1. A method of making a mask for patterning a thin film, comprising:
a step of forming an inorganic material, which is resolvable into alkali solution, on a substrate;
a step of forming the inorganic material in a predetermined pattern; and
a step of narrowing the inorganic material with the alkali solution to form the mask.
2. The method of making the mask according to claim 1, wherein
in the step of forming the inorganic material in the predetermined pattern, the inorganic material is formed in the predetermined pattern by a photolithography method.
3. The method of making the mask according to claim 1, wherein
the step of forming the inorganic material in the predetermined pattern includes:
forming an etching stopper layer having a tolerance to etching on the inorganic material;
forming a photoresist in a predetermined pattern on the etching stopper layer by a photolithography method;
removing a portion of the etching stopper layer that is not covered by the photoresist to form the etching stopper layer in a predetermined pattern; and
removing a portion of the inorganic material by etching, the portion not being covered by the etching stopper layer in the predetermined pattern.
4. The method of making the mask according to claim 3, wherein
the portion of the inorganic material that is not covered by the etching stopper layer in the predetermined pattern is removed by reactive ion etching.
5. The method of making the mask according to claim 4, wherein
the etching stopper layer is formed of a material having a tolerance to the active ion etching.
6. The method of making the mask according to claim 3, wherein
the etching stopper layer is formed of Ni andor NiFe.
7. The method of making the mask according to claim 3, wherein
after removing the portion of the inorganic material by etching, the portion not being covered by the etching stopper layer in the predetermined pattern, the etching stopper layer is removed before narrowing the inorganic material with the alkali solution.
8. The method of making the mask according to claim 1, wherein
the inorganic material is formed of an inorganic oxide selected from Al2O3, ZnO, SnO, SnO2, PbO, PbO2, Pb3O4, MgO, Nb2O5, Ta2O5, TiO2, and WO3, or a combination of two or more of these.
9. The method of making the mask according to claim 1, wherein
in the step of forming the inorganic material, which is resolvable into the alkali solution, on the substrate, a first inorganic material of which an etching rate to the alkali solution is relatively fast, and a second inorganic material of which an etching rate to the alkali solution is relatively slow are formed in this order.
10. The method of making the mask according to claim 9, wherein
the first inorganic material is formed by a low temperature atomic layer vapor deposition method, and the second inorganic material is formed by a high temperature atomic layer vapor deposition method.
11. A method of patterning a thin film, comprising:
a step of making a mask having an inorganic material, which is resolvable into alkali solution, by the method of making the mask according to claim 1 on a substrate on which a first thin film is formed; and
a step of removing a portion of the first thin film that is not covered by the mask and of patterning the first thin film.
12. The method of patterning the thin film according to claim 11, wherein
after patterning the first thin film, the mask is removed by alkali solution.
13. The method of patterning the thin film according to claim 11, wherein
after the step of patterning the first thin film, a second thin film is formed on a portion of the substrate where the first thin film is removed and on the mask.
14. The method of patterning the thin film according to claim 13, further comprising:
a step of covering the second thin film formed on the substrate with a resist, after forming the second thin film, such that at least a portion of the second thin film formed on the mask is exposed;
a step of removing a portion of the second thin film that is formed on the mask and that is exposed from the resist to expose a portion of the mask;
a step of removing the mask with alkali solution to form a space between the first thin film and the resist; and
a step of removing the second thin film formed on the mask and attached to the resist as well as the resist.
15. The method of patterning the thin film according to claim 14, wherein
the step of removing the second thin film attached to the resist includes removal of attachments attached on the mask in the step of patterning the first thin film.
16. A method of manufacturing a micro device, comprising:
a step of patterning a thin film using the method according to claim 11.
17. A method of manufacturing a thin film magnetic head, comprising:
a step of forming a lamination film, which is on a substrate, of which electrical resistance changes according to an external magnetic field;
a step of forming an inorganic material, which is resolvable into alkali solution, on the lamination film;
a step of forming the inorganic material in a predetermined pattern;
a step of narrowing the inorganic material with the alkali solution to form a mask; and
a step of removing a portion of the lamination film that is not covered by the mask.
