Patent · US Expired

Magnetoresistive sensor having multilayer thin film structure

US5341261A · kind A · utility

53Cited by
1References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 26, 1991
Grant dateAug 23, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 26, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11B2005/3996
  • WIPO fieldMicro-structural and nano-technology
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A magnetoresistive (MR) sensor comprising a layered structure having at least one trilayer comprising a first and a second thin film ferromagnetic layers separated by and in interfacial contact with a third thin film non-metallic layer. A fourth thin film layer of material is within the first ferromagnetic layer, and the fourth layer has a thickness between a fraction of a monolayer and several monolayer and is located at predetermined distance from the interface between the first and third layers. A current flow is produced through the MR sensor and variations in resistivity of the MR sensor produced by rotation of the magnetization in one or both of the ferromagnetic layers is sensed as a function of the magnetic field being sensed.

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