Patent ID: 7301735

Claim:
A current in plane magnetoresistive sensor, comprising: a magnetic free layer having a magnetization biased parallel to an air bearing surface (ABS); a magnetic pinned layer having a magnetization pinned perpendicular to said ABS; a non-magnetic spacer layer disposed between said free layer and said pinned layer; said free layer, pinned layer, and spacer layer having first and second laterally opposed sides defining a track width; a magnetic bias layer formed adjacent said free layer within said track width; a bias pinning layer formed adjacent said bias layer opposite said free layer within said track width, said bias pinning layer extending laterally outward substantially beyond said track width; wherein said bias pinning layer further comprises first and second magnetic layers formed of a high coercivity magnetic material, and separated from one another by non-magnetic coupling layer, said first and second layers of high coercivity material having magnetizations anti-parallel coupled with one another.