dissolved and removed with an alkaline aqueous solution, as shown in FIG. As shown, a mask pattern 19 having a width W2 'is obtained. The mask pattern 19 has a two-layer structure in which the upper portion is made of the metal of the remaining portion 17A of the metal pattern layer 17 and the remaining portion 4A of the electrode film 4, and the lower portion is made of PMGI.

Thereafter, a milling process is performed on the thin film 2 to be milled via the mask pattern 19 to obtain a structure shown in FIG.
A patterned thin film 20 as shown in FIG.
The mask pattern 19 is dissolved and removed in a later step. Further, for the above-described reason, it is preferable that the electrode film 4 and the metal plating film 16 are formed of the same metal material.

The mask pattern shown in FIG. 17 has a T-shaped cross section in the vertical direction. However, by appropriately adjusting the heating or exposure conditions of the acid-crosslinkable resist material 14, the inverted trapezoidal resist frame 15 is formed. By forming them, an inverted trapezoidal mask pattern can also be formed. For example, by reducing the amount of exposure to the pre-resist frame 13, a thicker cross-linked layer in the pre-resist frame 13 is formed, and an uncross-linked portion is dissolved and removed to form an inverted trapezoidal resist frame. As a result, an inverted trapezoidal mask pattern can be formed.

When patterning a thin film using a mask pattern produced by the third production method, the second pattern
1 in the case of patterning a thin film by the manufacturing method of FIG.
Metal pattern layer 1 narrowed through steps 1 to 16
7 'is formed. Thereafter, through the step shown in FIG. 8 in the case where the thin film is patterned by the first manufacturing method,
The metal pattern layer 17 'is etched to narrow the metal pattern layer 17', and the electrode film 4 other than the portion located below the metal pattern layer 17 'is removed. Further, a mask pattern 11 'narrowed by the process shown in FIG. 9 is obtained. After that, FIG.
Alternatively, the thin film to be milled is milled through the process shown in FIG. 18 to produce a patterned thin film.

In a third manufacturing method, the above first manufacturing method and the second manufacturing method are combined, and a mask pattern is manufactured by using a relaxation method, a frame plating method, and an etching method together. . Accordingly, the mask pattern can be easily manufactured to a size equal to or smaller than the optical limit of the exposure device, in combination with the effects of the first manufacturing method and the second manufacturing method. Therefore, a fine patterned thin film can be easily produced.

Next, a case where a thin film is patterned by a lift-off method using a mask pattern obtained by the mask pattern manufacturing method of the present invention will be described. 19 to 21 are views showing steps in the thin film patterning method of this example. In addition, about the same part as each part in the above-mentioned process drawing, it represents using the same code | symbol.

In the case where a mask pattern is formed by the first manufacturing method and the thin film is thereby patterned,
The steps shown in FIGS. 2 to 8 are performed without forming a thin film to be milled, and a mask pattern 11 is formed on the substrate 1 as shown in FIG. Next, a thin film 32 to be patterned is formed on the substrate 1 so as to cover the mask pattern 11. Thereafter, the mask pattern 11 is dissolved and removed with an organic solvent to obtain a patterned thin film 34 as shown in FIG.

In the case where a mask pattern is formed by the second manufacturing method and the thin film is thereby patterned,
1 to 4 and FIG. 1 without forming a thin film to be milled.
Steps 1 to 18 are performed to form a mask pattern 11 as shown in FIG. 19, and a patterned thin film 34 is obtained according to the steps shown in FIGS. Also in this case, the electrode film and the metal plating film are preferably made of the same metal material, and the mask pattern can have not only a T-shaped vertical cross section but also an inverted trapezoidal vertical cross section.

When a mask pattern is formed by the third manufacturing method and a thin film is thereby patterned, the same procedure as in the above-described milling method can be performed except that the film to be milled is not formed.

Next, the case where a thin film is patterned by using a mask pattern obtained by the method for producing a mask pattern according to the present invention in combination with a milling method and a lift-off method will be described.

