Back to results
US 2007/0201268 A1Published application
Spin Based Magnetic Sensor
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorMark Johnson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spin based device can be used as a magnetic field sensor. The device uses ferromagnetic materials for implementing a variable spin resistance to a spin injected current having a particular spin value. An external magnetic field can change the magnetization state of the device by orienting the magnetization of the ferromagnetic layers to be parallel or antiparallel, thus changing the resistance of the device to an electron current of a particular spin orientation.
Claims20
A magnetic field sensor comprising:
- a first ferromagnetic region having a first coercivity and a first fixed magnetization state;
- a first interface region coupled to said first ferromagnetic region;
- wherein said first ferromagnetic region is adapted to inject a current with a majority of charge carriers having a first spin state;
- further wherein said first interface region is adapted to increase transmission of charge carriers of said first spin state into an intermediate region;
- a second ferromagnetic region coupled to said intermediate region, and having a second coercivity smaller than said first coercivity, and which second ferromagnetic region has a second magnetization state which is configured to respond to a magnetic field;
- wherein the sensor has a variable resistance to said charge carriers of said first spin state based on a relationship between said first magnetization state of said first ferromagnetic region and said second magnetization state of said second ferromagnetic region.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.