To provide a small-sized, light-weighted and high-sensitivity magnetic sensor.

This magnetic sensor 1 is constructed by disposing in parallel a plurality of thin film magnetic resistance effect elements 2a to 2d having uniaxial magnetic anisotropy and coercive force enabling reversal of magnetization and having characteristic of taking the binary magnetized state at a relative angle in the directions A to D of uniaxial magnetic anisotropy between the respective thin film magnetic resistance effect elements 2a to 2d, whereby in detecting the vector component (magnetic angle or magnetic azimuth) of an object magnetic field, especially in the uniform magnetic field, the magnetization direction is pointed when exceeding a critical angle according to the directions A to D of uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, so the magnetization direction of the respective elements 2a to 2d are obtained as resistance change to become digitized signal, and desired angle resolving power can be freely given by the number of elements and the relative angle, so that the small-sized, light-weighted and high-sensitivity magnetic sensor capable of facilitating signal processing can be provided.

COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO