Patent ID: 8315019

Claim:
A magnetic transducer comprising: a magnetoresistive structure having a plurality of sides; at least one oxidation buffer layer covering at least the plurality of sides, the at least one oxidation buffer layer allowing oxidation of the plurality of sides at a reduced oxidation rate less than an oxidation rate of the plurality of sides in an absence of the at least one oxidation buffer layer and greater than zero; at least one oxide layer, the at least one oxide layer residing between the plurality of sides and the at least one oxidation buffer layer, the at least one oxide layer including an oxide of the plurality of sides of the magnetoresistive structure; and a plurality of hard bias structures adjacent to the at least one oxide layer, the at least one oxide layer residing between the plurality of hard bias structures and the plurality of sides, the at least one oxidation buffer layer being between the at least one oxide layer and the plurality of hard bias structures.