US 10,650,876 B2Granted

Magnetic memory device and writing method that achieves different resistance states with unidirectional voltages

AssigneeToshiba Memory Corporation

InventorTakeshi Fujimori

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Abstract

According to one embodiment, a magnetic memory device includes a magnetoresistive element including first and second magnetic layers, and a nonmagnetic layer between the first and the second magnetic layers and capable of setting one of a first state in which magnetization directions of the first and second magnetic layers are parallel and a second state in which magnetization directions of the first and second magnetic layers are antiparallel, and a write circuit that applies a first voltage to the element when setting one of the first and second states to the element and applies a second voltage in a same direction as the first voltage and greater than the first voltage to the element when setting the other one of the first and second states to the element.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A magnetic memory device comprising:

a magnetoresistive element including a first magnetic layer having a variable magnetization direction, a second magnetic layer having a fixed magnetization direction, and a nonmagnetic layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer and capable of setting one of a first state in which a magnetization direction of the first magnetic layer is parallel to a magnetization direction of the second magnetic layer and a second state in which the magnetization direction of the first magnetic layer is antiparallel to the magnetization direction of the second magnetic layer;
and
a write circuit that applies a first write voltage to the magnetoresistive element when setting one of the first state and the second state to the magnetoresistive element and applies a second write voltage in a same direction as the first voltage and greater in magnitude than the first write voltage to the magnetoresistive element when setting the other one of the first state and the second state to the magnetoresistive element.

A writing method for a magnetic memory device comprising a magnetoresistive element including a first magnetic layer having a variable magnetization direction, a second magnetic layer having a fixed magnetization direction, and a nonmagnetic layer provided between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer and capable of setting one of a first state in which a magnetization direction of the first magnetic layer is parallel to a magnetization direction of the second magnetic layer and a second state in which the magnetization direction of the first magnetic layer is antiparallel to the magnetization direction of the second magnetic layer, the method comprising:

applying a first write voltage to the magnetoresistive element when setting one of the first state and the second state to the magnetoresistive element and applying a second write voltage in a same direction as the first voltage and greater in magnitude than the first write voltage to the magnetoresistive element when setting the other one of the first state and the second state to the magnetoresistive element.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/125,559Filed 7 Sep 2018
Priority: JP 2018-04450012 Mar 2018
Published: US 2019/0279700 A112 Sep 2019
Granted: 12 May 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G11C 11/1675
Auxiliary circuits: writing or programming circuits or methods
G11C 11/161
Using elements in which the storage effect is based on magnetic spin effect: details concerning the memory cell structure, e.g. the layers of the…
G11C 11/1657
Address circuits or decoders: word-line or row circuits
G11C 11/1659
Auxiliary circuits: cell access