Patent ID: 8361541

Claim:
A method comprising: depositing a first shield layer on a wafer substrate for a sensing structure comprising a sensing element; depositing a first alumina layer on the wafer substrate at an electronic lapping guide site; depositing a first metal gap layer on the wafer substrate including the first shield layer of the sensing structure and the first alumina layer at the electronic lapping guide site; depositing a sensor material layer on the first metal gap layer to form the sensing structure; removing the first metal gap layer and the sensor material layer from the electronic lapping guide site; depositing a second alumina layer at the electronic lapping guide site; patterning, by photolithography, the sensing element of the sensing structure, the sensing element comprising a sensing element front edge, and a front flux guide that comprises a front flux guide back edge, the sensing element front edge and the front flux guide back edge sharing a common interface that defines an interface plane normal to the surface of the wafer substrate, the front flux guide having a front flux guide length normal to the interface plane; depositing a third alumina layer on the wafer substrate after the patterning of the sensing element; depositing a flux guide material on the wafer substrate; and patterning, by photolithography, the flux guide material to produce the front flux guide and the electronic lapping guide, the electronic lapping guide positioned on the surface of the wafer substrate at the electronic lapping guide site, the electronic lapping guide comprising a conductive material adapted to attach to two electrical leads for measuring a resistance through the conductive material, the conductive material comprising a conductive material back edge aligned with the interface plane, the resistance of the conductive material being inversely proportional to a conductive material length normal to the interface plane.