Patent ID: 6983531

Claim:
A GMR read head device, comprising: a lower dielectric layer on a lower magnetic shield layer; on the lower dielectric layer, a seed layer on which is a buffer layer; on the buffer layer, a free layer on which is a layer of non-magnetic material; on the non-magnetic layer, a two layer laminate that serves as a pinned layer; on the pinned layer, a first capping layer having an upper surface; on the first capping layer a lead overlay layer on which is a second capping layer; centrally located within the device, a first trench that extends downwards through the lead overlay layer as far as a first distance below the upper surface of the first capping layer, said first trench having a 45 degree sidewall; a pair of second trenches, symmetrically disposed on either side of the first trench, separated from said first trench by a spacing, that extend downwards a second distance into the first dielectric layer, said pair of second trenches having sloping sidewalls; a layer of hard bias material in the second trenches and that fully coats said sloping sidewalls and that partly overlaps said second capping layer; a layer of conductor lead material that exactly overlays the layer of hard bias material and that overfills the second trenches; and a second dielectric layer that covers the first trench, the second capping layer, and the conductor lead layer.