Patent ID: 7567413

Claim:
A magnetic detecting element comprising: a pinned magnetic layer whose magnetization direction is fixed in one direction; and a free magnetic layer that is formed on the pinned magnetic layer with a nonmagnetic material layer interposed therebetween, wherein one or both of the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer have a laminated structure of a CoMnX alloy layer formed of a metal compound whose compositional formula is represented by CoaMnbXc (X is one or more elements selected from a group of Ge, Sn, Ga, and Sb, a, b, and c are atomic percent, and a+b+c=100 atomic percent) and a CoMnZ alloy layer formed of a metal compound whose compositional formula is represented by CodMneZf (Z is Al or Si, d, e, and f are atomic percent, and d+e+f=100 atomic percent), and the CoMnZ alloy layer is located close to the nonmagnetic material layer.