Patent ID: 6893734

Claim:
A magnetic sensing element comprising a laminate, the laminate including: a first antiferromagnetic layer; a pinned magnetic layer, a magnetization direction thereof being pinned by the first antiferromagnetic layer; a nonmagnetic conductive layer; a free magnetic layer, a magnetization direction thereof being variable in response to an external magnetic field; a nonmagnetic interlayer; a ferromagnetic layer; a second antiferromagnetic layer, and a nonmagnetic layer disposed between the second antiferromagnetic layer, wherein the second antiferromagnetic layer is directly disposed on the nonmagnetic layer, wherein the second anti ferromagnetic layers magnetically couples with the ferromagnetic layer to orient a magnetization of the ferromagnetic layer in a predetermined direction, wherein the laminate has a recess extending through the second antiferromagnetic layer, the nonmagnetic layer and the ferromagnetic layer, a bottom face of the recess lying in the nonmagnetic interlayer, a width of the bottom face in a track width direction being equal to a track width, wherein the free magnetic layer is magnetized in a direction substantially orthogonal to the magnetization direction of the pinned magnetic layer as a result of magnetic coupling with the ferromagnetic layer.