When a mask pattern is formed by the first manufacturing method, a pre-patterned thin film 42 and a mask pattern 43 are formed on a substrate 41 through the steps shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 as shown in FIG. . Next, as shown in FIG. 23, a thin film 44 to be patterned is formed on the substrate 41 so as to cover the mask pattern 43. Next, as shown in FIG. 24, the mask pattern 43 is dissolved and removed with an organic solvent to obtain a patterned thin film 45 including the pre-mask pattern.

When a mask pattern is manufactured by the second manufacturing method, the steps shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and 11 to 17 are performed to form a pre-patterned thin film 4242 and a mask pattern 43 as shown in FIG. Form. Then
According to the steps shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, a patterned thin film 45 including the pre-mask pattern 42 is obtained.
Also in the case of the third manufacturing method, after forming the mask pattern shown in FIG. 22 according to the procedure described in the case of the method to be milled, a patterned thin film is obtained through the steps of FIGS.

Also in this case, the electrode film and the metal plating film are preferably made of the same metal material, and the mask pattern can have not only a T-shaped vertical section but also an inverted trapezoidal vertical section. .

Incidentally, without forming the mask pattern 11 or 19 as shown in FIG. 9 or 17 through the above-described steps, the convex resist frame 57 as shown in FIG. It is conceivable that the resist frame 57 is formed and used directly as a mask pattern.

However, the minimum widths of the widths W1 and W2 of the groove portions of the resist frames 7 and 13 shown in FIGS. 5 and 11, and the width W3 of the resist frame 57 shown in FIG.
Is usually determined to be equal because it is uniquely determined by the resist material constituting the resist frame and the optical limit of the exposure device in the exposure processing. For this reason,
The width W3 of the resist frame 57 shown in FIG. 29 is the mask pattern 11 or 19 obtained by further reducing the width of the groove portions of the resist frames 7 and 13 according to the present invention.
Larger than the width of Therefore, when the resist frame 57 as shown in FIG. 25 is used, only an enlarged patterning thin film can be obtained as compared with the patterning thin film of the present invention.

The method for producing a mask pattern and the method for patterning a thin film using the same according to the present invention can be suitably used in the production of microdevices such as semiconductor lasers, optical isolators, microactuators and thin-film magnetic heads. In particular, it can be suitably used in a thin-film magnetic head that requires element miniaturization from the viewpoint of high-density recording and reproduction.

A case of forming a giant magnetoresistive element (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as “GMR element”) of a thin-film magnetic head by using the mask pattern manufacturing method and the thin film patterning method of the present invention will be described. Figures 26-2
FIG. 9 is a process chart in the case of forming the GMR element.
26 to 29 show a state of a cross section of the magnetic pole portion parallel to the air bearing surface (the medium facing surface).

[0049] First, as shown in FIG. 26, for example, on a substrate 101 made of Arutitsuku _{(A1 2 O 3 · TiC)} , such as alumina (A1 ₂ O ₃₎ than consisting insulating layer 1
02 is formed. Next, a lower shield layer 103 for a read head made of a magnetic material is formed on the insulating layer 102. Next, a first shield gap thin film 10 made of an insulating material such as alumina is formed on the lower shield layer 103.
4a is formed.

Next, the first shield gap thin film 10
A second shield gap thin film 104b made of an insulating material such as alumina is formed on 4a except for a region where a GMR element to be described later is to be formed. Next, a magnetic layer 105a to form a GMR element is formed on the second shield gap thin film 104b. Next, on the substrate 101 including the magnetic layer 105a as a base layer, the steps shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 are performed to form a mask pattern 43 at a position where a GMR element is to be formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 27, using the mask pattern 43 as a mask, the magnetic layer 105a is selectively etched by ion milling or the like to form a GMR.
The element 105 is formed. Next, as shown in FIG. 28, the first shield gap thin film 104a and the second shield gap thin film 104 are formed according to the process shown in FIG.
b and the entire surface of the mask pattern 43, the GMR element 10
The pair of lead layers 106 electrically connected to No. 5 are formed in a predetermined pattern. After that, the mask pattern 43 is dissolved and removed.

