Patent ID: 9076468
Filing Date: 2015-07-07
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A magnetic sensor, comprising: a sensor stack including first and second free magnetic layers and a non-magnetic layer sandwiched between the first and second free magnetic layers and having a front edge facing a media facing surface, a back edge opposite the front edge and first and second laterally opposed sides; a magnetic bias structure located adjacent to the back edge of the sensor stack; and a soft magnetic side shield structure extending from each side of the sensor stack, and including first and second soft magnetic layers and an anti-parallel coupling layer sandwiched between the first and second soft magnetic layers, each of the soft magnetic layers having a shape that results in the magnetic layer having a magnetization that remains oriented in a direction parallel with the media facing surface; wherein the magnetic bias structure includes a soft magnetic layer that has a length measured perpendicular to the media facing surface and a width measured parallel with the media facing surface and wherein the length is greater than the width.