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 method comprising:
receiving a device having a storage containing data corresponding to an account identifier and data associated with a voice portal;
establishing a connection with a server associated with the voice portal;
upon establishing the connection, providing to the server the data corresponding to the account identifier; and
upon confirmation by the server that the account identifier corresponds to an active subscriber account, enabling the user to perform selected operations of the voice portal using voice input commands based on limitations, if any, associated with the active subscriber account.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling includes:
outputting to the user a confirmation message.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selected operations include at least one of:
accessing an address book;
making a call;
hearing the voice input commands; or
sending a text message or an email.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving includes:
receiving any one of a credit card, a calling card, or an electronic pass.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving includes at least one of:
reading a magnetic strip of the device,
communicating with the device electronically, and
reading the device through wireless communication.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
providing to the server the data associated with the voice portal.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
determining the server associated with the voice portal based on the data associated with the voice portal.
8. A system comprising:
a voice portal service coupled to a communications network and configured to provide a subscriber with the ability to perform selected operations using voice input commands transmitted over the communications network based on limitations, if any, associated with an active subscriber account of said subscriber;
a voice portal server configured to store subscriber account information related to the voice portal service;
a card reader configured to receive information from a device having a storage containing data corresponding to an account identifier and data associated with a voice portal;
a validation unit coupled to the card reader to receive the information and configured to establish a connection with the voice portal server and provide the data corresponding to the account identifier after establishing the connection; and
an audio unit coupled to the communication network and configured to provide audio communications to and from the communications network;
wherein the voice portal server is further configured to receive the data corresponding to the account identifier, authorize access to the voice portal service when the account identifier corresponds to the active subscriber account, and deny access to the voice portal service when the account identifier does not correspond to the active subscriber account, and
wherein the validation unit enables access to the voice portal service via the audio unit when the voice portal server has authorized access.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the audio unit provides a confirmation message when access has been authorized and a denial message when access has been denied.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the selected operations include at least one of:
accessing an address book;
making a call;
hearing the voice input commands; or
sending a text message or an email.
11. The system of claim 8, wherein the device includes any one of a credit card, a calling card, or an electronic pass.
12. The system of claim 8, wherein the card reader includes at least one of:
a facility to read a magnetic strip of the device;.
a facility to communicate with the device electronically; and
a facility to read the device through wireless communication.
13. The system of claim 8, wherein the validation unit is further configured to provide the data associated with the voice portal to the voice portal server.
14. The system of claim 8, wherein the validation unit is further configured to determine the voice portal server based on the data associated with the voice portal.
15. An apparatus comprising:
a reader configured to read from a device having a storage containing data corresponding to an account identifier and data associated with a voice portal,
a validation unit coupled to the reader to receive the data corresponding to the account identifier and the data associated with the voice portal, and configured to establish a connection with a server associated with the voice portal, provide to the server the data corresponding to the account identifier; and upon confirmation by the server that the account identifier corresponds to an active subscriber account, connect the voice portal to the user; and
an audio unit coupled to a communication network and configured to enable the user to perform selected operations of the voice portal using voice input commands based on limitations, if any, associated with the active subscriber account.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the audio unit is capable of outputting a confirmation message.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the selected operations include at least one of:
accessing an address book;
making a call;
hearing the voice input commands; or
sending a text message or an email.
18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the device includes any one of a credit card, a calling card, or an electronic pass.
19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the reader includes a facility configured to do at least one of:
read a magnetic strip of the device;
communicate with the device electronically; and
read the device through wireless communication.
20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the validation unit is further configured to provide the data associated with the voice portal to the server associated with the voice portal.
21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the validation unit is further configured to determine the server associated with the voice portal based on the data associated with the voice portal.