Patent ID: 8705269

Claim:
A magnetoresistive element comprising: a first magnetic layer having an easy axis of magnetization in a direction perpendicular to a film plane; a second magnetic layer having an easy axis of magnetization in a direction perpendicular to the film plane; and a first nonmagnetic layer interposed between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer, at least one of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer comprising a structure formed by stacking a first magnetic film and a second magnetic film, the second magnetic film located closer to the first nonmagnetic layer than the first magnetic film, the second magnetic film comprising a stacked structure formed by alternating, at least twice, stacked layers of a magnetic material layer and a nonmagnetic material layer, the nonmagnetic material layers of the second magnetic film comprising at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ta, W, Hf, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ti, V, and Cr, and one of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer having a magnetization direction that is capable of changing in response to applying a current between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer via the first nonmagnetic layer, wherein, among the magnetic material layers of the second magnetic film, the magnetic material layer farthest from the first nonmagnetic layer is a (Co 100-x Fe x ) 100-y B y (x<25 atomic %, 0≦y≦30 atomic %) layer.