1. An apparatus for preparing a flexographic plate comprising:
a digital image for printing on the flexographic plate;
calculating a relief image based on the digital image;
identifying at least one boundary region adjacent to at least one image feature;
a laser for printing the digital image on the flexographic plate; and
increasing a depth of at least a portion of a floor region adjacent the at least one image feature with the laser.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a minimum width of the increase in the floor region is at least 2 \u03bcm.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a maximum width of the increase in the floor region is a distance to a top of the next image feature.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a minimum depth of the increase in the floor region is at least 2 \u03bcm.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a maximum depth of the increase in the floor region is less than a depth of a backing layer of the flexographic plate.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the depth of the floor region is increased by laser engraving.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the digital image is stored on a memory device.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein relief image is calculated on a computer.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A thin-film magnetic head, comprising:
a lower magnetic shield layer;
a magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure formed on said lower magnetic shield layer so that current flows in a direction perpendicular to surfaces of laminated layers; and
an upper magnetic shield layer formed on said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure,
said lower magnetic shield layer consisting of a first soft magnetic layer and a second soft magnetic layer laminated on and magnetically connected with said first soft magnetic layer, a part of an upper surface of said first soft magnetic layer outside both side ends in a track-width direction of said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure being located lower in height than an upper surface within a region where said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure is formed, of said lower magnetic shield layer, said second soft magnetic layer being formed outside both side ends in a track-width direction of said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure.
2. The thin-film magnetic head as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a part of an upper surface of said second soft magnetic layer is located upper in height than the upper surface within the region where said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure is formed, of said lower magnetic shield layer.
3. The thin-film magnetic head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second soft magnetic layer is in contact with parts of side end surfaces in a track-width direction of said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure.
4. The thin-film magnetic head as claimed in claim 3, wherein said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure has a magnetization-fixed layer, a tunnel barrier layer or spacer layer laminated on said magnetization-fixed layer, and a magnetization-free layer laminated on said tunnel barrier layer or spacer layer, and wherein said second soft magnetic layer terminates at side end surfaces in the track-width direction of said magnetization-fixed layer of said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure or at side end surfaces in the track-width direction of a layer of said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure, nearer to said lower magnetic shield layer than said magnetization-fixed layer.
5. The thin-film magnetic head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first soft magnetic layer is made of the same soft magnetic material as said second soft magnetic layer.
6. The thin-film magnetic head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first soft magnetic layer is made of a soft magnetic material different from that of said second soft magnetic layer.
7. The thin-film magnetic head as claimed in claim 1, wherein said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure is a tunnel magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure or a current perpendicular to plane type giant magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure.
8. A manufacturing method of a thin-film magnetic head, comprising the steps of:
depositing magnetoresistive effect multi-layered films on a lower magnetic shield layer made of a soft magnetic material;
etching the deposited magnetoresistive effect multi-layered films for defining a track width to form a magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure, said etching being performed until a part of said lower magnetic shield layer is over-etched;
filling the over-etched part of said lower magnetic shield layer by a soft magnetic material; and
forming an upper magnetic shield layer on said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure.
9. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said etching step comprises a dry-etching step performed using a beam component with an inclined angle less than 90 degrees and equal to or more than 45 degrees with respect to a substrate surface.
10. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said dry etching is ion beam etching.
11. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said etching step comprises a first etching step performed using a beam component with an inclined angle substantially equal to 90 degrees with respect to a substrate surface, and a second etching step performed by dry etching using a beam component with an inclined angle equal to or less than 45 degrees with respect to the substrate surface.
12. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said first and second etching steps comprise performing ion beam etching.
13. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said first etching step comprises performing reactive ion etching, and said second etching step comprises performing ion beam etching.
14. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said method further comprises a dry etching step performed, after said filling step, using a beam component with an inclined angle equal to or less than 45 degrees with respect to a substrate surface to remove a soft magnetic material deposited on side surfaces of said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure.
15. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said filling step comprises performing ion plating.
16. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said filling step comprises filling said over-etched part so that at least a part of an upper surface of a soft magnetic material layer formed by the filling is located upper in height than an upper surface within a region where said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure is formed, of said lower magnetic shield layer.
17. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said filling step comprises filling said over-etched part so that a soft magnetic material layer formed by the filling is in contact with parts of side end surfaces in a track-width direction of said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure.
18. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the step of depositing magnetoresistive effect multi-layered films comprises depositing magnetoresistive effect multi-layered films including films for magnetization-fixed layer, a film for tunnel barrier layer or spacer layer laminated on said films for magnetization-fixed layer, and films for magnetization-free layer laminated on said film for tunnel barrier layer or spacer layer, and wherein said filling step comprises filling said over-etched part so that a soft magnetic material layer formed by the filling terminates at side end surfaces in the track-width direction of said magnetization-fixed layer of said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure or at side end surfaces in the track-width direction of a layer of said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure, nearer to said lower magnetic shield layer than said magnetization-fixed layer.
19. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the soft magnetic material of said lower magnetic shield layer is the same as the soft magnetic material filled.
20. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the soft magnetic material of said lower magnetic shield layer is different from the soft magnetic material filled.
21. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure is a tunnel magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure or a current perpendicular to plane type giant magnetoresistive effect multi-layered structure.
22. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said method further comprises a step of forming many thin-film magnetic heads on a wafer, a step of cutting the wafer into a plurality of bars so that each bar has a plurality of thin-film magnetic heads aligned with each other, a step of lapping each bar, and a step of separating the lapped bar into a plurality of individual thin-film magnetic heads.