Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Satoru Oikawa

Atsushi Maeda

Minoru Kume

Masayuki Fujita

Kazuhiko Kuroki

Toshio Tanuma

Koji Yamano

A magnetoresistive film is disclosed which has a layered structure comprising a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, a nonmagnetic conductive layer interposed between the first and second ferromagnetic layers, and an antiferromagnetic layer coupled with one of the first and second ferromagnetic layers. The antiferromagnetic layer comprises an antiferromagnetic material selected from an antimony-base alloy, fluoride, an FeRh-base alloy, FeS, an IrMnCo-base alloy and a CrAl-base alloy.

Magnetoresistive film

Disclosed is a magnetoresistive film which includes an antiferromagnetic layer, a first amorphous ferromagnetic layer, a crystalline ferromagnetic interlayer disposed between the antiferromagnetic layer and the first amorphous ferromagnetic layer, a nonmagnetic conductive layer provided on the first amorphous ferromagnetic layer and a ferromagnetic layer provided on the nonmagnetic conductive layer.

A magnetoresistive device has an alloy film, including a ferromagnetic substance and a non-magnetic substance which is not soluble in solid phase in the ferromagnetic substance or is in a eutectic relation with the ferromagentic substance. The ferromagnetic substance forms grains in the non-magnetic substance, and the grains preferably have anisotropic shapes. The non-magnetic substance is conducting. The alloy film is composed of a plurality of alloy film stripes. Alternatively the magneto-resistive device includes a non-magnetic layer arranged between first and second magnetic layers, wherein the non-magnetic layer has 10 to 50 weight percent of grains of a magnetic substance dispersed therein.

Magnetoresistive device

A magnetoresistance effect element includes a non-magnetic substrate, a ferromagnetic dispersion layer or a ferromagnetic layer, and a non-magnetic metal film. The ferromagnetic dispersion layer is a layer of a ferromagnetic metal or alloy that is independently and dispersedly formed on the substrate. The alternative ferromagnetic layer is a layer of a ferromagnetic metal or alloy that is formed on the substrate with a textured surface. The non-magnetic metal film is made of at least one atomic element having a non-soluble relation with the ferromagnetic metal or alloy, and is formed on the non-magnetic substrate and the ferromagnetic dispersion layer or the ferromagnetic layer.

Magnetoresistance effect element

A magnetoresistive element includes a substrate, a magnetoresistive film arranged on the substrate and prepared from a non-magnetic conductive metal film containing grains consisting of a ferromagnetic metal atom or a ferromagnetic metal alloy dispersed therein so that the grain concentration is varied along the film thickness direction, a pair of current feeding electrodes arranged on the magnetoresistive film, and a pair of voltage reading electrodes arranged on the magnetoresistive film.

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Yao, Japan

Satoru Oikawa