Patent ID: 7518907

Claim:
A magnetoresistive element comprising: a first fixed layer having a direction of magnetization fixed; a recording layer having a direction of magnetization set variable; and a first non-magnetic layer interposed between the first fixed layer and the recording layer, wherein: the recording layer includes a long portion extending in a first direction, a first projecting portion projecting from a central portion of a side of the long portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a second projecting portion projecting from a central portion of another side of the long portion in the second direction; a planar shape of the recording layer is a cross shape; a planar shape of the long portion is a parallelogram; the ratio of a first length to a second length falls within a range of 1.5 to 2.2 where the first length is a maximum length of the recording layer in the first direction, and the second length is a maximum length of the recording layer in the second direction; the recording layer has a film thickness of 5 nm to 20 nm; and Hsw/Hc≦0.41, where Hsw is a write magnetic field necessary for reverse of magnetization at an intersection of a line which is tilted by 45 from coordinate axes and passes an origin, and an asteroid curve, and Hc is a write magnetic field necessary for reverse of magnetization by a magnetic field only along an axis of easy magnetization.