Electroplating through masks

In this technique, the micro structure is either directly or through masks incorporated into a suitable material, which is usually located on a carrier plate using UV lithography, lithography with synchronic radiation, or X-ray lithography. The machined interspaces are then filled with metal by an electroplating process. The actual mold inserts are then manufactured from these metal parts. 

Apath from electroplating through lithographic masks in electronics to LIGA in MEMS, L. T. Romankiw, Electrochim. Acta, 1997,42, 2985. 

Deposition and patterning of the bottom magnetic pole follow. The pole is usually electroplated with a through-photoresist window frame mask to a thickness level of 2 to 4 fim. Note that whereas the magnetic pole is made into a pancake shape to increase the head efficiency, it is the narrow p>ole tip s dimension that determines the narrow track width. As stated, the widely used Co-based alloy magnetic poles are elec-trodeposited (wet process). Nanocrystalline FeN-based alloys are sputter-deposited in a vacuum chamber (dry process). 

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