Patent ID: 7515388

Claim:
A method of forming a hard bias structure in a magnetic read head based on an MR element, comprising: (a) providing a substrate on which an MR element having a top surface and two sides and that is comprised of a free layer which has two sidewalls coincident with said sides is formed; (b) forming a seed layer on said substrate and adjacent to a portion of each side of said MR element; and (c) forming a hard bias structure on the seed layer wherein the hard bias structure is comprised of: (1) a soft magnetic underlayer made of FeTaN or FeAlN; and (2) a hard bias layer that forms an abutting junction with the free layer on each side of the MR element; said hard bias layer is rigidly exchange coupled with the soft magnetic underlayer and thereby provides optimum H C and M r t values to ensure a well aligned biasing direction to minimize dispersions at the abutting junctions, and said hard bias layer is comprised of FePt or Co x Cr y Pt z in which X, Y, and Z are the atomic % of Co, Cr, and Pt, respectively, and wherein X+Y+Z=100 and X is from about 50 to 80, Y is between 0 and about 20, and Z is from 0 to about 50.