Abstract: Provided is a coil component including a coil portion that has two ring-shaped planar coil portions individually including a coil-wound portion and an insulative resin layer which covers the periphery of the coil-wound portion within the same layer as the coil-wound portion, an insulative resin layer being interposed between the planar coil portions adjacent to each other in the stacking direction of the planar coil portions, and a pair of insulative resin layers being respectively positioned on one end side and the other end side of the two planar coil portions in the stacking direction; and a covering portion that covers the coil portion. In regard to the stacking direction, the thickness of the insulative resin layer is thinner than the thickness of each of the pair of insulative resin layers.

Abstract: In the present invention, provided is a method of forming a mask pattern by which a fine thin film pattern may be formed more easily with higher resolution and precision. In the method of forming a mask pattern, a photoresist pattern having an opening is formed on a substrate, then, an inorganic film is formed so as to cover the upper surface of the photoresist pattern and the inside of the opening, then the inorganic film on the upper surface of the photoresist pattern is removed by a dry etching process. Subsequently, an inorganic mask pattern is formed by removing the photoresist pattern. The inorganic mask pattern thus formed hardly produces an issue of deformation such as physical displacement even when it is heated in the dry etching process.

Abstract: The micropattern formation of the invention comprises forming a resist pattern, and then forming a carbon-containing film on the surface of the resist pattern, followed by ashing of the carbon-containing film and a portion of the resist surface constituting the resist pattern. Thus, the discharge state of ashing just after the initiation of discharge is so stabilized that the ashing rate distribution can be improved, and sensitive pattern slimming can be implemented with ease and high precision.

Abstract: Provided is a magnetic recording medium that generates near-field light within itself and enables favorable heat-assisted magnetic recording with this near-field light. The medium comprises: a magnetic recording layer; and an optically changeable layer formed on the opposite side to a substrate relative to the magnetic recording layer, the optically changeable layer being made transparent or a refractive index of the layer being changed when irradiated by light with an intensity not less than a predetermined intensity. By the irradiation, a minute opening or a refractive-index-changed area is formed within the irradiated portion on the optically changeable layer. The light irradiation onto the minute opening or the refractive-index-changed area enables near-field light to be generated, which heats a portion of the magnetic recording layer. Thus, the anisotropic field of the portion is lowered to a writable value, which enables heat-assisted magnetic recording by applying write field.

Abstract: Provided is a method of forming a photoresist pattern enabling the three dimensional shape of a photoresist pattern to be controlled sufficiently. A photoresist pattern for forming a main magnetic pole layer can be formed by forming a preparatory photoresist pattern having a projected part at a position corresponding to a flare point by selectively exposing and developing a photoresist film, and then heating the preparatory photoresist pattern. In the heating process, the presence of the projected part in the preparatory photoresist pattern relaxes the influence of thermal contraction, and hence the photoresist film is hard to be rounded at the position. Moreover, in the heating process, the preparatory photoresist pattern can be thermally flown and thermally contracted, so that the internal wall in the opening part can be inclined and the projected part can be retreated. Thus, the three dimensional shape of the photoresist pattern approaches a desired three dimensional shape.

Abstract: The process of forming a plated film according to the invention is designed such that the surface asperities of the inorganic film formed by the tracing of a standing wave occurring at the inner wall surface of the first opening in the resist at the resist pattern-formation step are reduced or eliminated. It is thus possible to form, efficiently yet in a short period of time, a high aspect-ratio plated film portion having an aspect ratio of greater than 1. In addition, the formed plated film quality is extremely improved for the absence of pores (cavities).

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for forming a photosensitive polyimide pattern 38 on a metal conductor 32, comprising carrying out the following steps (A) to (E) in this order: (A) a step of forming an ester bond type photosensitive polyimide precursor layer 33 by applying an ester bond type photosensitive polyimide precursor composition onto the metal conductor 32; (B) a step of forming an ion bond type photosensitive polyimide precursor layer 34 by applying an ion bond type photosensitive polyimide precursor composition onto the precursor layer 33 until the thickness of the precursor layer 34 reaches a desired thickness; (C) a step of exposing through a mask 35 and transferring the mask pattern as a latent image 36 onto the precursor layers 33 and 34; (D) a step of developing; and (E) a step of forming a polyimide pattern 38 by curing the developed precursor layers 33 and 34.

Abstract: Provided is a planarizing method in which a planarization with high flatness can be performed, without being restricted by the distribution of film thickness in the applied resist film. The planarizing method comprises the steps of: forming a resist film on a film to be planarized formed on a substrate; exposing the resist film with the amounts of exposure light in respective sections into which an area in which the film to be planarized is formed is divided, the amounts of exposure light being determined so as to realize film thicknesses to be left for planarization of the resist film in the respective sections; developing the exposed resist film, to form a resist film pattern with a controlled distribution of film thickness; and etching the resist film pattern and the film to be planarized, until eliminating the thickness amounts to be eliminated of the film to be planarized.

Abstract: A method of plating, which allows compositions of plating patterns of a plurality of layers to be uniform without any operational complexity, is provided. The area of the plating layer electrodeposited including plating patterns is constant in each of the plurality of layers. Accordingly, a value of plating-current density is easily maintained constant without any special operation. Consequently, the plating patterns in each of the plurality of layers is easily formed to have an uniform composition.

