A giant magnetoresistance (GMR) magnetic head that includes a GMR read
sensor with a stitched longitudinal bias (LB) stack. The GMR read sensor
includes seed, pinning, pinned, spacer, sense and cap layers in a read
region, and its seed and pinning layers are extended into two side
regions. The LB stack is fabricated on the pinning layer in the two side
regions and includes separation, seed and LB layers. The separation layer,
preferably made of an amorphous film, separates the pinning layer from the
seed and LB layers and thereby prevents unwanted crystalline effects of
the pinning layer. Monolayer photoresist patterning and chemical
mechanical polishing may be incorporated into the fabrication process of
the GMR head to attain uniform thicknesses of the separation, seed and LB
layers, and to align the midplane of the LB layer at the same horizontal
level as the midplane of the sense layer.
