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Magnetic element, magnetic read head, magnetic storage device, magnetic memory device
| Details |
Inventors: Inomata, Koichiro; Nakajima, Kentaro; Saito, Yoshiaki;
Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Kawasaki, JP)
Primary Examiner: Lebentritt; Michael S.
Assistant Examiner: Phung; Anh
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier Neustadt, P.C.
The present invention provides a spin-dependent tunneling effect element expectable to offer the spin accumulation effect at room temperature while also providing a data storage or "memory" element and magnetic reading head each using the tunnel effect element A first concept of the present invention lies in provision of a magnetic element characterized by comprising first and second ferromagnetic layers 1, 5 and a layer of semiconductor particles 3 neighboring the first ferromagnetic layer 1 with a first tunnel barrier 2 disposed between them and also neighboring the second ferromagnetic layer 5 with a second tunnel barrier 4 laid therebetween. A magnetic memory device is also provided which comprises a plurality of memory cells each including a spin-dependent tunneling effect element having a first ferromagnetic electrode, a second ferromagnetic electrode, and a gate electrode as inserted between the first and second ferromagnetic electrodes through first and second ferromagnetic layers; data lines connected in common to the first or second ferromagnetic electrode of multiple spin-dependent tunneling effect elements; and a plurality of word lines capacitance-coupled to the gate electrodes of different memory cells respectively, characterized in that cell selection of selecting one from among multiple memory cells as commonly connected to a data line during reading information stored therein is performed by letting one of the word lines change in potential and then changing the resistance value of a memory cell capacitance-coupled to such selected word line. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved magnetic element expected to offer high spin accumulation effect in comparison with double tunnel junction elements using related art nonmagnetic metal fine particles, or alternatively provide a magnetic element with the spin accumulation effect obtainable at room temperature along with a memory device and a magnetic read head plus a magnetic disk element each employing these magnetic elements.
It is another object of the invention is to provide a magnetic memory device high in density and low in power consumption.
A first aspect of the present invention is directed to providing a magnetic device which comprises first and second ferromagnetic layers, and a layer of semiconductor particles neighboring the first ferromagnetic layer with a first tunnel barrier lying therebetween and also neighboring the second ferromagnetic layer with a second tunnel barrier laid therebetween, wherein the second tunnel barrier is different in conductance from the first tunnel barrier.
In accordance with a second aspect of this invention, a magnetic element is provided which comprises a ferromagnetic electrode, a non magnetic electrode, and a layer of ferromagnetic semiconductor particles neighboring the ferromagnetic electrode with a first tunnel barrier laid therebetween while neighboring the nonmagnetic electrode with a second tunnel barrier therebetween, wherein the second tunnel barrier is different in conductance from the first tunnel barrier.
The first and second inventive teachings are related to specific magnetic elements of the spin-dependent tunnel effect as expected to offer higher spin accumulation effect by use of island-like nonmagnetic or ferromagnetic semiconductor or fine particles surrounded by dielectric layers, while also relating to application of the same to data storage or "memory" devices and magnetic disk elements.
The fine particles may have representative dimension on the order of nano meters
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MEMS 