That is, in the steps shown in FIGS. 26 to 28, the patterning thin film including the GMR element 105 and the pair of lead layers 106 is obtained by using both the milling method and the lift-off method.

Next, as shown in FIG. 29, a third shield gap thin film 107a made of an insulating material such as alumina is formed on the shield gap thin films 104a and 104b, the GMR element 105 and the lead layer 106, and a GM is formed.
The R element 105 is connected to the shield gap thin films 104a, 107
It is buried between a. Next, a fourth shield gap thin film 107b made of an insulating material such as alumina is formed on the third shield gap thin film 107a except for the vicinity of the GMR element 105.

Thereafter, the upper shield layer and lower pole layer 1
08 (hereinafter abbreviated as “upper shield layer”), a write gap layer 112, an upper magnetic pole layer 114, a thin-film coil (not shown), a protective layer 115 and the like are sequentially formed, and the air bearing surface is polished to perform thin-film magnetic head operation. Get. Note that FIG. 29 shows a trim structure in which the side walls of the upper shield layer are vertically formed in a self-aligned manner.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the embodiments of the invention with reference to specific examples, the invention is not limited to the above-described contents, but may be any other form without departing from the scope of the invention. Deformation and modification are possible.

[0056]

As described above, according to the mask pattern manufacturing method of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a mask pattern narrowed down to the optical limit of the exposure device. Therefore, by using such a mask pattern,
It is possible to obtain a patterned thin film having a patterning width smaller than the optical limit, which cannot be obtained conventionally. Further, by forming the mask pattern into a two-layer structure in which the upper layer portion is made of metal and the lower layer portion is made of PMGI, the manufacturing process of the upper layer portion and the manufacturing process of the lower layer portion are independent. Therefore, each width can be controlled independently,
An arbitrary mask pattern having a T-shaped or inverted trapezoidal vertical cross section can be easily produced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first step in an example of a thin film patterning method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a view showing a step in another example of the thin film patterning method of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a view showing a step in another example of the thin film patterning method of the present invention.

20 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a view showing a step in another example of the thin film patterning method of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a view showing a step that follows the step shown in FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional mask pattern.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing steps in a case where a thin-film magnetic head is manufactured by using the method of manufacturing a mask pattern and the method of patterning a thin film according to the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 27.

FIG. 29 is a view showing a step subsequent to the step shown in FIG. 28.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1, 41 Substrate 2 Thin film to be milled 3 Polymethylglutarimide layer (PMGI layer) 4 Electrode film 5 Photoresist layer 6 Mask 7, 15 Resist frame 8, 16 Metal plating film 9, 17 Metal pattern layer 10 Premask pattern 11, 19, 43 Mask pattern 12, 20, 34, 45 Patterned thin film 13 Pre-resist frame 14 Acid-crosslinkable resist material 32, 44 Patterned thin film 42 Pre-patterned thin film

Claims (46)

