Patent ID: 7333304

Claim:
A current perpendicular to plane (CPP) magnetoresistive sensor, comprising: a sensor stack having a front end adjacent to an air bearing surface (ABS) a back end opposite the front end, first and second laterally opposed sides, a top surface and a bottom surface; a bottom magnetic shield, constructed of an electrically conductive, magnetic material, electrically connected with the bottom surface of the sensor stack; a top magnetic shield, constructed of an electrically conductive, magnetic material, electrically connected with the top surface of the sensor stack; a layer of electrically insulating, conformally deposited alumina extending over the first and second sides of the sensor stack, the back end of the sensor stack, and over the bottom shield, the layer of electrically insulating, conformally deposited alumina also wraping around the first and second sides of the sensor stack; first and second side magnetic shields, constructed of a magnetic material, formed adjacent to the first and second sides of the sensor stack and extending laterally outward therefrom the layer of electrically insulating, conformally deposited alumina being disposed between each of the first and second side shields and the first and second sides of the sensor stack; and a hard magnetic bias structure formed adjacent to the back end of the sensor stack and extending laterally backward therefrom, the hard magnetic bias structure being electrically insulated from the sensor stack by the electrically insulating, conformally deposited alumina layer disposed therebetween.