Magnetoresistance effect elements and method of fabricating the same
US5658658A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 13, 1994 |
| Grant date | Aug 19, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 13, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T428/265
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In an artificial superlattice magnetoresistance effect element in which two or more of magnetic thin film layers having different coercive forces are stacked with intervening of a non-magnetic film layer and resistance changes depending on directions of magnetization in adjacent magnetic thin film layers by utilizing differences in the coercive forces, an anisotropy magnetic field Hk is increased by reducing a thickness of a soft magnetic layer, anisotropy in the magnetic thin film layer is obtained by forming the magnetic thin film layer in a magnetic field to thus increase the Hk, a material having large Hk is used as a soft magnetic material for the soft magnetic layer, and further the anisotropy is obtained by reducing a pattern width into 1-30 .mu.m to thus increase the Hk, whereby the resistance change is achieved in the neighborhood of a zero magnetic field and thus no bias mechanism is required.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.