Patent ID: 7561385

Claim:
A magneto-resistive element comprising: a fixed layer in which a magnetization direction is fixed; a free layer in which the magnetization direction is changed by spin-polarized electrons, the free layer having ferromagnetic layers separated by a non-magnetic layer, wherein, from among the ferromagnetic layers, the two adjacent ferromagnetic layers having the nonmagnetic layer interposed therebetween are coupled with each other in an anti-ferromagnetic manner; from among the ferromagnetic layers, a difference between an absolute value of a total of magnetizations of the ferromagnetic layers in which the magnetization direction is a first direction and an absolute value of a total of magnetizations of the ferromagnetic layers in which the magnetization direction is a second direction which is opposite to the first direction is equal to or smaller than 5×10 −15 emu and is larger than zero; and an area of a plane parallel to a substrate of one ferromagnetic layer or a side which is opposite to the substrate side, which is selected from the two adjacent ferromagnetic layers, is smaller than an area of a plane parallel to the subsrate of the other ferromagnetic layer of the substrate side which is selected from the two adjacent ferromagnetic layers;and an intermediate layer between the fixed layer and the free layer.