Patent ID: 7589939

Claim:
A magnetic sensor comprising: a single substrate; a first giant magnetoresistive element disposed on the substrate, the first giant magnetoresistive element being formed of a single-layer-pinned spin-valve film comprising a single-layer-pinned fixed magnetization layer including a single ferromagnetic layer and a pinning layer, a free layer whose magnetization direction changes in response to an external magnetic field, and a spacer layer made of a nonmagnetic conductive material, disposed between the ferromagnetic layer and the free layer, wherein the magnetization of the ferromagnetic layer is fixed in a first direction by the pinning layer, so that the ferromagnetic layer serves as a pinned layer; and a second giant magnetoresistive element disposed on the substrate, the second giant magnetoresistive element being formed of a plural-layer-pinned spin-valve film comprising a plural-layer-pinned fixed magnetization layer including a first ferromagnetic layer, an exchange coupling layer adjoining the first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer adjoining the exchange coupling layer, and a pinning layer adjoining the second ferromagnetic layer, a free layer whose magnetization direction changes in response to an external magnetic field, and a spacer layer made of a nonmagnetic conductive material disposed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the free layer, wherein the magnetization direction of the second ferromagnetic layer is fixed by the pinning layer and the magnetization direction of the first ferromagnetic layer is fixed in a second direction antiparallel to the first direction by exchange coupling of the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer with the exchange coupling layer therebetween, so that the first ferromagnetic layer serves as a pinned layer.