Patent · US Expired

Magnetoresistance sensor magnetically coupled with high-coercive force film at two end regions

US5329413A · kind A · utility

39Cited by
4References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 5, 1993
Grant dateJul 12, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 5, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11B2005/3996
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A magnetoresistance sensor of this invention is designed to detect a magnetic field on the basis of a change in electric resistance of a magnetoresistance layer, and includes a substrate, the magnetoresistance layer, a magnetization stabilizing layer for stabilizing magnetization of the magnetoresistance layer, and an electrical conductive layer formed on the magnetoresistance layer or the magnetization stabilizing layer. The sensor is characterized in that the magnetoresistance layer and the magnetization stabilizing layer are stacked on each other such that the layers are magnetically coupled to each other at their two end regions with an exchange coupling force higher than that at the remaining region. With this arrangement, there is provided a magnetoresistance sensor having high sensitivity, which can apply a desired bias magnetic field to the MR layer while preventing the bias magnetic field from being disturbed by a magnetic field from a magnetic recording medium or the like.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.