CPP-TYPE GIANT MANETORESISTANCE EFFECT ELEMENT AND MAGNETIC COMPONENT AND MAGNETIC DEVICE USING IT

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, 11A), a nonmagnetic conductive layer (12) and a ferromagnetic free layer (13, 13A) wherein the ferromagnetic free layer (13, 13A) has a first magnetic layer (14, 14A) and a second magnetic layer (16, 16A) magnetically coupled together antiparallel to each other via a magnetic coupler (15, 15A) and formed to have different magnitudes of magnetization (17, 17'; 18, 18A) 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, 11A) and the ferromagnetic free layer (13, 13A) 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 (13A), 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 (13A). IMAGE