MAGNETORESISTIVE ELEMENT AND MAGNETIC MEMORY

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a magnetoresistive element having perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, and capable of expressing a large magnetoresistive effect, and to provide a magnetic memory using the same.SOLUTION: A magnetoresistive element has a laminate structure including a first magnetic layer containing Mn and at least one element selected from a group of Ga, Ge and Al, a second magnetic layer, a first non-magnetic layer provided between the first magnetic layer and second magnetic layer, a third magnetic layer provided between the first magnetic layer and first non-magnetic layer, and a second non-magnetic layer provided between the first magnetic layer and third magnetic layer and containing at least one element selected from a group of Mg, Ba, Ca, C, Sr. Sc, Y, Nb, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ce, Ho, Yb, Er and B. 【課題】垂直磁気異方性を有するとともにより大きな磁気抵抗効果を発現することが可能な磁気抵抗素子およびこれを用いた磁気メモリを提供する。【解決手段】本実施形態の磁気抵抗素子は、Ｍｎと、Ｇａ、Ｇｅ、およびＡｌの群から選択された少なくとも一つの元素と、を含む第１磁性層と、第２磁性層と、前記第１磁性層と前記第２磁性層との間に設けられた第１非磁性層と、前記第１磁性層と前記第１非磁性層との間に設けられた第３磁性層と、前記第１磁性層と前記第３磁性層との間に設けられ、Ｍｇ、Ｂａ、Ｃａ、Ｃ、Ｓｒ、Ｓｃ、Ｙ、Ｎｂ、Ｇｄ、Ｔｂ、Ｄｙ、Ｃｅ、Ｈｏ、Ｙｂ、Ｅｒ、およびＢの群から選択された少なくとも一つの元素を含む第２非磁性層と、を備えた積層構造を有する。【選択図】図１