Patent ID: 7476414

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a magnetoresistance element including two ferromagnetic layers and a nonmagnetic layer provided between the ferromagnetic layers, one of the two ferromagnetic layers being a magnetization fixed layer where a direction of magnetization is substantially fixed to one direction, and the other of the two ferromagnetic layers being a magnetization free layer where a direction of magnetization varies in response to an external magnetic field, the method comprising: forming a first ferromagnetic film above a substrate in a chamber; forming a magnetoresistance effect improving film on the surface of the first ferromagnetic film in the chamber; and forming a second ferromagnetic film on the magnetoresistance effect improving film in the chamber, wherein the magnetization fixed layer includes the first ferromagnetic film, the magnetoresistance effect improving film, and the second ferromagnetic film, and the step of forming the magnetoresistance effect improving film consists of: generating ions or a plasma of a rare gas without supplying oxygen or nitrogen into the chamber; after generation of the ions or the plasma of the rare gas, introducing at least one of oxygen and nitrogen to the chamber, and at substantially the same time, irradiating a surface of the first ferromagnetic film with the ions or plasma of the rare gas; and stopping irradiating the first ferromagnetic film with the ions or plasma of the rare gas, and at substantially the same time, stopping introducing at least one of oxygen and nitrogen to the chamber.