A magnetic signal device for measuring the movement and/or the position of a component of a drive machine has a supporting structure and a hard-magnetic layer applied on the supporting structure, wherein the hard-magnetic layer is applied via hollow cathode flow sputtering and/or electroplating and/or PVD and/or CVD and/or plasma spraying and x % by mass of the hard-magnetic layer consist of NdFeB and/or Co.sub.5Sm and/or Co.sub.2Sm.sub.17 and/or Co.sub.5Sm and/or Co.sub.2Sm.sub.17 and the hard-magnetic layer has a magnetic remanence of 0.3 T to 1.3 T in its scanning region.

An exchange-coupled film according to the present invention includes an antiferromagnetic layer, pinned magnetic layer, and free magnetic layer which are stacked. The antiferromagnetic layer is composed of a PtCr sublayer and an XMn sublayer (where X is Pt or Ir). The XMn sublayer is in contact with the pinned magnetic layer. The PtCr sublayer has a composition represented by the formula Pt.sub.Cr.sub.100 at %- ( is 44 at % to 58 at %) when the XMn sublayer is placed on the PtCr sublayer or has a composition represented by the formula Pt.sub.Cr.sub.100 at %- ( is 44 at % to 57 at %) when the XMn sublayer is placed on the pinned magnetic layer.

An exchange-coupled film according to the present invention includes an antiferromagnetic layer, pinned magnetic layer, and free magnetic layer which are stacked. The antiferromagnetic layer is composed of a PtCr sublayer and an XMn sublayer (where X is Pt or Ir). The XMn sublayer is in contact with the pinned magnetic layer. The PtCr sublayer has a composition represented by the formula Pt.sub.Cr.sub.100 at %- ( is 44 at % to 58 at %) when the XMn sublayer is placed on the PtCr sublayer or has a composition represented by the formula Pt.sub.Cr.sub.100 at %- ( is 44 at % to 57 at %) when the XMn sublayer is placed on the pinned magnetic layer.

Various embodiments to mitigate the contamination of electroplated cobalt-platinum films on substrates are described. In one embodiment, a device includes a substrate, a titanium nitride diffusion barrier layer formed upon the substrate, a titanium layer formed upon the titanium nitride diffusion barrier layer, a platinum seed layer, and a cobalt-platinum magnetic layer formed upon the platinum seed layer. Based in part on the use of the titanium nitride diffusion barrier layer and/or the platinum seed layer, improvements in the interfaces between the layers can be achieved after annealing, with less delamination, and with substantial improvements in the magnetic properties of the cobalt-platinum magnetic layer. Further, the cobalt-platinum magnetic layer can be formed at a relatively thin thickness of hundreds of nanometers to a few microns while still maintaining good magnetic properties.

A rare earth thin-film magnet of a NdFeB film deposited on a Si substrate, wherein, when the film thickness of the rare earth thin film is 70 m or less, the Nd content satisfies the conditional expression of 0.15Nd/(Nd+Fe)0.25 in terms of an atomic ratio; when the film thickness of the rare earth thin film is 70 m to 115 m (but excluding 70 m), the Nd content satisfies the conditional expression of 0.18Nd/(Nd+Fe)0.25 in terms of an atomic ratio; and when the film thickness of the rare earth thin film is 115 m to 160 m (but excluding 115 m), the Nd content satisfies the conditional expression of 0.20Nd/(Nd+Fe)0.25 in terms of an atomic ratio. An object of the present invention is to provide a rare earth thin-film magnet having a maximum film thickness of 160 m and which is free from film separation and substrate fracture, and a method of producing such a rare earth thin-film magnet by which the thin film can be stably deposited.

An improved magnetic tunnel junction with two oxide interfaces on each side of a ferromagnetic layer (FML) leads to higher PMA in the FML. The novel stack structure allows improved control during oxidation of the top oxide layer. This is achieved by the use of a FML with a multiplicity of ferromagnetic sub-layers deposited in alternating sequence with one or more non-magnetic layers. The use of non-magnetic layers each with a thickness of 0.5 to 10 Angstroms and with a high resputtering rate provides a smoother FML top surface, inhibits crystallization of the FML sub-layers, and reacts with oxygen to prevent detrimental oxidation of the adjoining ferromagnetic sub-layers. The FML can function as a free or reference layer in an MTJ. In an alternative embodiment, the non-magnetic material such as Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sr, Ba, and B is embedded by co-deposition or doped in the FML layer.

A magnetoresistance effect element is provided in which a MR ratio is not likely to decrease even at a high bias voltage. A magnetoresistance effect element according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a first ferromagnetic metal layer; a second ferromagnetic metal layer; a tunnel barrier layer that is provided between the first ferromagnetic metal layer and the second ferromagnetic metal layer, in which the tunnel barrier layer is formed of a non-magnetic oxide having a cubic crystal structure represented by a compositional formula A.sub.1-xA.sub.xO (A represents a divalent cation, and A represents a trivalent cation), a space group of the crystal structure is any one selected from the group consisting of Pm3m, I-43m, and Pm-3m, and the number of A ions is more than the number of A ions in a primitive lattice of the crystal structure.

A magnetoresistance effect element is provided in which a MR ratio is not likely to decrease even at a high bias voltage. A magnetoresistance effect element according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a first ferromagnetic metal layer; a second ferromagnetic metal layer; a tunnel barrier layer that is provided between the first ferromagnetic metal layer and the second ferromagnetic metal layer, in which the tunnel barrier layer is formed of a non-magnetic oxide having a cubic crystal structure represented by a compositional formula A.sub.1-xA.sub.xO (A represents a divalent cation, and A represents a trivalent cation), a space group of the crystal structure is any one selected from the group consisting of Pm3m, I-43m, and Pm-3m, and the number of A ions is more than the number of A ions in a primitive lattice of the crystal structure.

A texture inducing structure for alloy films is provided. The texture inducing structure includes a substrate, a texture-inducing layer and a deposition layer. The texture-inducing layer is formed on the substrate. The texture-inducing layer has an intrinsically strong crystalline texture, a texture coefficient of the texture-inducing layer is greater than 2, and a thickness of the texture-inducing layer is ranged from 0.1 m to 6 m. The deposition layer is formed on the texture-inducing layer. A texture of the deposition layer is induced by the texture-inducing layer thereby changing the magnetic anisotropy and the magnetic strength of the deposition layer, a thickness of the deposition layer is ranged from 1 m60 m, and the thickness of the deposition layer is greater than that of the texture-inducing layer.

A thin film magnet includes a substrate, an oxidation-inhibiting layer in an amorphous state disposed on an upper surface of the substrate, a first magnetic layer disposed on the oxidation-inhibiting layer, an intermediate layer disposed on the first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer disposed on the intermediate layer, and a second oxidation-inhibiting layer in an amorphous state disposed above the second magnetic layer. The intermediate layer contains metal particles. The metal particles are diffused in the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer. The concentration of the metal particles in a part of the first magnetic layer decreases as the distance from the intermediate layer to the part of the first magnetic layer increases. The concentration of the metal particles in a part of the second magnetic layer decreases as the distance from the intermediate layer to the part of the second magnetic layer increases.