THIN-FILM MAGNETORESISTANCE SENSING ELEMENT, COMBINATION THEREOF, AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE COUPLED TO THE COMBINATION

A thin film magnetoresistive sensor for detecting a magnetic field components perpendicular and parallel to the plane of the sensor substrate is disclosed. The sensing element comprises a free layer (30), a reference layer (10; 11), and a spacer layer (20; 21) between the free layer and the reference layer. The easy-axis magnetization, which is inherent to the material of the free layer (30), is arranged to be perpendicular to the plane of the sensor substrate. The magnetization direction of the reference layer (10; 11) is confined to a direction parallel to the substrate plane. The reference layer consists of a ferromagnetic layer exchange coupled to an antiferromagnetic layer, or consists of a ferromagnetic layer having a higher coercive force than that of the free layer. The spacer layer (20; 21) is composed of an insulating material or a conductive material. The magnetoresistive sensor further includes an array of aforementioned sensing elements coupled to an electronic device in order to provide three-axis sensing.