Patent ID: 7499248

Claim:
A magnetic detecting element comprising: a multilayer film that has a fixed magnetic layer, a magnetization direction of which is fixed in one direction, and a free magnetic layer formed on the fixed magnetic layer with a nonmagnetic material layer therebetween, a current flowing in a direction perpendicular to a film surface of each layer of the multilayer film, wherein the free magnetic layer has a laminated body of a Co 2 MnZ alloy layer (Z is one or more elements selected from a group consisting of Al, Sn, In, Sb, Ga, Si, Ge, Pb, and Zn) and a Co a Fe 100-a alloy layer (‘a’ indicates composition ratio, 76≦a≦100), and the Co a Fe 100-a alloy layer is in contact with the nonmagnetic material layer.