| 摘要 |
Disclosed is a CPP type giant magnetoresistance device ( 10, 20, 50 ) capable of exhibiting a giant magnetoresistance effect by spin dependent current in a direction perpendicular to a film plane as well as magnetic components and units using the device. The CPP type giant magnetoresistance device has a multi-layered structure of an antiferromagnetic layer ( 9 ), a ferromagnetic fixed layer ( 11, 11 A), a nonmagnetic conductive layer ( 12 ) and a ferromagnetic free layer ( 13, 13 A) wherein the ferromagnetic free layer ( 13, 13 A) has a first magnetic layer ( 14, 14 A) and a second magnetic layer ( 16, 16 A) magnetically coupled together antiparallel to each other via a magnetic coupler ( 15, 15 A) and formed to have different magnitudes of magnetization ( 17, 17'; 18, 18 A) from each other. Electrons ( 5 ) with upward spin and electrons ( 6 ) with downward spin are scattered spin-dependently according to orientations in magnetization of the ferromagnetic fixed layer ( 11, 11 A) and the ferromagnetic free layer ( 13, 13 A) and are allowed to trace paths ( 1, 2, 3, 4 ) whereby the CPP-GMR is increased. Also, in a CPP type giant magnetoresistance device ( 30 ) having a ferromagnetic fixed layer ( 11 ), a nonmagnetic conductive layer ( 12 ) and a ferromagnetic free layer ( 13 A), there may be a layer ( 21 ) made of one or more of ruthenium, iridium, rhodium, rhenium and chromium between the ferromagnetic fixed layer ( 11 ) and the nonmagnetic conductive layer ( 12 ) and/or on a surface of the ferromagnetic free layer ( 13 A).
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