Patent ID: 8189304

Claim:
A magnetoresistive magnetic head using a current-perpendicular-to-plane magnetoresistive element comprising a laminate of a free layer, an intermediate layer, and a pinned layer, the pinned layer being substantially fixed to a magnetic field to be detected, either the pinned layer or the free layer including a Heusler alloy layer represented by the composition of X—Y—Z, wherein X is between about 45 at. % and about 55 at. % and is Co or Fe, Y accounts for between about 20 at. % and about 30 at. % and is one or more elements selected from V, Cr, Mn, and Fe, and Z is between about 20 at. % and about 35 at. % and is one or more elements selected from Al, Si, Ga, Ge, Sn, and Sb, the other layer including a layer of Co—Fe—M or Co—Fe, wherein M is one or more elements selected from Ge, Ga, Sn, Sb, Dy, Tb, Ho, and Er and the amount of M added is not less than 0 at. % and not more than 20 at. %.