The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 25, 2003
Filed:
Jan. 25, 2000
Alps Electric Co., Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
In the present invention, hard bias layers are arranged in the same layer level as a free magnetic layer, and the upper surfaces of the hard bias layers are joined to the sides of a lamination at positions lower than the upper edges of the sides of the lamination above a substrate. The upper surfaces of the hard bias layers are also joined to the sides of the lamination at the same position as or positions lower than the uppermost position of the hard bias layers above the substrate. A spin-valve thin film element is provided having a decrease in an effective magnetic field applied to the free magnetic layer, and a magnetic field in the direction opposite to the magnetization direction of the free magnetic layer, permitting sufficient control of the magnetic domain of the free magnetic layer, and exhibiting excellent stability. The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing the spin-valve thin film element.