Patent · US Expired

Method for fabricating a planar thin film structure

US5800967A · kind A · utility

3Cited by
14References
41Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateAug 18, 1997
Grant dateSep 1, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 18, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11B5/3163
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method is disclosed for fabricating a substantially planar photoimageable layer atop a first thin film member situated on a substrate. The substrate and first thin film member are covered with a first photoresist layer in one embodiment of the method. An asperity is formed in the first photoresist layer above the first thin film member. The remainder of the first photoresist layer outside of the asperity includes photoresist fields which are in the same plane as the first thin film member when viewed in cross section. The asperity is removed by photoimaging including masking, exposing and developing while the photoresist fields remain. A second photoresist layer is then applied to the resultant structure after the asperity is removed. The portions of the second photoresist layer atop the photoresist fields and the photoresist fields themselves are removed by photoimaging. A second thin film member is thus formed in which the remaining portion of the upper photoresist layer is desirably substantially planar with respect to the thin film member below.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.