Patent ID: 7218485

Claim:
A magnetic sensor comprising: a shield layer; a gap layer provided on the shield layer; a free magnetic layer provided on the gap layer; at least one non-magnetic material layer provided on one side surface of the free magnetic layer; and at least one fixed magnetic layer facing the free magnetic layer through the non-magnetic material layer, in which current flows in a direction intersecting an interface between the free magnetic layer and the non-magnetic material layer and an interface between the fixed magnetic layer and the non-magnetic material layer, wherein the free magnetic layer comprising an upper tree magnetic material layer and a lower free magnetic material layer, wherein the upper and lower free magnetic material layers are separated by a first non-magnetic intermediate layer, and are magnetized antiparallel to each other in a track width direction, wherein the fixed magnetic layer comprising an upper fixed magnetic material layer and a lower fixed magnetic material layer, wherein the upper and lower fixed magnetic material layers separated by a second non-magnetic intermediate layer, and are magnetized antiparallel to each other and orthogonal to the magnetization of the tree magnetic material layers, and wherein a side end surface of the upper free magnetic material layer faces the upper fixed magnetic material layer through the non-magnetic material layer, and a side end surface of the lower free magnetic material layer faces the lower fixed magnetic material layer through the non-magnetic material layer; wherein the top surface of the lower fixed magnetic material layer is lower than the bottom surface of the upper free magnetic material layer, and the position of the bottom surface of the upper fixed magnetic material layer is higher than the position of the top surface of the lower free magnetic material layer.