Patent ID: 7301732

Claim:
A GMR magnetic recording head comprising: a conductive substrate; an insulating undercoat formed on said substrate; a via hole formed through said undercoat; a shield layer formed on said undercoat, said shield layer being formed as two horizontally disjoint first and second shield portions separated by a first insulating layer and planarized to form a common planar upper surface and wherein the material of said second shield portion passes through the via hole in said undercoat and contacts, thereby, the conductive substrate; a second insulating layer formed on said shield layer; two via holes formed in said second insulating layer, one via hole being above said first shield portion and one via hole being above said second shield portion; a resistive strip formed on said second insulating layer, said strip electrically contacting the first and second shield portions through said via holes; a third insulating layer formed over said resistive strip and said second insulating layer; a GMR sensor element formed on said third insulating layer; conducting lead layers formed electrically contacting said sensor element; a fourth insulating layer formed on said sensor element and said conducting lead layers.