Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Kazumi Matsuzaka

Naoya Hasegawa

Eiji Umetsu

Kazuaki Ikarashi

Takuya Seino

An exchange-coupled film includes a ferromagnetic layer and an antiferromagnetic layer disposed on each other, the magnetization direction of the ferromagnetic layer being pinned in one direction by an exchange coupling magnetic field generated at the interface between the ferromagnetic layer and the antiferromagnetic layer, wherein the antiferromagnetic layer is composed of IrMn(wherein 2 atomic percent&#x2266;z&#x2266;80 atomic percent), the ferromagnetic layer has a two-layer structure including a CoFelayer having a face-centered cubic structure (wherein 80 atomic percent&#x2266;y&#x2266;100 atomic percent), the CoFelayer being in contact with the antiferromagnetic layer, and an FeColayer (wherein x&#x2267;30 atomic percent), the FeColayer being disposed on the CoFelayer, and the thickness of the FeColayer is 30% to 90% of the total thickness of the ferromagnetic layer.

Exchange-coupled film including pinned magnetic layer composed of a plurality of cobalt-iron alloys having different compositions disposed on antiferromagnetic layer, and magnetic sensing element

A magnetic sensing element is provided in which the magnetization of a pinned magnetic layer is pinned by a uniaxial anisotropy of the pinned magnetic layer itself. A nonmagnetic layer for increasing the coercive force of the pinned magnetic layer is disposed adjacent to the pinned magnetic layer at the opposite side of a nonmagnetic conductive layer. Specifically, the nonmagnetic layer is composed of, for example, Cu. In addition, the thickness of the nonmagnetic layer is adequately controlled.

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Niigata-ken, Japan

Kazumi Matsuzaka