[Claims] 1. A method for producing a mask pattern, comprising: forming a metal pattern layer by a frame plating method; and performing an etching process on the metal pattern layer to produce a narrowed mask pattern. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mask pattern has a two-layer structure in which an upper layer is made of metal and a lower layer is made of polymethylglutarimide. 3. A step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on a predetermined base material; a step of forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer; and a step of forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film. Forming a resist frame by subjecting the photoresist layer to exposure and development processing through a predetermined mask, thereby partially removing the photoresist layer so that the electrode film is exposed; A step of forming a metal plating film by a plating method using the electrode film as an electrode in a resist frame; and a step of forming the metal pattern layer made of the metal plating film by dissolving and removing the resist frame. By performing an etching process on the metal pattern layer, a narrowed pre-mask pattern is formed, and the electrode Removing the portion of the film other than the portion located below the pre-mask pattern; and forming the mask pattern by partially dissolving and removing the polymethylglutarimide layer with an alkaline aqueous solution. 3. The method for producing a mask pattern according to claim 2, wherein: 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the electrode film and the metal plating film are made of the same metal material. 5. A vertical cross section of said mask pattern is T
3. It has a shape or an inverted trapezoidal shape.
5. The method for producing a mask pattern according to any one of items 4 to 4. 6. A method for producing a mask pattern, comprising producing a narrowed mask pattern by a relaxation method and a frame plating method. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the mask pattern has a two-layer structure in which an upper layer is made of metal and a lower layer is made of polymethylglutarimide. 8. A step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on a predetermined substrate, a step of forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer, and a step of forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film Forming a pre-resist frame by subjecting the photoresist layer to exposure and development through a predetermined mask; and acid-crosslinking the surface of the pre-resist frame so as to fill the pre-resist frame. A step of applying an acidic resist material; a step of subjecting the acid-crosslinkable resist material to at least one of a heat treatment and an exposure treatment to partially crosslink the pre-resist frame side of the acid-crosslinkable resist material; Dissolve and remove the uncrosslinked portion of the crosslinkable resist material,
A step of forming a narrowed resist frame in which the acid-crosslinkable resist material is attached to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and forming a metal plating film in the resist frame by a plating method using the electrode film as an electrode. Forming, dissolving and removing the resist frame, forming a metal pattern layer made of the metal plating film, and removing portions of the electrode film other than those located below the metal pattern layer. Forming the narrowed mask pattern by partially removing the polymethylglutarimide layer using an aqueous alkaline solution, thereby forming the narrowed mask pattern. Production method. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the electrode film and the metal plating film are made of the same metal material. 10. The method according to claim 7, wherein a vertical cross section of the mask pattern has a T shape or an inverted trapezoidal shape. 11. A method of producing a mask pattern, comprising: forming a metal pattern layer by a relaxation method and a frame plating method; and performing an etching process on the metal pattern layer to produce a narrowed mask pattern. Method. 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the mask pattern has a two-layer structure in which an upper layer is made of metal and a lower layer is made of polymethylglutarimide. 13. A step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on a predetermined substrate, a step of forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer, and a step of forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film Forming a pre-resist frame by subjecting the photoresist layer to exposure and development through a predetermined mask; and acid-crosslinking the surface of the pre-resist frame so as to fill the pre-resist frame. A step of applying an acidic resist material; a step of subjecting the acid-crosslinkable resist material to at least one of a heat treatment and an exposure treatment to partially crosslink the pre-resist frame side of the acid-crosslinkable resist material; Dissolve and remove the uncrosslinked portion of the crosslinkable resist material,
A step of forming a narrowed resist frame in which the acid-crosslinkable resist material is attached to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and forming a metal plating film in the resist frame by a plating method using the electrode film as an electrode. Forming, by dissolving and removing the resist frame, forming a narrowed metal pattern layer made of the metal plating film; and performing etching processing on the metal pattern layer, thereby narrowing the metal pattern layer. Forming a pre-mask pattern, and removing portions of the electrode film other than the portion located below the pre-mask pattern; and partially dissolving and removing the polymethylglutarimide layer using an alkaline aqueous solution. Forming the narrowed mask pattern. A method for producing a mask pattern according to claim 12. 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the electrode film and the metal plating film are made of the same metal material. 