Mlu based magnetic sensor having improved programmability and sensitivity

A method for programming a magnetic sensor device comprising a plurality of magnetic logic unit MLU cells, each MLU cell comprising a magnetic tunnel junction including a sense layer having a sense magnetization freely orientable in the external magnetic field, a storage layer having a storage magnetization, a tunnel barrier layer between the sense layer and the storage layer and a stress inducing device configured for applying an anisotropic mechanical stress on the magnetic tunnel junction such as to induce a stress-induced magnetic anisotropy on at least one of the sense layer and the storage layer;

• wherein the stress-induced magnetic anisotropy induced by the stress inducing device corresponds substantially to a net magnetic anisotropy of said at least one of the sense layer and the storage layer;
• and
• wherein the stress inducing device is further configured such that the applied anisotropic mechanical stress induces the stress-induced magnetic anisotropy in the sense and storage layers, such that a direction of the sense stress-induced magnetic anisotropy of the sense layer differs from a direction of the storage stress-induced magnetic anisotropy of the storage layer.
• the method comprising:
• using the stress inducing device for inducing a stress-induced magnetic anisotropy on the sense layer and the storage layer such that a direction of the sense stress-induced magnetic anisotropy of the sense layer differs from a direction of the storage stress-induced magnetic anisotropy of the storage layer;
• and
• aligning the storage magnetization of each of said plurality of MLU cells in a programmed direction.