Patent ID: 8490279

Claim:
A method of forming a hard bias layer having an easy axis growth perpendicular to an underlying seed layer and that provides a longitudinal bias field to a free layer in a magneto-resistive (MR) sensor having a top surface and two opposite sides with first and second sloped sidewalls formed on a substrate, comprising: (a) providing a substrate with said sensor formed thereon; (b) forming said underlying seed layer above the substrate and along the first and second sloped sidewalls of the sensor, said seed layer promotes easy axis perpendicular growth in certain hard magnetic materials; (c) depositing said hard bias layer on said seed layer; (d) forming a conformal soft magnetic layer on said hard bias layer that compensates for charges at the top surface of said hard bias layer; and (e) initializing said hard bias layer by applying a magnetic field along an axis perpendicular to the two opposite sides for a certain length of time, said initialization results in a hard bias region on the first sloped side of the sensor having a magnetization essentially perpendicular to and pointing toward a first sidewall and a hard bias region on the opposite side of the sensor having a magnetization essentially perpendicular to and pointing away from the second sloped sidewall.