Patent ID: 7199983

Claim:
A magnetoresistive device comprising: an antiferromagnetic layer; a pinned layer comprising a first ferromagnetic layer, in contact with said antiferromagnetic layer, having a pinned direction of magnetization by exchange-coupling with said antiferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer having a direction of magnetization opposite from that of said first ferromagnetic layer, and a nonmagnetic spacer layer disposed between said first and second ferromagnetic layers; a free layer having a direction of magnetization changeable in response to an external magnetic field; and an intermediate layer disposed between said pinned layer and said free layer; said first ferromagnetic layer in said pinned layer including: a first layer comprising a ferromagnetic material; and a second layer, disposed between said first layer and said nonmagnetic spacer layer, comprising a ferromagnetic material; said first layer having a bulk scattering coefficient lower than that of said second layer.