Cladded read conductor for a pinned-on-the-fly soft reference layer
US6538920B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 2, 2001 |
| Grant date | Mar 25, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 2, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10B61/00
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A magnetic memory cell having read 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 formed on the intermediate layer. The soft ferromagnetic reference layer includes a read conductor and a ferromagnetic cladding that completely surrounds the read conductor to form a cladded read conductor. The soft ferromagnetic reference layer has a non-pinned orientation of magnetization. When an externally supplied read current flows through the read conductor, the read conductor generates a magnetic field that does not saturate the ferromagnetic cladding and is substantially contained within the ferromagnetic cladding and is operative to dynamically pin the orientation of magnetization in a desired direction. Optionally, the soft ferromagnetic reference layer can include a ferromagnetic cap layer positioned between the ferromagnetic cladding and the intermediate layer and magnetically coupled with the ferromagnetic cladding…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.