Abstract: A resist pattern forming method comprises the steps of plasma-processing a surface of an acid-feedable resist layer formed and patterned on a surface of a substrate in a gas atmosphere containing a fluorocarbon; attaching a resin composition crosslinkable in the presence of an acid to the plasma-processed surface of the resist layer; crosslinking the resin composition in a part in contact with the resist layer by feeding an acid from the resist layer, so as to form a crosslinked layer covering the resist layer; and removing the resin composition from a part excluding the crosslinked layer, so as to yield a resist pattern comprising the resist layer and the crosslinked layer covering the resist layer.

Abstract: A substrate having a photoresist film, capable of easily performing immersion lithography with high precision and stability, is provided. A surface tension of the substrate in a periphery region is lower than that of the substrate in a rest region. Immersion liquid supplied onto the photoresist film hardly leaks out, and the bubbles hardly occur in the immersion liquid.

Abstract: Provided is a thin-film magnetic head in which the concentration of magnetic flux in the shield layer and the magnetic pole layer is suppressed. The thin-film magnetic head comprises a plurality of magnetic layers that have front surfaces reaching a head end surface on the ABS side. Further in this head, at least one of the plurality of magnetic layers has a shape in which: each of edges corresponding to both side surfaces extends so as to spread obliquely rearward with each other from an end of a straight edge in a track width direction corresponding to the front surface; and the front surface reaching the head end surface has a shape in which upper and lower corner portions in each of both end portions in the track width direction form obtuse angles or rounded shapes.

Abstract: A method of forming a plating film capable of improving magnetic properties is provided. A photoresist pattern, having a first opening with an aspect ratio greater than 1 and a second opening with an aspect ratio smaller than that of the first opening, is formed on a surface of a substrate. A seed film is formed to cover an exposed surface of the substrate in the openings and an inner wall of the photoresist pattern in the openings. On the seed film in the openings, the plating film of magnetic material is deposited such that the first opening is filled under application of a magnetic field in the direction intersecting the surface of the substrate, and the second opening is filled under application of the magnetic field in the direction along the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: An alignment method of mask patterns includes forming a first layer by transferring a first mask pattern onto a wafer, forming a second layer by transferring a second mask pattern onto the first layer, and particularly a first alignment step, forming the first layer, which performs alignment for minimizing offset between a center position of the wafer and a center position of the first mask pattern and a residual rotation error between the wafer and the first mask pattern and additional alignment for compensating an amount of possible deviation of superposition of the second layer pattern on the first layer pattern, and a second alignment step, forming the second layer, which performs only alignment for minimizing offset between a center position of the first layer pattern and a center position of the second mask pattern and a residual rotation error between the first layer pattern and the second mask pattern.

Abstract: A resist pattern processing apparatus comprises a stage for mounting a substrate having a patterned photoresist arranged on a surface thereof, a UV-emitting part for emitting UV rays to the stage, and an annular member for surrounding the whole periphery of the substrate. This allows the annular member to restrain ozone supplied near a mounting surface for the substrate on the stage from diffusing to the periphery of the stage, whereby the ozone concentration becomes even in the surface of the substrate mounted on the stage.

Abstract: The frame plating process of the invention comprises the dry film resist pattern formation step at which a part of the dry film resist is located in such a way as to cap the upper position of the given pattern of opening concavity corresponding to the site needing film thickness precision. It is thus possible to obtain a fairly good film thickness distribution at the specific site needing film thickness precision in a simple manner yet without depending on the film thickness distribution of the plated film based on plating conditions.

Abstract: A method of forming a patterned material layer, the method comprising: a resist layer forming step of forming a resist layer on a substrate, the resist layer including a first photosensitive resin layer, an intermediate resin layer, and a second photosensitive resin layer; an exposing step; a developing step of partly removing the resist layer so as to form a trench exposing the substrate and partly removing the intermediate resin layer so as to form a groove on a side face of the trench, thereby forming a resist frame; a vacuum coating step of forming a vacuum coating layer having a material pattern part covering the exposed part of the substrate and a part to lift off covering the resist frame; and a liftoff step of removing the part to lift off in the vacuum coating layer together with the resist frame, so as to yield a patterned material layer.

Abstract: Provided is a magnetic recording medium that generates near-field light within itself and enables favorable heat-assisted magnetic recording with this near-field light. The medium comprises: a magnetic recording layer; and an optically changeable layer formed on the opposite side to a substrate relative to the magnetic recording layer, the optically changeable layer being made transparent or a refractive index of the layer being changed when irradiated by light with an intensity not less than a predetermined intensity. By the irradiation, a minute opening or a refractive-index-changed area is formed within the irradiated portion on the optically changeable layer. The light irradiation onto the minute opening or the refractive-index-changed area enables near-field light to be generated, which heats a portion of the magnetic recording layer. Thus, the anisotropic field of the portion is lowered to a writable value, which enables heat-assisted magnetic recording by applying write field.

Abstract: A method of forming a metal trench pattern in a thin-film device includes a step of depositing an electrode film on a substrate or on a base layer, a step of forming a resist pattern layer having a trench forming portion used to make a trench pattern, on the deposited electrode film, a step of forming a metal layer for filling spaces in the trench forming portion and for covering the trench forming portion, by performing plating through the formed resist pattern layer using the deposited electrode film as an electrode, a step of planarizing at least a top surface of the formed metal layer until the trench forming portion of the resist pattern layer is at least exposed, and a step of removing the exposed trench forming portion of the resist pattern layer.

Abstract: A method of forming a patterned thin film comprises the step of forming a frame having an undercut near the bottom thereof on an electrode film, and the plating step of forming the patterned thin film by plating through the use of the frame. The patterned thin film includes a plurality of linear portions disposed side by side. Each of the linear portions has a portion close to the electrode film. This portion has a width greater than the width of the remaining portion of each of the linear portions.