Patent ID: 6103136
Filing Date: 2000-08-15
Classification: B82Y,G01R,G11B,Y10T

Abstract:
A method for fabricating a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor element comprising:providing a substrate;forming over the substrate a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer having a first surface of the dielectric layer and a second surface of the dielectric layer opposite the first surface of the dielectric layer;forming over the substrate a magnetoresistive (MR) layer contacting the first surface of the dielectric layer;forming over the substrate a soft adjacent layer (SAL), the soft adjacent layer (SAL) having a first surface of the soft adjacent layer (SAL) and a second surface of the soft adjacent layer (SAL) opposite the first surface of the soft adjacent layer (SAL), the first surface of the soft adjacent layer (SAL) contacting the second surface of the dielectric layer; andforming over the substrate a transverse magnetic biasing layer, the transverse magnetic biasing layer contacting the second surface of the soft adjacent layer (SAL), where at least one of the dielectric layer, the magnetoresistive (MR) layer, the soft adjacent layer (SAL) and the transverse magnetic biasing layer is a patterned layer formed employing an etch mask which serves as a lift-off stencil for forming a patterned second dielectric layer adjoining an edge of the patterned layer.