Non-volatile magnetic memory cell and devices
US6034887A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 5, 1998 |
| Grant date | Mar 7, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 5, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01F10/3254
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A magnetic tunneling junction cell for use in memory and logic switching applications is formed with a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, and an insulating layer interposed between said first and second ferromagnetic layers to form a magnetic tunnel junction element. The cell further includes a write conductor which has a first conductor segment aligned in a first direction and located proximate to the first ferromagnetic layer and a second conductor segment aligned in a second direction, substantially orthogonal to the first direction and located proximate to the second ferromagnetic layer. The write conductor is terminated by a capacitive structure which allows a bidirectional current to be established in the write conductor using a monopolar write voltage and only a single port write terminal. The bidirectional current writes a high impedance state into the cell in a first current direction and a low impedance state into the cell in a second current direction. Preferably, the first and second ferromagnetic layers are formed with a half-metallic ferromagnetic material which features near total spin polarization, resulting in a cell having near ideal switchin…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.