Patent ID: 7881021

Claim:
A magnetoresistive device of a CPP (current perpendicular to plane) structure, comprising a nonmagnetic intermediate layer, and a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer stacked and formed with said nonmagnetic intermediate layer interposed between them, with a sense current applied in a stacking direction, characterized in that: each of said first and second ferromagnetic layers comprises a sensor area joining to the nonmagnetic intermediate layer near a medium opposite plane and a magnetization direction control area that extends further rearward (toward a depth side) from a position of the rear end of said nonmagnetic intermediate layer, a magnetization direction control multilayer arrangement is interposed at an area where the magnetization direction control area for said first ferromagnetic layer is opposite to the magnetization direction control area for said second ferromagnetic layer in such a way that the magnetizations of the said first and second ferromagnetic layers are antiparallel with each other along a width direction axis, and said sensor area is provided at both width direction ends with biasing layers working such that the mutually antiparallel magnetizations of said first and second ferromagnetic layers intersect in substantially orthogonal directions.