Patent ID: 6891703

Claim:
An exchange coupled film comprising an antiferromagnetic layer and a ferromagnetic layer, a magnetization direction of the ferromagnetic layer being pinned in a predetermined direction by an exchange coupling magnetic field generated at an interface between the antiferromagnetic layer and the ferromagnetic layer, wherein the ferromagnetic layer has a laminated ferrimagnetic structure comprising a first magnetic sublayer formed in contact with the antiferromagnetic layer, and a second magnetic sublayer facing the first magnetic sublayer with a nonmagnetic intermediate sublayer therebetween; and wherein the first magnetic sublayer comprises a region containing X in which the X content gradually decreases from an antiferromagnetic layer side toward a nonmagnetic intermediate sublayer side, wherein X is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Cr, Ti, V, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, and W, the region containing X extending from an interface with the antiferromagnetic layer toward the nonmagnetic intermediate sublayer, and a region not containing X extending from an interface with the nonmagnetic intermediate sublayer toward the antiferromagnetic layer.