Current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) read transducer structure having flux guide and pinned soft bias layer for stabilizing sensor and flux guide

An apparatus, comprising:

• a module having a media facing surface, the module comprising:
• a first shield;
• a sensor above the first shield and recessed from the media facing surface;
• a flux guide extending from the media facing surface toward the sensor;
• a soft bias layer positioned on opposite sides of the sensor in a cross-track direction;
• a stabilization layer above the sensor, flux guide and soft bias layer for stabilizing the soft bias layer;
• a nonmagnetic exchange break layer above the sensor and the flux guide for magnetically decoupling the sensor and the flux guide from the stabilization layer;
• a nonmagnetic gap layer positioned above the stabilization layer;
• and
• a second shield above the gap layer.

A method for forming an apparatus, comprising:

• forming a sensor at a position recessed from an expected location of a media facing surface;
• forming a flux guide extending toward the sensor from the expected location of the media facing surface;
• forming a nonmagnetic exchange break layer above the sensor and the flux guide;
• forming a soft bias layer on opposite sides of the sensor in a cross-track direction;
• and
• forming a stabilization layer above the exchange break layer and soft bias layer for stabilizing the soft bias layer, the exchange break layer magnetically decoupling the sensor and the flux guide from the stabilization layer.