15. The method according to claim 12, wherein a vertical cross section of the mask pattern has a T shape or an inverted trapezoidal shape. 16. A method for patterning a thin film, comprising patterning the thin film using the mask pattern according to claim 1. Description: 17. A step of forming a thin film to be milled on a predetermined base material; a step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on the thin film to be milled; and forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer. A step of forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film, and exposing and developing the photoresist layer through a predetermined mask so that the photoresist layer exposes the electrode film. Forming a resist frame by partially removing the resist frame; forming a metal plating film by plating in the resist frame using the electrode film as an electrode; dissolving and removing the resist frame to form the metal; A step of forming a metal pattern layer made of a plating film; and Forming a re-mask pattern and removing a portion of the electrode film other than the portion located below the pre-mask pattern; and partially dissolving and removing the polymethylglutarimide layer with an alkaline aqueous solution, thereby reducing the size. 17. A step of producing a patterned mask pattern, and a step of forming a patterned thin film by performing a milling process on the thin film to be milled via the mask pattern.
3. The method for patterning a thin film according to item 1. 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the electrode film and the metal plating film are made of the same metal material. 19. The method according to claim 17, wherein a vertical cross section of the mask pattern has a T shape or an inverted trapezoidal shape. 20. A step of forming a thin film to be milled on a predetermined base material; a step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on the thin film to be milled; and forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer. A step of forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film; a step of forming a pre-resist frame by subjecting the photoresist layer to exposure and development through a predetermined mask; Applying an acid-crosslinkable resist material to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and performing at least one of a heat treatment and an exposure treatment on the acid-crosslinkable resist material, so that the acid-crosslinkable resist material Step of partially cross-linking the pre-resist frame side, by dissolving and removing uncross-linked portions of the acid-crosslinkable resist material,
A step of forming a narrowed resist frame in which the acid-crosslinkable resist material is attached to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and forming a metal plating film in the resist frame by a plating method using the electrode film as an electrode. Forming, dissolving and removing the resist frame, forming a metal pattern layer made of the metal plating film, and removing portions of the electrode film other than those located below the metal pattern layer. A step of partially removing the polymethylglutarimide layer using an aqueous alkali solution to form a narrowed mask pattern, and by performing a milling process on the thin film to be milled through the mask pattern, 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: forming a patterned thin film. Method of patterning. 21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the electrode film and the metal pattern layer are made of the same metal material. 22. The method for patterning a thin film according to claim 20, wherein a vertical cross section of the mask pattern has a T shape or an inverted trapezoidal shape. 23. A step of forming a thin film to be milled on a predetermined base material; a step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on the thin film to be milled; and forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer. A step of forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film; a step of forming a pre-resist frame by subjecting the photoresist layer to exposure and development through a predetermined mask; Applying an acid-crosslinkable resist material to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and performing at least one of a heat treatment and an exposure treatment on the acid-crosslinkable resist material, so that the acid-crosslinkable resist material Step of partially cross-linking the pre-resist frame side, by dissolving and removing uncross-linked portions of the acid-crosslinkable resist material,
A step of forming a narrowed resist frame in which the acid-crosslinkable resist material is attached to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and forming a metal plating film in the resist frame by a plating method using the electrode film as an electrode. Forming, by dissolving and removing the resist frame, forming a narrowed metal pattern layer made of the metal plating film; and performing etching processing on the metal pattern layer, thereby narrowing the metal pattern layer. Forming a pre-mask pattern, and removing a portion of the electrode film other than a portion located below the metal pattern layer, and partially removing the polymethylglutarimide layer using an alkaline aqueous solution. Forming a narrowed mask pattern; and forming the milled thin film through the mask pattern. Characterized in that it comprises by performing milling process, and forming a patterned thin film, to, claim 16
