Abstract: A semiconductor device including a substrate, a semiconductor element formed on the substrate, a terminal formed on the substrate and electrically connected to the semiconductor element, and a protective resistor formed on the substrate and electrically connected between the semiconductor element and the terminal. The resistor is composed of a ferromagnetic magnetoresistive material including Ni alloy. The device may be extended to detect magnetism by adding a magnetoresistive element composed of a ferromagnetic magnetoresistive material including the same Ni alloy as for the protective resistor and deposited at the same time. The device is superior in an anti-noise characteristic and is integrated. Furthermore, the device for detecting magnetism is formed with a lower cost.

Abstract: According to this invention, a device for detecting magnetism comprises; a substrate, an interposed insulating layer containing impurities therein, formed on the substrate, and a ferromagnetic magnetoresistive element formed on the interposed layer, wherein at least a portion of the interposed layer on which the ferromagnetic magnetoresistive element is formed has a concentration of impurities of less than a predetermined value. Further, in the device of this invention, the surface of the layer interposed between the substrate and the ferromagnetic magnetoresistive element has a surface roughness of less than 120 and an angle between a contacting surface of a conductive wiring and the ferromagnetic magnetoresistive element and the surface of the interposed layer is less than 78 degrees.

Abstract: A current detecting device comprises a substrate, a magnetism sensing member made of ferromagnetic magnetoresistance element, an insulating member, and a conducting member, and these members are formed by a photolithography technique such that the magnetism sensing member is electrically isolated from the conducting member by the insulating member. When a current flows into the conducting member, the magnetism sensing member responds to a magnetic field generated by the current. At this time, the resistance of the magnetism sensing member changes due to a magnetoresistance effect in accordance with the intensity of the current. Therefore, the current can be measured by detecting the resistance change. In such a current detecting device, there is no reactance component thereby achieving high sensitivity when detecting the current.

Abstract: A potentiometer includes a magnetoresistive element made of ferromagnetic material. A device applies a magnetic field to the magnetoresistive element. An absolute value of the magnetic field applied to the magnetoresistive element is equal to or greater than a saturation magnetic field with respect to the ferromagnetic magnetoresistive element. The magnetic field applying device is movable relative to the magnetoresistive element.

Abstract: When applying a bias field in the direction of the easy axis of magnetization of a signal field-detecting MR element assembly, a leakage magnetic field of a magnetic recording medium adapted to generate a signal field is applied as the desired bias field without using any exclusive bias field application device. The magnetic recording medium and the thin-film MR element assembly are arranged in a manner that they make a predetermined angle.