Patent ID: 7420786

Claim:
A magneto-resistance effect element comprising: a substrate; a first electrode provided above the substrate and having a lower face, an upper face opposed to the lower face, and a side face different from the lower and upper faces; a magneto-resistance effect film which is formed such that a surface thereof comes in contact with the side face of the first electrode and which includes a magnetization pinned layer whose magnetization direction is pinned, a magnetization free layer whose magnetization direction is changeable, and a first non-magnetic layer which is provided between the magnetization pinned layer and the magnetization free layer; and a second electrode which is formed on another surface of the magneto-resistance effect film opposed from the surface coming in contact with the side face of the first electrode, wherein one layer of the magnetization free layer and the magnetization pinned layer in the magneto-resistance effect film has a sheet resistance higher than the other layer thereof, and the one layer comes in contact with the end face of the first electrode.