Patent ID: 7310207

Claim:
A magnetic sensing element comprising: at least one pinned magnetic layer in which the magnetization direction is pinned in one direction; a free magnetic layer; and at least one nonmagnetic layer disposed between the at least one pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer, wherein at least one of the free magnetic layer and the at least one pinned magnetic layer comprises a Heusler alloy layer, and wherein the Heusler alloy layer is disposed on a surface of an fcc layer having a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure, in which equivalent crystal planes represented as [111] planes are preferentially oriented in a direction parallel to the surface of the fcc layer; and wherein the Heusler alloy layer comprises a metallic compound having a Heusler crystal structure represented by a one of a composition formula X 2 YZ or XYZ, wherein X is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Cu, Co, Ni, Rh, Pt, Au, Pd, Ir, Ru, Ag, Zn, Cd, and Fe; Y is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Mn, Fe, Ti, V, Zr, Nb, Hf, Ta, Cr, Co, and Ni; and Z is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Sn, In, Sb, Ga, Si, Ge, Pb, and Zn.