Patent ID: 7876534

Claim:
A magnetoresistive device with a CPP (current perpendicular to plane) structure comprising a magnetoresistive unit, and an upper shield layer and a lower shield layer located and formed such that the magnetoresistive unit is held between them, with a sense current applied in a stacking direction, wherein: said magnetoresistive unit comprises a nonmagnetic metal intermediate layer, and a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer stacked and formed such that the nonmagnetic metal intermediate layer is held between them, with no bias magnetic field applied as yet, said first ferromagnetic layer and second ferromagnetic layer have mutually antiparallel magnetizations, said magnetoresistive unit has a first side shield layer and a second side shield layer adjacent to both its widthwise sides, one each via an insulating layer, and at rear sites of said first and second side shield layers, first and second biasing layers are located in such a way as to be magnetically coupled to the first and second side shield layers, characterized in that: magnetic fluxes fed from the first and second biasing layers pass through the first and second side shield layers, respectively, and then through the ends of the first and second side shield layers positioned in proximity to the magnetoresistive unit so that magnetic fluxes fed from said ends work such that the magnetizations of said first ferromagnetic layer and second ferromagnetic layer are substantially orthogonal to each other.