Patent ID: 7554776

Claim:
A magnetic sensing element comprising: a multilayer composite having a plurality of layers, the multilayer composite comprising: a pinned magnetic layer whose magnetization is fixed in one direction; a free magnetic layer; a nonmagnetic material layer disposed between the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer; and a nonmagnetic metal layer made of at least one material selected from the group consisting of X—Mn alloys, Ru, Re, Os, Ti, Rh, Ir, Pd, Pt, and Al, wherein X represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of Pt, Pd, Ir, Rh, Ru, Os, Ni, and Fe; wherein the pinned magnetic layer comprises a plurality of sublayers, has an artificial ferromagnetic structure, and is constituted of a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer with a nonmagnetic interlayer therebetween, wherein at least one of the plurality of sublayers of the pinned magnetic layer comprises a (Co 0.67 Fe 0.33 ) 100-a Z a alloy layer, wherein Z represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, Si, Ge, Sn, and Sb, and parameter a satisfies 0<a≦30 in terms of atomic percent and the pinned magnetic layer has uniaxial anisotropy, and the uniaxial anisotropy fixes the magnetization of the pinned magnetic layer in one direction, wherein the magnetization of the second magnetic layer is fixed in the direction antiparallel to that of the first magnetic layer, wherein the first magnetic layer is disposed at a nonmagnetic metal layer side and the second magnetic layer is disposed at a nonmagnetic material layer side, and wherein at least part of crystals in the nonmagnetic metal layer and first magnetic layer are in an epitaxial state or a heteroepitaxial state.