Magnetoresistive device and a manufacturing method thereof, and a thin film magnetic head and manufacturing method thereof that

Abstract: The sensitivity of the magnetoresistive device, to improve the output and output stability. A magnetoresistive device, the MR element 5, the bias field applying layer 18 disposed adjacent to each side of the MR element 5, two passing a sense current to the MR element 5 and an electrode layer 6. Electrode layer 6 is MR It is arranged so as to overlap on one surface of the element 5. The total amount of overlap of the two electrode layers 6 is less than 0.3 [mu] m. MR element 5 has a spin valve GMR element. MR element 5, base layer stacked in this order from the bottom, has a free layer, a spacer layer, a pinned layer, and an antiferromagnetic layer and a cap layer. Pinned layer includes a nonmagnetic spacer layer, the disposed two so as to sandwich the non-magnetic spacer layer and a ferromagnetic layer.