Patent ID: 8570689

Claim:
A differential magnetoresistive effect element comprising: a first magnetoresistive effect element having: a first pinning layer; a first intermediate layer; and a first free layer; and a second magnetoresistive effect element stacked above a spacer layer that is positioned above the first magnetoresistive effect element, the second magnetoresistive effect element having: a second pinning layer; a second intermediate layer; and a second free layer; wherein the first magnetoresistive effect element and the second magnetoresistive effect element show in-opposite-phase resistance change in response to a magnetic field in the same direction, and wherein tp 2 >tp 1 is satisfied when a thickness of the first pinning layer is tp 1 , and a thickness of the second pinning layer is tp 2 , wherein the first pinning layer has more ferromagnetic layers than the second pinning layer.