Abstract: An electronic device includes an input apparatus including an input manipulation surface that receives a contact manipulation; a display part configured to display a pointer that moves in response to the contact manipulation; and a controlling part configured to generate a natural vibration in an ultrasound frequency band in the input manipulation surface. The controlling part varies an amplitude of the natural vibration in accordance with a positional change of the pointer on the display part to report a motion of the pointer on the display part.

Abstract: An electronic device includes an input apparatus including a smooth manipulation surface that receives a contact manipulation separately from a display part, one or more different functions being allocated to one or more respective areas on the manipulation surface; and a drive controlling part configured to generate a natural vibration in an ultrasound frequency band with an amplitude or a vibration pattern that differs in accordance with the one or more areas where the contact manipulation is performed.

Abstract: A mobile device includes: a location detecting unit configured to detect a location of the mobile device; an operation instructing unit configured to instruct a user to perform a specific operation when the location detecting unit detects a specific location; an operation detecting unit configured to detect the specific operation of the user; a determining unit configured to determine whether the specific operation has been performed at the specific location; and a status changing unit configured to change a status of the mobile device when the determining unit determines that the specific operation has been performed at the specific location.

Abstract: In an electronic device, a processor determines whether there is one touch region or two or more touch regions touched in a first region existing in an outer periphery portion excluding a central portion of a touch panel. Then, in a case where it is determined that there is one touch region, the processor validates the touch operation. In a case where it is determined that there are two or more touch regions, the processor invalidates the touch operation.

Abstract: An input device includes an acquisition unit to acquire touch region information including position coordinates of a plurality of sensors in a touch screen and a sensed value of each sensor, a first calculation unit to calculate a shape of a touch region based on the touch region information, and a second calculation unit to calculate a detected touch position detected as a touch position based on the shape.

Abstract: A mobile device includes: a location detecting unit configured to detect a location of the mobile device; an operation instructing unit configured to instruct a user to perform a specific operation when the location detecting unit detects a specific location; an operation detecting unit configured to detect the specific operation of the user; a determining unit configured to determine whether the specific operation has been performed at the specific location; and a status changing unit configured to change a status of the mobile device when the determining unit determines that the specific operation has been performed at the specific location.

Abstract: An electrically-conductive or insulating non-magnetic intermediate layer is inserted between a free magnetic layer and a pinned magnetic layer in a current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP) structure magnetoresistive element. At least one of the free magnetic layer and the pinned magnetic layer is made of a nitrided magnetic metal alloy. This nitrided magnetic layers allows the CPP structure magnetoresistive element to enjoy an increased magnetoresistance change (?RA). In addition, the saturation magnetic flux density (Bs) decreases in a nitrided magnetic metal alloy. The inversion of magnetization is thus easily caused in the low Bs magnetic layer. The detection sensitivity of the CPP structure magnetoresistive element is improved. The CPP structure magnetoresistive element is thus allowed to detect magnetic bit data with higher accuracy.

Abstract: A magneto-resistive element employs a CPP structure and includes an antiferromagnetic layer, a pinned magnetization layer, a nonmagnetic intermediate layer and a free magnetization layer that are successively stacked. The pinned magnetization layer includes a first pinned magnetization layer, a nonmagnetic coupling layer and a second pinned magnetization layer that are successively stacked on the antiferromagnetic layer, and the first and second pinned magnetization layers are antiferromagnetically exchange-coupled. One of the first and second pinned magnetization layer is formed by a ferromagnetic layer made of a ferromagnetic material at least including one element or alloy selected from a group consisting of Co, Fe, Ni and alloys thereof, and the other is formed by a resistance control layer made of a conductive ferromagnetic oxide.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive element of a CPP type configuration including a fixed magnetic layer, a first non-magnetic layer, a free magnetic layer, and a second non-magnetic layer is disclosed. The magnetoresistive element includes a first interface layer situated between the free magnetic layer and the first non-magnetic layer, and a second interface layer situated between the free magnetic layer and the second non-magnetic layer. The first interface layer and the second interface layer include a material mainly having CoNiFe.

Abstract: A CPP-type magnetoresistive element including a fixed magnetization layer, a non-magnetic metal layer, and a free magnetization layer that are stacked, and a diffusion prevention layer is disclosed. The free magnetization layer includes CoMnAl. The diffusion prevention layer is provided between the non-magnetic metal layer and the free magnetization layer so as to prevent Mn included in the free magnetization layer from diffusing into the non-magnetic metal layer. CoMnAl has a composition within the area formed by connecting Point A (44, 23, 33), Point B (48, 25, 27), Point C (60, 20, 20), Point D (65, 15, 20), Point E (65, 10, 25), Point F (60, 10, 30), and Point A with straight lines in this order in a ternary composition diagram where coordinates of the composition are expressed as (Co content, Mn content, Al content) with each of the Co, Mn, and Al contents being expressed in atomic percentage.

