Provided is a magnet including a yoke portion that contains a soft magnetic material, and a magnet portion that is formed on a main surface of the yoke portion and contains a hard magnetic material. An interface of the magnet portion and the yoke portion has an uneven shape.

This magnetoresistance effect element includes a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, and a nonmagnetic layer provided between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer. At least one of the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer has an alloy obtained by adding an additive element to a Heusler alloy. The additive element is any one or more elements selected from the group consisting of H, He, N, O, F, Ne, P, Cl, Ar, Kr, and Xe.

A CoPt-oxide-based in-plane magnetized film having a magnetic coercive force of 2.00 kOe or more and remanent magnetization per unit area Mrt of 2.00 memu/cm.sup.2 or more. The in-plane magnetized film for use as a hard bias layer of a magnetoresistive element contains metal Co, metal Pt, and an oxide. The in-plane magnetized film contains the metal Co in an amount of 55 at % or more and less than 95 at % and the metal Pt in an amount of more than 5 at % and 45 at % or less relative to a total of metal components of the in-plane magnetized film, and contains the oxide in an amount of 10 vol % or more and 42 vol % or less relative to a whole amount of the in-plane magnetized film. The in-plane magnetized film has a thickness of 20 nm or more and 80 nm or less.

A CoPt-oxide-based in-plane magnetized film having a magnetic coercive force of 2.00 kOe or more and remanent magnetization per unit area Mrt of 2.00 memu/cm.sup.2 or more. The in-plane magnetized film for use as a hard bias layer of a magnetoresistive element contains metal Co, metal Pt, and an oxide. The in-plane magnetized film contains the metal Co in an amount of 55 at % or more and less than 95 at % and the metal Pt in an amount of more than 5 at % and 45 at % or less relative to a total of metal components of the in-plane magnetized film, and contains the oxide in an amount of 10 vol % or more and 42 vol % or less relative to a whole amount of the in-plane magnetized film. The in-plane magnetized film has a thickness of 20 nm or more and 80 nm or less.

Provided is a magnetic storage element including a stack structure which includes a fixed layer whose magnetization direction is fixed, a storage layer whose magnetization direction is reversible, and a non-magnetic layer sandwiched between the fixed layer and the storage layer. The magnetization direction has a direction along a stack direction of the stack structure, and the fixed layer or the storage layer has a region which contains at least one contained element selected from the element group consisting of B, C, N, Al, Mg, and Si at 30 atm % or more and 80 atm % or less.

Present disclosure relates to magnetic materials, chips having magnetic materials, and methods of forming magnetic materials. In certain embodiments, magnetic materials may include a seed layer, and a cobalt-based alloy formed on seed layer. The seed layer may include copper, cobalt, nickel, platinum, palladium, ruthenium, iron, nickel alloy, cobalt-iron-boron alloy, nickel-iron alloy, and any combination of these materials. In certain embodiments, the chip may include one or more on-chip magnetic structures. Each on-chip magnetic structure may include a seed layer, and a cobalt-based alloy formed on seed layer. In certain embodiments, method may include: placing a seed layer in an aqueous electroless plating bath to form a cobalt-based alloy on seed layer. In certain embodiments, the aqueous electroless plating bath may include sodium tetraborate, an alkali metal tartrate, ammonium sulfate, cobalt sulfate, ferric ammonium sulfate and sodium borohydride and has a pH between about 9 to about 13.

Present disclosure relates to magnetic materials, chips having magnetic materials, and methods of forming magnetic materials. In certain embodiments, magnetic materials may include a seed layer, and a cobalt-based alloy formed on seed layer. The seed layer may include copper, cobalt, nickel, platinum, palladium, ruthenium, iron, nickel alloy, cobalt-iron-boron alloy, nickel-iron alloy, and any combination of these materials. In certain embodiments, the chip may include one or more on-chip magnetic structures. Each on-chip magnetic structure may include a seed layer, and a cobalt-based alloy formed on seed layer. In certain embodiments, method may include: placing a seed layer in an aqueous electroless plating bath to form a cobalt-based alloy on seed layer. In certain embodiments, the aqueous electroless plating bath may include sodium tetraborate, an alkali metal tartrate, ammonium sulfate, cobalt sulfate, ferric ammonium sulfate and sodium borohydride and has a pH between about 9 to about 13.

Provided is a magnetic storage element including a stack structure which includes a fixed layer whose magnetization direction is fixed, a storage layer whose magnetization direction is reversible, and a non-magnetic layer sandwiched between the fixed layer and the storage layer. The magnetization direction has a direction along a stack direction of the stack structure, and the fixed layer or the storage layer has a region which contains at least one contained element selected from the element group consisting of B, C, N, Al, Mg, and Si at 30 atm % or more and 80 atm % or less.

A layered thin film device, such as a MTJ (Magnetic Tunnel Junction) device can be customized in shape by sequentially forming its successive layers over a symmetrically curved electrode. By initially shaping the electrode to have a concave or convex surface, the sequentially formed layers conform to that shape and acquire it and are subject to stresses that cause various crystal defects to migrate away from the axis of symmetry, leaving the region immediately surrounding the axis of symmetry relatively defect free. The resulting stack can then be patterned to leave only the region that is relatively defect free.

A layered thin film device, such as a MTJ (Magnetic Tunnel Junction) device can be customized in shape by sequentially forming its successive layers over a symmetrically curved electrode. By initially shaping the electrode to have a concave or convex surface, the sequentially formed layers conform to that shape and acquire it and are subject to stresses that cause various crystal defects to migrate away from the axis of symmetry, leaving the region immediately surrounding the axis of symmetry relatively defect free. The resulting stack can then be patterned to leave only the region that is relatively defect free.