Abstract: A new and improved etching solution and etching method provide wet chemical pyramidal texture etching of (100) silicon surfaces. A uniform and completely pyramidal texture etching of silicon surfaces is achieved with an etching solution including water, an alkaline reagent, and isopropanol together with an aqueous alkaline ethylene glycol solution.

Abstract: A substrate processing method and apparatus capable of uniformly supplying a processing liquid to a substrate surface in substrate processing such as development processing without exerting an influence on the physical properties of the processing liquid and without damaging the substrate. A rotating blade is disposed above the horizontally placed substrate so as to face the substrate. The processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate, and the rotating blade is rotated while being kept out of contact with the processing liquid to induce a gas current. The gas current forms a mass of processing liquid having an internal circulating current on the substrate surface below the rotating blade.

Abstract: Write head coils for magnetic disk systems are commonly formed through electroplating onto a seed layer in the presence of a photoresist mask. It is then necessary to remove the seed layer everywhere except under the coil itself. The present invention achieves this through etching in a solution of ammonium persulfate to which has been added the complexing agent 1,4,8,11 tetraazundecane. This suppresses the reduction of Cu++ to Cu, thereby increasing the dissolution rate of copper while decreasing that of nickel-iron. Two ways of implementing this are described—adding the complexing agent directly to the ammonium persulfate and introducing the 1,4,8,11 tetraazundecane through a dipping process that precedes conventional etching in the ammonium persulfate.

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing precursor comprising at least one catalyst having multiple oxidation states, and at least one stabilizer, the composition being useful when admixed with an oxidizing agent prior to use to remove metal layers from a substrate.

Abstract: A soft adjacent layer (SAL) magnetoresistive (MR) sensor element and a method for fabricating the soft adjacent layer (SAL) magnetoresistive (MR) sensor element. To practice the method, there is first provided a substrate. There is formed over the substrate a dielectric layer which has a first surface of the dielectric layer and a second surface of the dielectric layer opposite the first surface of the dielectric layer. There is also formed over the substrate a magnetoresistive (MR) layer in contact with the first surface of the dielectric layer. Similarly, there is also formed over the substrate a soft adjacent layer (SAL) in contact with the second surface of the blanket dielectric layer, where the magnetoresistive (MR) layer, the soft adjacent layer (SAL) and the dielectric layer are planar and preferably at least substantially co-extensive. The invention contemplates the soft adjacent layer (SAL) magnetoresistive (MR) sensor element formed through the method of the invention.