3. The method for patterning a thin film according to item 1. 24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the electrode film and the metal plating film are made of the same metal material. 25. The method for patterning a thin film according to claim 23, wherein a vertical cross section of the mask pattern has a T shape or an inverted trapezoidal shape. 26. A step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on a predetermined substrate, a step of forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer, and a step of forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film A step of subjecting the photoresist layer to an exposure and development treatment through a predetermined mask to partially remove the photoresist layer so that the electrode film is exposed, thereby forming a resist frame; Forming a metal plating film in the resist frame by plating using the electrode film as an electrode; forming a metal pattern layer made of the metal plating film by dissolving and removing the resist frame; By performing an etching process on the metal pattern layer, a narrowed pre-mask pattern is formed, and the electrode Removing the portion of the film other than the portion located below the pre-mask pattern; and forming a narrowed mask pattern by partially dissolving and removing the polymethylglutarimide layer with an alkaline aqueous solution. Forming a patterned thin film on the base material so as to cover the mask pattern, and forming a patterned thin film by lifting off the mask pattern. The method of patterning a thin film according to claim 16. 27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the electrode film and the metal plating film are made of the same metal material. 28. The thin film patterning method according to claim 26, wherein a vertical cross section of the mask pattern has a T shape or an inverted trapezoidal shape. 29. A step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on a predetermined base material; a step of forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer; and a step of forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film. Forming a pre-resist frame by subjecting the photoresist layer to exposure and development through a predetermined mask; and acid-crosslinking the surface of the pre-resist frame so as to fill the pre-resist frame. A step of applying an acidic resist material; a step of subjecting the acid-crosslinkable resist material to at least one of a heat treatment and an exposure treatment to partially crosslink the pre-resist frame side of the acid-crosslinkable resist material; Dissolve and remove the uncrosslinked portion of the crosslinkable resist material,
A step of forming a narrowed resist frame in which the acid-crosslinkable resist material is attached to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and forming a metal plating film in the resist frame by a plating method using the electrode film as an electrode. Forming, dissolving and removing the resist frame, forming a metal pattern layer made of the metal plating film, and removing portions of the electrode film other than those located below the metal pattern layer. Forming the narrowed mask pattern by partially removing the polymethylglutarimide layer using an alkaline aqueous solution; and covering the predetermined base material so as to cover the mask pattern. Forming a patterned thin film; and lifting off the mask pattern to form a patterned thin film. Characterized in that it comprises a step of forming a patterning method of a thin film of claim 16. 30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the electrode film and the metal plating film are made of the same metal material. 31. The method according to claim 29, wherein a vertical cross section of the mask pattern has a T shape or an inverted trapezoidal shape. 32. A step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on a predetermined base material; a step of forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer; and a step of forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film. Forming a pre-resist frame by subjecting the photoresist layer to exposure and development through a predetermined mask; and acid-crosslinking the surface of the pre-resist frame so as to fill the pre-resist frame. A step of applying an acidic resist material; a step of subjecting the acid-crosslinkable resist material to at least one of a heat treatment and an exposure treatment to partially crosslink the pre-resist frame side of the acid-crosslinkable resist material; Dissolve and remove the uncrosslinked portion of the crosslinkable resist material,
A step of forming a narrowed resist frame in which the acid-crosslinkable resist material is attached to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and forming a metal plating film in the resist frame by a plating method using the electrode film as an electrode. Forming, by dissolving and removing the resist frame, forming a narrowed metal pattern layer made of the metal plating film; and performing etching processing on the metal pattern layer, thereby narrowing the metal pattern layer. Forming a pre-mask pattern, and removing a portion of the electrode film other than a portion located below the metal pattern layer, and partially removing the polymethylglutarimide layer using an alkaline aqueous solution. Forming the narrowed mask pattern; and forming the mask pattern on the predetermined base material. The method of patterning a thin film according to claim 16, comprising: forming a thin film to be patterned so as to cover; and forming a patterned thin film by lifting off the mask pattern. . 33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the electrode film and the metal plating film are made of the same metal material. 34. The method for patterning a thin film according to claim 32, wherein a vertical cross section of the mask pattern has a T shape or an inverted trapezoidal shape. 35. A step of forming a thin film to be milled on a predetermined base material; a step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on the thin film to be milled; and forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer. A step of forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film, and exposing and developing the photoresist layer through a predetermined mask so that the photoresist layer exposes the electrode film. Forming a resist frame by partially removing the resist frame; forming a metal plating film in the resist frame by a plating method using the electrode film as an electrode; dissolving and removing the resist frame; Forming a metal pattern layer made of a metal plating film; and Forming a patterned pre-mask pattern, removing the electrode film other than the portion located below the pre-mask pattern, and partially dissolving and removing the polymethylglutarimide layer with an alkaline aqueous solution. Forming a reduced pre-patterned thin film by performing a milling process on the thin film to be milled via the mask pattern; and forming a pre-patterned thin film on the predetermined base material. Forming a patterned thin film so as to cover the mask pattern, and forming a patterned thin film including the pre-patterned thin film by lifting off the mask pattern. , Claim 16
