Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Spin-valve magnetoresistive element with biasing layer
 A spin-valve magnetoresistive element comprises an antiferromagnetic layer, a pinned magnetic layer, a nonmagnetic electrically conductive layer and a free magnetic layer formed in that order, and biasing layers formed on both sides of at least the free magnetic layer, the magnetization vector in the pinned magnetic layer being fixed by exchange anisotropic coupling with the antiferromagnetic layer, the biasing layers unifying the magnetization vector in the free magnetic layer in a direction perpendicular to the magnetization vector in the pinned magnetic layer, and a conductive path conducting a sensing current to the pinned magnetic layer, the nonmagnetic electrically conductive layer and the free magnetic layer. The antiferromagnetic layer extends to outer regions on both sides of the pinned magnetic layer, the nonmagnetic layer and the free magnetic layer. The biasing layers are formed on the antiferromagnetic layer. The top faces of the outer regions lie below the bottom face of the pinned magnetic layer, and the top faces of the biasing layers parallel to the deposited layers lie above the bottom face of the free magnetic layer in the sensing gap direction perpendicular to the deposited layers. 
Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
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Yoshihiko Masamichi
Kakihara Saito