A magnetoresistive (MR) read sensor design for magnetic recording has been proposed in an attempt to solve the magnetization distribution and thermal stability problems of nanometer-scale read sensors. In this design, the free layer has a perpendicular-to-plane easy axis and the reference layer has an in-plane easy axis. The giant-magnetoresistive film with this structure is demonstrated in which the free layer is a [CoFe∕Pt]n multilayer. The structure of the [CoFe∕Pt]n multilayer has to be optimized so that the magnetic properties of the free layer can meet the requirements of a MR read head.