Patent ID: 7360302

Claim:
A manufacturing method of a magnetic sensor, comprising the steps of: forming a plurality of permanent magnet films on a substrate; forming a plurality of spin valve films each composed of a pinning layer, a pinned layer, and a free layer; subjecting the pinning layer to an ordering heat treatment; patterning the plurality of spin valve layers to form a plurality of magnetoresistive elements, which are arranged in such a way that the plurality of permanent magnet films are paired and are respectively connected to both ends of the magnetoresistive elements; and magnetizing the plurality of permanent magnet films, wherein the ordering heat treatment is performed using a magnet array in which a plurality of permanent magnets are respectively arranged in conformity with four corners of a cell of the substrate such that adjoining permanent magnets differ from each other in polarity, and then the substrate is heated, and wherein the plurality of permanent magnet films are magnetized by arranging the substrate on the magnet array without changing a relative positional relationship therebetween.