Patent ID: 7275304

Claim:
A method of forming a hard bias structure in a magnetic read head based on an MR element, comprising: (a) providing a substrate on which an MR element having a top surface and two sides and that is comprised of a free layer which has two sidewalls coincident with said sides is formed; and (b) depositing a hard bias structure on the substrate on either side of the MR element wherein the hard bias structure abuts the sides of the MR element and is comprised of a hard bias (HB) layer formed between a lower FM layer and an upper FM layer and a first antiferromagnetic (AFM1) layer is disposed on the upper FM layer or below the lower FM layer, said HB layer has a sufficiently high negative λ S value such that a compressive stress resulting from a lapping process will induce a strong in-plane anisotropy in said hard bias layer that effectively maintains a single magnetic domain state in the free layer.