Thin film magnetoresistive head with reduced lead-shield shorting

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention provides a thin film magnetoresistive (MR) head which has improved resolution and reduced lead-shield shorting.
The thin film gap layers are thinner which provides a smaller gap (distance between the shield layers) for the magnetoresistive element.
The reduced gap improves the resolution of the read head.
This has been accomplished by providing a unique structural arrangement of the thin films within the magnetoresistive head which alleviates the problem with lead-shield shorts.
The magnetoresistive sensing element portion of the read head has its film surfaces bounded by top and bottom edges and side edges, the bottom edge forming a portion of an air bearing surface.
A pair of sense current thin film lead layers (also referred to as "leads") are provided.
Each lead layer is electrically connected to a respective bounding surface of the magnetoresistive element.
First and second thin film gap layers and first second thin film shield layers are provided.
The magnetoresistive element and the lead layers are located between the first and second gap layers.
The magnetoresistive element, the lead layers and the first and second gap layers are located between the first and second shield layers.
An edge of the magnetoresistive element is electrically shorted to the first shield layer and an opposite edge is electrically shorted to the second shield layer.
A pair of small connectors may be employed for making these connections.
With this arrangement, the shield layers function as leads.
The shield layers are separated by the composite of the two gap layers, and the probability that the pinholes in the two gap layers will align so as to short the two shield layers is greatly reduced.
Another feature of the invention is to substantially equalize the capacitance between the shield layers and the slider (substrate) which mounts the head.
This is accomplished by electrically splitting the first shield layer into first and second portions.
One edge of the magnetoresistive element is electrically shorted, as described above, to a first portion of the first shield layer