Patent ID: 6862159

Claim:
A magnetic sensing element comprising: a lower multilayer film and an upper multilayer film; each multilayer film comprising: a lower pinned magnetic layer, a lower nonmagnetic layer directly deposited on the lower pinned magnetic layer, a free magnetic layer directly deposited on the lower nonmagnetic magnetic layer, an upper nonmagnetic layer, and an upper pinned magnetic layer deposited in that order from the bottom, a lower antiferromagnetic layer disposed on a bottom of the lower multilayer film; an intermediate antiferromagnetic layer disposed between the lower multilayer film and the upper multilayer film; and an upper antiferromagnetic layer disposed on a top of the upper multilayer film, wherein a magnetization of each pinned magnetic layer is pinned in a predetermined direction by an exchange coupling magnetic field produced between the pinned magnetic layer and the adjacent antiferromagnetic layer; wherein a current flows perpendicular to a plane of each layer; and wherein the magnetization directions of the upper and lower pinned magnetic layers in the lower multilayer film are antiparallel to the magnetization directions of the upper and lower pinned magnetic layers in the upper multilayer film.