Patent · US Expired

Cladded read-write conductor for a pinned-on-the-fly soft reference layer

US6404674B1 · kind B1 · utility

60Cited by
8References
43Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 2, 2001
Grant dateJun 11, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 2, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10B61/00
  • WIPO fieldMicro-structural and nano-technology
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A magnetic memory cell having read-write conductor that is wholly clad with a high magnetic permeability soft magnetic material for a pinned-on-the-fly soft ferromagnetic reference layer is disclosed. The magnetic memory cell includes a ferromagnetic data layer, an intermediate layer formed on the ferromagnetic data layer, and a soft ferromagnetic reference layer having a non-pinned orientation of magnetization formed on the intermediate layer. The soft ferromagnetic reference layer includes a read-write conductor and a ferromagnetic cladding that completely surrounds the read-write conductor to form a cladded read-write conductor. During a read operation, a read current flowing through the read-write conductor generates a read magnetic field that does not saturate the ferromagnetic cladding. During a write operation, a write current flowing through the read-write conductor generates a write magnetic field that saturates the ferromagnetic cladding and extends to the ferromagnetic data layer.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.