Patent ID: 7301734

Claim:
A GMR sensor having improved longitudinal biasing comprising: a substrate; a first insulating layer formed on said substrate; a GMR sensor element formed on said first insulating layer, said element comprising a layered GMR structure including a ferromagnetic free layer, said structure having a substantially planar upper surface and a readwidth defined by lateral planar edges; two longitudinal biasing structures, laterally disposed to either side of said GMR sensor element and abutting said lateral planar edges, each said biasing structure further comprising: a soft magnetic layer having a first lateral edge contiguous with and abutting the lateral edge of said GMR sensor element, said layer extending laterally outward from said sensor element lateral edge and being trimmed to form a substantially planar second lateral edge; a hard magnetic layer abutting said soft magnetic layer at said layer's second lateral edge and substantially covering said second lateral edge; a conducting lead layer formed over each hard magnetic layer; a second insulating layer formed over all exposed surfaces of said conducting lead layer, said conducting layer and said GMR sensor element.