Patent ID: 7193823

Claim:
A spin valve type magnetoresistive structure incorporating a free layer and a pinned ferromagnetic layer separated by a nonmagnetic spacer layer, wherein the improvement in combination comprises: a free layer; an electrically conductive spacer layer of a nonmagnetic material formed directly on and in contact with the free layer; only one pinned layer, said pinned layer comprising: a third ferromagnetic layer formed on the spacer layer; a second antiparallel coupling layer overlying the third ferromagnetic layer; a second ferromagnetic layer formed on the second antiparallel coupling layer; a first antiparallel coupling layer overlying the second ferromagnetic layer; a first ferromagnetic layer formed on the first antiparallel coupling layer; wherein a thickness of said third ferromagnetic layer is approximately equal to, or less than, a thickness of the first ferromagnetic layer, and a thickness of said second ferromagnetic layer is greater than the thickness of said first and said third ferromagnetic layers; and an antiferromagnetic layer overlying the first ferromagnetic layer.