MAGNETORESISTIVE EFFECT DEVICE, MAGNETORESISTIVE EFFECT HEAD AND MAGNETIC RECORDING/REPRODUCING DEVICE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To arrange an appropriate material in at least one layer of a pinned layer and a free layer to increase a resistance change in a vertical excitation magnetoresistive effect device of a spin-valve structure. SOLUTION: Provided is a giant magnetoresistive effect device characterized by: a magnetization pinned layer having the direction of magnetization pinned substantially to one direction; a magnetization free layer having the direction of magnetization changed depending on an external magnetic field; a nonmagnetic intermediate layer formed between the magnetization pinned layer and the magnetization free layer; and electrodes adapted for making a sense current conductive in the direction substantially perpendicular to surfaces of the films of the magnetization pinned layer, the nonmagnetic intermediate layer and the magnetization free layer in which the magnetized pinned layer has substantially such a structure that two or more layers formed of bimetallic alloys represented by a general formula (i) FeaCo100-a(where 25 atom%≤a≤75 atom%) and (ii) one or more layers formed of Cu each as thick as 0.1 nm to 1 nm are alternately stacked. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT