Magnetoresistive element having an out-of-plane sensitivity axis and having reduced hysteresis and increased working field range

Abstract

Magnetoresistive element () for sensing an external magnetic field, comprising a tunnel barrier layer () sandwiched between a ferromagnetic reference layer () having a pinned reference magnetization (), and a ferromagnetic sense layer () having a sense magnetization (), wherein the reference, tunnel barrier, and sense layers () are stacked perpendicular to a layer plane (P) thereof. The reference magnetization () is oriented substantially perpendicular to the layer plane (P), and the sense magnetization () is oriented substantially parallel to the layer plane (P). At least the sense layer () has an annular cross-section in the layer plane (P), with an inner diameter (D) and an outer diameter (D). The sense magnetization () has a closed flux path configuration that is orientable either in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The inner diameter (Dt) is larger than 300 nm, and a difference between the inner and outer diameters (D, D) is greater than 150 nm.