| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080253039 | MAGNETORESISTIVE EFFECT ELEMENT - A magnetoresistive effect element includes a first ferromagnetic layer formed above a substrate, a second ferromagnetic layer formed above the first ferromagnetic layer, an insulating layer interposed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer and formed of a metal oxide, and a first nonmagnetic metal layer interposed between the insulating layer and the second ferromagnetic layer and in contact with a surface of the insulating layer on the side of the second ferromagnetic layer, the first nonmagnetic metal layer containing the same metal element as the metal oxide. | 10-16-2008 |
| 20090224342 | MAGNETORESISTIVE EFFECT ELEMENT AND MAGNETIC RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY - A magnetoresistive effect element includes a reference layer, a recording layer, and a nonmagnetic layer. The reference layer is made of a magnetic material, has an invariable magnetization which is perpendicular to a film surface. The recording layer is made of a magnetic material, has a variable magnetization which is perpendicular to the film surface. The nonmagnetic layer is arranged between the reference layer and the recording layer. A critical diameter which is determined by magnetic anisotropy, saturation magnetization, and switched connection of the recording layer and has a single-domain state as a unique stable state or a critical diameter which has a single-domain state as a unique stable state and is inverted while keeping the single-domain state in an inverting process is larger than an element diameter of the magnetoresistive effect element. | 09-10-2009 |
| 20100073998 | DATA WRITING METHOD FOR MAGNETORESISTIVE EFFECT ELEMENT AND MAGNETIC MEMORY - A data writing method for a magnetoresistive effect element of an aspect of the present invention including generating a write current in which a falling period from the start of a falling edge to the end of the falling edge is longer than a rising period from the start of a rising edge to the end of the rising edge, and flowing the write current through the magnetoresistive effect element which comprises a first magnetic layer having an invariable magnetizing direction, a second magnetic layer having a variable magnetizing direction, and a tunnel barrier layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer, to change the magnetizing direction of the second magnetic layer. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100080050 | MAGNETORESISTIVE EFFECT DEVICE AND MAGNETIC MEMORY - A magnetic memory includes a magnetoresistive effect device comprising: a first ferromagnetic layer that has magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to a film plane thereof; a first nonmagnetic layer that is provided on the first ferromagnetic layer; a first reference layer that is provided on the first nonmagnetic layer, has magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to a film plane thereof, has magnetization antiparallel to a magnetization direction of the first ferromagnetic layer, and has a film thickness that is 1/5.2 to 1/1.5 times as large as a film thickness of the first ferromagnetic layer in the direction perpendicular to the film plane; a second nonmagnetic layer that is provided on the first reference layer; and a storage layer that is provided on the second nonmagnetic layer, has magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to a film plane thereof, and has a magnetization direction varied by spin-polarized electrons caused by flowing the current to the magnetoresistive effect device. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100238717 | MAGNETORESISTIVE DEVICE AND MAGNETIC RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY - A magnetoresistive device includes: a magnetic recording layer including a first magnetic layer having perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, and a second magnetic layer having in-plane magnetic anisotropy and being exchange-coupled to the first magnetic layer, Curie temperature of the second magnetic layer being lower than Curie temperature of the first magnetic layer, and the magnetic recording layer having a magnetization direction perpendicular to a film plane; a magnetic reference layer having a magnetization direction which is perpendicular to a film plane and is invariable; and a nonmagnetic layer provided between the magnetic recording layer and the magnetic reference layer. The magnetization direction of the magnetic recording layer is changeable by spin-polarized electrons caused by flowing current between the magnetic recording layer and the magnetic reference layer in a direction perpendicular to the film plane. | 09-23-2010 |
| 20100315864 | MAGNETORESISTIVE ELEMENT AND MAGNETIC MEMORY - A magnetoresistive element includes: a magnetization free layer having a first plane and a second plane located on the opposite side from the first plane, and having a variable magnetization direction; a magnetization pinned layer provided on the first plane side of the magnetization free layer, and having a pinned magnetization direction; a first tunnel barrier layer provided between the magnetization free layer and the magnetization pinned layer; a second tunnel barrier layer provided on the second plane of the magnetization free layer; and a non-magnetic layer provided on a plane on the opposite side of the second tunnel barrier layer from the magnetization free layer. The magnetization direction of the magnetization free layer is variable by applying current between the magnetization pinned layer and the non-magnetic layer, and a resistance ratio between the first tunnel barrier layer and the second tunnel barrier layer is in a range of 1:0.25 to 1:4. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20110228596 | SPIN MEMORY AND SPIN TRANSISTOR - Certain embodiments provide a spin memory including a memory cell including a ferromagnetic stacked film that has a stacked structure in which a first ferromagnetic layer, a first nonmagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, a second nonmagnetic layer, and a third ferromagnetic layer are stacked in this order or reverse order, the third ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer being antiferromagnetically exchange-coupled via the second nonmagnetic layer. The ferromagnetic stacked film includes a current path in which a first and second write currents flow from the first ferromagnetic layer to the third ferromagnetic layer to write a first and second magnetization states into the first ferromagnetic layer respectively, and the second write current is higher than the first write current. | 09-22-2011 |
| 20110254114 | MAGNETORESISTIVE EFFECT ELEMENT - A magnetoresistive effect element includes a first ferromagnetic layer formed above a substrate, a second ferromagnetic layer formed above the first ferromagnetic layer, an insulating layer interposed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer and formed of a metal oxide, and a first nonmagnetic metal layer interposed between the insulating layer and the second ferromagnetic layer and in contact with a surface of the insulating layer on the side of the second ferromagnetic layer, the first nonmagnetic metal layer containing the same metal element as the metal oxide. | 10-20-2011 |