Patent ID: 6893740
Filing Date: 2005-05-17
Classification: B82Y,G01R,G11B,H01F,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A magnetoresistive sensor including a multilayered film comprising a free magnetic layer, a pinned magnetic layer, and a nonmagnetic material layer interposed therebetween, the sensor being supplied with a current flowing in a direction perpendicular to film surfaces of the layers of said multilayered film, wherein a hard magnetic region formed of a hard magnetic material is present in said pinned magnetic layer, said pinned magnetic layer is fixedly magnetized in a direction parallel to a height direction, and magnetization of said free magnetic layer is oriented in a direction parallel to a direction of a track width, the height direction is substantially perpendicular to the track width direction, said pinned magnetic layer contains a nonmagnetic layer sandwiched between a hard magnetic layer and a first ferromagnetic layer, and a first antiferromagnetic layer is formed on one surface of said first ferromagnetic layer opposed to another surface thereof in contact with said nonmagnetic layer, and in said first ferromagnetic layer, a region containing an element Z (where Z represents at least one element selected from among Cr, Ti, V, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta and W) is present in a portion located from an interface with said first antiferromagnetic layer toward said nonmagnetic layer, and a region not containing the element Z is present in a part of a region located from an interface with said nonmagnetic layer toward said first antiferromagnetic layer.