Patent ID: 8274762

Claim:
A system, comprising: a sensor stack formed of a plurality of thin film layers; a shunt formed of at least some of the same layers as the sensor stack, the shunt being spaced from the sensor stack; a first lead coupled to the sensor stack and the shunt; a second lead coupled to the sensor stack and the shunt; an upper shield above the sensor stack and in electrical communication therewith; a lower shield below the sensor stack and in electrical communication therewith: and an electrically nonconductive extra gap layer formed directly on the shunt, wherein the leads are positioned to pass a current through the sensor stack in a direction perpendicular to the plane of deposition thereof, wherein the leads are positioned to pass a current through the shunt in a direction parallel to the plane of deposition thereof, wherein the leads include portions overlying or underlying ends of the shunt, wherein a spacing of the portions of the leads define a resistance value of the shunt.