3. The method for patterning a thin film according to item 1. 36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the electrode film and the metal plating film are made of the same metal material. 37. The thin film patterning method according to claim 35, wherein a vertical cross section of the mask pattern has a T shape or an inverted trapezoidal shape. 38. A step of forming a thin film to be milled on a predetermined base material; a step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on the thin film to be milled; and forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer. A step of forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film; a step of forming a pre-resist frame by subjecting the photoresist layer to exposure and development through a predetermined mask; Applying an acid-crosslinkable resist material to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and performing at least one of a heat treatment and an exposure treatment on the acid-crosslinkable resist material, so that the acid-crosslinkable resist material Step of partially cross-linking the pre-resist frame side, by dissolving and removing uncross-linked portions of the acid-crosslinkable resist material,
A step of forming a narrowed resist frame in which the acid-crosslinkable resist material is attached to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and forming a metal plating film in the resist frame by a plating method using the electrode film as an electrode. Forming, dissolving and removing the resist frame, forming a metal pattern layer made of the metal plating film, and removing portions of the electrode film other than those located below the metal pattern layer. Forming a narrowed mask pattern by partially removing the polymethylglutarimide layer using an alkaline aqueous solution, and performing a milling process on the thin film to be milled through the mask pattern. Forming a patterned pre-patterned thin film, and on the predetermined substrate, A step of forming a thin film to be patterned so as to cover a mask pattern, and a step of forming a patterned thin film including the pre-patterned thin film by lifting off the mask pattern. Item 16
The method of patterning a thin film. 39. The method according to claim 38, wherein the electrode film and the metal plating film are made of the same metal material. 40. The thin film patterning method according to claim 38, wherein a vertical cross section of the mask pattern has a T shape or an inverted trapezoidal shape. 41. A step of forming a thin film to be milled on a predetermined base material; a step of forming a polymethylglutarimide layer on the thin film to be milled; and forming an electrode film on the polymethylglutarimide layer. A step of forming a photoresist layer on the electrode film; a step of forming a pre-resist frame by subjecting the photoresist layer to exposure and development through a predetermined mask; Applying an acid-crosslinkable resist material to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and performing at least one of a heat treatment and an exposure treatment on the acid-crosslinkable resist material, so that the acid-crosslinkable resist material Step of partially cross-linking the pre-resist frame side, by dissolving and removing uncross-linked portions of the acid-crosslinkable resist material,
A step of forming a narrowed resist frame in which the acid-crosslinkable resist material is attached to the surface of the pre-resist frame, and forming a metal plating film in the resist frame by a plating method using the electrode film as an electrode. Forming, dissolving and removing the resist frame, forming a metal pattern layer made of the metal plating film, and performing etching on the metal pattern layer, thereby reducing the size of the premask. Forming a pattern, removing the electrode film other than a portion located below the metal pattern layer, and partially removing the polymethylglutarimide layer using an alkaline aqueous solution to reduce the narrowing. Forming a mask pattern, and milling the milled thin film through the mask pattern. Forming a patterned pre-patterned thin film by performing a patterning process; forming a patterned thin film on the predetermined base material so as to cover the mask pattern; and lifting off the mask pattern. Forming a patterned thin film comprising the pre-patterned thin film.
The method of patterning a thin film. 42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the electrode film and the metal plating film are made of the same metal material. 43. The method for patterning a thin film according to claim 41, wherein a vertical cross section of the mask pattern has a T shape or an inverted trapezoidal shape. 44. A method for manufacturing a micro device, comprising manufacturing a micro device using the thin film patterning method according to claim 16. 45. The method according to claim 44, wherein the micro device is a thin film magnetic head. 46. A method of manufacturing a micro device according to claim 45, wherein a magnetoresistive thin film element is formed by using the thin film patterning method according to any one of claims 16 to 43.