Patent ID: 8760913

Claim:
A magnetic detecting element used in a magnetic sensor embedding therein no permanent magnet, the magnetic detecting element comprising: a laminated structure where a fixed magnetic layer and a free magnetic layer are laminated through a non-magnetic material layer, wherein the fixed magnetic layer is a self-pinned type where a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer are laminated through a non-magnetic intermediate layer and the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer are antiparallelly magnetization-fixed, the magnetization of the first magnetic layer is fixed, and the second magnetic layer is in contact with the non-magnetic material layer, the first magnetic layer is formed using FeCo serving as a material having a higher coercive force than the second magnetic layer, a film thickness of the first magnetic layer falls within a range greater than or equal to 10Å and less than or equal to 17 Å, and is thinner than a film thickness of the second magnetic layer, a ratio of the thickness of the first and second layers is adjusted so that a difference in magnetization amount between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer is substantially zero, and the non-magnetic intermediate layer is formed using Rh.