Method of manufacturing a planarized magnetoresistive sensor

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is a planarized magnetoresistive head for reading magnetically stored information.
The present invention provides an improved magnetoresistive sensor which has a generally planarized surface.
The magnetoresistive sensor includes a magnetoresistive element which has an overlying track width oxide.
Etch stop layers lie on opposite sides of the magnetoresistive element, adjacent the magnetoresistive element.
Contact/boundary control layers overlie the etch stop layer and are positioned adjacent the track width layer.
A loft oxide layer overlies the contact/boundary control layers and the track width oxide layer.
An inductive write head can be deposited adjacent the magnetoresistive sensor to form a magnetoresistive read/write head.
The present invention includes a method of forming a planarized magnetoresistive sensor.
A magnetoresistive element is deposited on an oxide basecoat which overlays a magnetic shield layer.
A photoresist mask is deposited over the magnetoresistive element and an etch stop layer is deposited.
The photoresist layer is removed which lifts off a portion of the etch stop layer and leaves portions of the etch stop layer which lie on either side of the magnetoresistive element.
A track width oxide layer and a metal mask layer are deposited over the structure.
A photoresist mask is deposited on the metal mask layer and an oxide etch is applied.
The oxide etch removes a portion of the track width oxide and leaves the track width oxide and metal mask which overlie the magnetoresistive element and are covered by the photoresist mask.
Contact/boundary control layers are deposited to the thickness of the track width oxide layer and adjacent the track width oxide layer.
A selective metal etch is applied which etches the metal mask layer.
A photoresist stripper is used to lift off the photoresist mask and the contact/boundary control layers associated with it.
A loft oxide layer is deposited over the contact/boundary control layers and the track width layer