Patent ID: 6791804
Filing Date: 2004-09-14
Classification: B82Y,G11B,H01L,Y10T

Abstract:
A magnetoresistive-effect device comprising: a multilayer film comprising an antiferromagnetic layer, a pinned magnetic layer, which is deposited on and in contact with said antiferromagnetic layer, and the magnetization direction of which is pinned through an exchange anisotropic magnetic field with said antiferromagnetic layer, and a free magnetic layer, separated from said pinned magnetic layer by a nonmagnetic electrically conductive layer; a protective layer which is deposited on and in contact with said free magnetic layer; and a pair of hard bias layers, deposited on both sides of said multilayer film, for orienting the magnetization direction of said free magnetic layer perpendicular to the magnetization direction of said pinned magnetic layer; and a pair of electrode layers respectively deposited on said hard bias layers, wherein said electrode layers extend over said multilayer film,wherein the width dimension of a portion of each electrode layer extending over said multilayer film is within a range from greater than 0 &mgr;m to 0.08 &mgr;m, wherein an angle &thgr;1, made between a top surface of the protective layer and an end face of each electrode layer, is about 20 degrees or greater and about 60 degrees or smaller, and wherein said pinned magnetic layer comprises a plurality of soft magnetic thin films having different magnetic moments and nonmagnetic material layers, which are alternately laminated with one soft magnetic thin film separated from another by one nonmagnetic material layer, and said pinned magnetic layer is in a ferrimagnetic state in which the magnetization directions of adjacent soft magnetic thin films, separated by the nonmagnetic material layer, are aligned antiparallel to each other.