Cpp-type giant manetoresistance effect element and magnetic component and magnetic device using it

Abstract

Disclosed is a CPP type giant magnetoresistance device () capable of exhibiting a giant magnetoresistance effect by spin dependent current in a direction perpendicular to a film plane as well as magnetic components and units using the device. The CPP type giant magnetoresistance device has a multi-layered structure of an antiferromagnetic layer (), a ferromagnetic fixed layer (A), a nonmagnetic conductive layer () and a ferromagnetic free layer (A) wherein the ferromagnetic free layer (A) has a first magnetic layer (A) and a second magnetic layer (A) magnetically coupled together antiparallel to each other via a magnetic coupler (A) and formed to have different magnitudes of magnetization (A) from each other. Electrons () with upward spin and electrons () with downward spin are scattered spin-dependently according to orientations in magnetization of the ferromagnetic fixed layer (A) and the ferromagnetic free layer (A) and are allowed to trace paths () whereby the CPP-GMR is increased. Also, in a CPP type giant magnetoresistance device () having a ferromagnetic fixed layer (), a nonmagnetic conductive layer () and a ferromagnetic free layer (A), there may be a layer () made of one or more of ruthenium, iridium, rhodium, rhenium and chromium between the ferromagnetic fixed layer () and the nonmagnetic conductive layer () and/or on a surface of the ferromagnetic free layer (A).