Magnetoresistance effect element

• US 5,315,282 A
• Filed: 01/21/1992
• Issued: 05/24/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippon Mining & Metals Company Limited (JX Holdings Incorporated), Kanegafuchi Chemical Industry Co. Ltd. (Kaneka Corporation), NEC Corporation, Nippon Steel Corporation, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Seisan Kaihatsu Kagaku Kenkyusho, TDK Corporation, Tosoh Corporation, Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation), UBE Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Nippon Mining & Metals Company Limited (JX Holdings Incorporated), Kanegafuchi Chemical Industry Co. Ltd. (Kaneka Corporation), NEC Corporation, Nippon Steel Corporation, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Seisan Kaihatsu Kagaku Kenkyusho, TDK Corporation, Tosoh Corporation, Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation), UBE Industries Limited
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Hidefumi, Takada, Toshio, Shinjo, Teruya
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Application Number:
  US07/820,866
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 338/32 H, 338/32 R, 324/207.21, 324/252
• US Class Current: 338/32.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 25/00 Nanomagnetism, e.g. magnetoimpedance, anisotropic magnetoresistance, giant magnetoresistance or tunneling magnetoresistance
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2005/3996 large or giant magnetoresistive effects [GMR], e.g. as generated in spin-valve [SV] devices
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/3903 using magnetic thin film layers or their effects, the films being part of integrated structures
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 50/10 Magnetoresistive devices

Abstract

A magnetoresistance effect element including a substrate and at least two magnetic thin layers which are laminated with interposing a non-magnetic thin layer therebetween on said substrate, wherein adjacent magnetic thin layers through the non-magnetic thin layer have different coercive forces and each of the magnetic thin layers and the non-magnetic layer has a thickness of not larger than 200 Å, which has a large magnetoresistance ratio of several % to several ten % at a small external magnetic field of several Oe to several ten Oe and can provide a MR sensor having a high sensitivity and a MR head which achieves high density magnetic recording.

Claims

1. A magnetoresistance effect element having a multilayer structure of the following layers:

[(a layer of an alloy comprising Ni and Fe)/(a layer of Cu or its alloy)/

(a layer of Co or its alloy)/(Cu or its alloy)]_n wherein n is the number of the above multilayer structure and is an integer from 3 to 15, and a thickness of the layer of Cu or its alloy is from 30 to 55 Å

.

2. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1 having the composition

[Ni₀.8 Fe₀.2 (25)/Cu(55)/Co(25)/Cu(55)]₃

[Ni₀.8 Fe₀.2 (25)/Cu(55)/Co(25)/Cu(55)]₅

[Ni₀.8 Fe₀.2 (25)/Cu(55)/Co(25)/Cu(55)]₇

[Ni₀.8 Fe₀.2 (25)/Cu(55)/Co(25)/Cu(55)]₁₀

[Ni₀.8 Fe₀.2 (25)/Cu(55)/Co(25)/Cu(55)]₁₅ or

[Ni₀.8 Fe₀.15 Mo₀.05 (25)/Cu(55)/Co(25)/Cu(55)]₅,

the numbers in parentheses representing the thickness in Å

of the respective layers.

3. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1, wherein said magnetic thin layer is formed from at least one magnetic substance selected from the group consisting of Fe, Ni, Co, Mn, Cr, Dy, Er, Nd, Tb, Tm, Ce, Gd and their alloys and compounds.

4. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 2, wherein said Y, or compound is selected from the group consisting of Fe--Si, Fe--Ni, Fe--Co, Fe--Gd, Fe--Al--Si, Fe--Y, Fe--Mn, Cr--Sb, Co base amorphous alloys, Co--Pt, Fe--Al, Fe--C, Mn--Sb, Ni--Mn, Co--O, Ni--O, Fe--O, Ni--F and ferrites.

5. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1, wherein each of said magnetic thin layers has a thickness of not larger than 200 Å

.

6. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 4, wherein a thickness of each of said magnetic thin layers is at least 4 Å

.

7. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1, wherein said non-magnetic thin layer is formed from at least one metallic non-magnetic material selected from the group consisting of Au, Ag, Cu, Pt, Al, Mg, Mo, Zn, Nb, Ta, V, Hf, Sb, Zr, Ga, Ti, Sn, Pb and their alloys.

8. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1, wherein said non-magnetic thin layer is formed from at least one semimetallic non-magnetic material selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, C, B and a composite material of at least one of these element and other element.

9. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1, wherein said non-magnetic thin layer is formed from at least one non-metallic non-magnetic material selected from the group consisting of SiO₂, SiO, SiN, Al₂ O₃, ZnO, MgO, TiN and a composite material of at least one of these materials and other element.

10. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 1, wherein said non-magnetic thin layer has a thickness of not larger than 200 Å

.

11. The magnetoresistance effect element according to claim 9, wherein a thickness of said non-magnetic thin layer is at least 4 Å

.