Patent ID: 7969690
Filing Date: 2011-06-28
Classification: B82Y,G01R,G11B,H01L

Abstract:
1. A tunneling magnetoresistive element comprising: a lower magnetic layer; an insulating barrier layer laminated on the lower magnetic layer; and an upper magnetic layer laminated on the insulating barrier layer; wherein one of the lower magnetic layer and the upper magnetic layer is a pinned magnetic layer in which the magnetization direction is pinned and the other is a free magnetic layer in which the magnetization direction is changed in response to an external magnetic field, the insulating barrier layer is made of magnesium oxide (Mg—O), the lower magnetic layer has a laminated ferrimagnetic structure in which, from the bottom, a first magnetic layer, a nonmagnetic interlayer, and a second magnetic layer are laminated in that order, the first magnetic layer has a laminated structure in which at least one nonmagnetic metal sublayer is interposed between ferromagnetic sublayers, the ferromagnetic sublayers are magnetically coupled to each other, and all the ferromagnetic sublayers are magnetized in the same direction and the nonmagnetic metal sublayer has an average thickness of about 1 Å or more and about 5 Å or less.