Spin-valve type thin film magnetic element
AssigneeAlps Electric Co., Ltd.
InventorsMasahiro Ooshima, Masamichi Saito
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Abstract
The present invention provides a spin-valve type thin film magnetic element that is able to certainly align the magnetization direction of the free magnetic layer in one direction by improving the exchange coupling magnetic field generated between the bias layers and ferromagnetic layer, and is able to reduce the thickness of the bias layer to be smaller than the thickness of the bias layer of the conventional spin-valve type thin film magnetic element for obtaining the same magnitude of the exchange coupling magnetic layer as that in the conventional spin-valve type thin film magnetic element.
Claims9
A spin-valve type thin film magnetic element comprising:
- a laminated comprising an antiferromagnetic layer, a pinned magnetic layer in contact with an antiferromagnetic layer in which the magnetization direction is fixed by an exchange anisotropic magnetic field with the antiferromagnetic layer, and a non-magnetic conductive layer formed between the pinned magnetic layer and a free magnetic layer;
- bias layers for aligning the magnetization direction of the free magnetic layer in the direction substantially perpendicular to the magnetization direction of the pinned magnetic layer;
- antiferromagnetic layers formed in contact with the bias layers;
- and conductive layers for applying a sensing current to the free magnetic layers,
- wherein each of antiferromagnetic layers is divided into two sub-layers separated by a non-magnetic intermediate layer, the divided sub-layers being in a ferrimagnetic state in which one magnetization direction is by 180 degree different from the other magnetization direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.