Abstract: A CPP-type magnetoresistive device includes a magnetization pinned layer, a magnetization free layer, and a non-magnetic layer provided between the magnetization pinned layer and the magnetization free layer. At least one of the magnetization free layer and the magnetization pinned layer is formed of CoFeGe, and the CoFeGe has a composition falling within a range defined by line segments connecting coordinate points A, B, C, and D in a ternary composition diagram where the point A is (42.5, 30, 27.5), the point B is (35, 52.5, 12.5), the point C is (57.5, 30.0, 12.5), and the point D is (45.0, 27.5, 27.5), and where each of the coordinate points is represented by content percentage of (Co, Fe, Ge) expressed by atomic percent (at. %).

Abstract: A CPP-type magnetoresistive element including a fixed magnetization layer, a non-magnetic metal layer, and a free magnetization layer that are stacked, and a diffusion prevention layer is disclosed. The free magnetization layer includes CoMnAl. The diffusion prevention layer is provided between the non-magnetic metal layer and the free magnetization layer so as to prevent Mn included in the free magnetization layer from diffusing into the non-magnetic metal layer. CoMnAl has a composition within the area formed by connecting Point A (44, 23, 33), Point B (48, 25, 27), Point C (60, 20, 20), Point D (65, 15, 20), Point E (65, 10, 25), Point F (60, 10, 30), and Point A with straight lines in this order in a ternary composition diagram where coordinates of the composition are expressed as (Co content, Mn content, Al content) with each of the Co, Mn, and Al contents being expressed in atomic percentage.

Abstract: A CPP type magnetoresistance effect device having a synthetic ferri-pinned spin valve structure including a buffer layer, pinned ferromagnetic layer, nonmagnetic metal intermediate layer, and free ferromagnetic layer and having a free ferromagnetic layer made a specific composition of CoFeAl or CoMnAl, the buffer layer comprising an amorphous metal bottom layer and a nonmagnetic metal top layer. This magnetoresistance effect device increases the output ?RA, reduces the coercivity Hc and the amount of shift Hin from a zero magnetic field to increase the sensitivity, and increases the magnetic field Hua of the resistance half point to increase the pin stability. A magnetic head, magnetic recording system, and magnetic random access memory using this magnetoresistance effect device are also disclosed.

Abstract: A spin valve film has a lamination structure of a pinned layer, a non-magnetic intermediate layer and a free layer. The pinned layer is made of ferromagnetic material and has a fixed magnetization direction. The non-magnetic intermediate layer is made of non-magnetic conductive material. The free layer is made of ferromagnetic material and changes a magnetization direction by external magnetic field. Electrodes let current flow through the spin valve film in a lamination direction. At least one of the pinned layer and the free layer includes a lamination portion of a first layer and a second layer stacked alternately. The first layer has a composition ratio of elements presenting ferromagnetism higher than that in the second layer. The second layer has a composition ratio of elements presenting non-magnetism higher than that in the first layer. The lamination portion includes at least two first layers and at least one second layer.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive effect element of a CPP type includes a fixed magnetization layer, a non-magnetic layer and a free magnetization layer formed of CoFeAl. The CoFeAl has a composition falling within a range defined by straight lines connecting points A, B, C, D, E, F and A, in that order, in a ternary composition diagram. The point A is (55, 10, 35), the point B is (50, 15, 35), the point C is (50, 20, 30), the point D is (55, 25, 20), the point E is (60, 25, 15), and the point F is (70, 15, 15), where coordinates of the composition of each point is represented by (Co content, Fe content, Al content). Each content is expressed by atomic percent.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive element of a CPP type configuration including a fixed magnetic layer, a first non-magnetic layer, a free magnetic layer, and a second non-magnetic layer is disclosed. The magnetoresistive element includes a first interface layer situated between the free magnetic layer and the first non-magnetic layer, and a second interface layer situated between the free magnetic layer and the second non-magnetic layer. The first interface layer and the second interface layer include a material mainly having CoNiFe.

Abstract: A magneto-resistive element employs a CPP structure and includes an antiferromagnetic layer, a pinned magnetization layer, a nonmagnetic intermediate layer and a free magnetization layer that are successively stacked. The pinned magnetization layer includes a first pinned magnetization layer, a nonmagnetic coupling layer and a second pinned magnetization layer that are successively stacked on the antiferromagnetic layer, and the first and second pinned magnetization layers are antiferromagnetically exchange-coupled. One of the first and second pinned magnetization layer is formed by a ferromagnetic layer made of a ferromagnetic material at least including one element or alloy selected from a group consisting of Co, Fe, Ni and alloys thereof, and the other is formed by a resistance control layer made of a conductive ferromagnetic oxide.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording medium including a substrate, a metal base layer formed on the substrate, a soft magnetic layer formed on the metal base layer by electroless plating and having an axis of easy magnetization in the in-plane direction of the substrate, and a magnetic recording layer formed on the soft magnetic layer and having an axis of easy magnetization in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate. The metal base layer is formed of an alloy containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of Co, Ni, and Fe, and has a coercivity of 3 oersteds (Oe) or less. The soft magnetic layer has a thickness of 100 to 600 nm.