Patent ID: 7061728

Claim:
A magnetic read head that has a head surface comprising: a read sensor that forms a portion of said head surface and has first and second side walls which extend into the read head from said head surface; nonmagnetic electrically insulative first and second read gap layers wherein the first read gap layer includes a read gap material layer and first and second refill gap layers; the read sensor being located between the first and second read gap layers; the read gap material layer having first and second depressions which extend laterally from the first and second side walls respectively of the sensor; the first and second refill gap layers being disposed in the first and second depressions and engaging a bottom portion of the first side wall and engaging a bottom portion of the second side wall respectively; the first read gap layer having first and second portions which extend laterally from the first and second side walls of the sensor and a third portion which engages a bottom surface of the sensor and is located between said first and second portions; each of said first and second portions having a thickness which is greater than a thickness of said third portion; first and second hard bias layers interfacing the first and second refill gap layers respectively and the top portion of the first and second side walls respectively; said first and second lead layers interfacing the first and second hard bias layers respectively; each of the first and second hard bias layers and the sensor having a top surface; the top surfaces of the first and second hard bias layers and the sensor lying within a common plane; a first lead layer electrically connected to a top portion of the first side wall and a second lead layer electrically connected to a top portion of the second side wall; a ferromagnetic first shield layer; the first read gap layer interfacing the first shield layer; the second read gap layer interfacing the sensor; and a ferromagnetic second shield layer interfacing the second read gap layer.