Patent ID: 7723983

Claim:
A magnetic sensor comprising: a magnetoresistive element that includes a pinned layer having a magnetization direction pinned in a first direction, a free layer whose magnetization direction changes according to an applied magnetic field, and an intermediate layer sandwiched between the pinned layer and the free layer; and a bias applying means applying a bias magnetic field to the magnetoresistive element, a direction of the bias magnetic field being fixed in a second direction that is different from the first direction, the bias magnetic field having a parallel component parallel to the magnetization direction of the free layer under no magnetic field and an orthogonal component orthogonal to the parallel component, wherein magnetic flux density of a composite magnetic field lies in the range from 22×10 −4 tesla (T) to 52×10 −4 tesla (T), the composite magnetic field being composed of an exchange bias magnetic field and the parallel component of the bias magnetic field, the exchange bias magnetic field being generated between the pinned layer and the free layer.