Programmable magnetic memory device FP-MRAM
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorKars-Michiel Hubert Lenssen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A memory device has an information plane (32) for storing data bits in a magnetic state of an electro-magnetic material at an array of bit locations (31). The device further has an array of electro-magnetic sensor elements (51) that are aligned with the bit locations. The information plane (32) is programmable or programmed via a separate magnetic writing device (21). In particular a read-only sensor element (60) is described for a read-only magnetic memory.
Claims18
A memory device comprising:
- an array of bit cells for storing data bits in a corresponding array of bit locations, the array of bit cells constituting an information plane wherein each of said bit locations includes an electromagnetic material, wherein a magnetic state of said electromagnetic material at said bit locations represents the logical value thereof, and
- an array of electro-magnetic sensor elements that are aligned with the bit locations,
- wherein the information plane comprising said array of bit cells is programmable or programmed via a magnetic field induced via a separate magnetic writing device.
A method of manufacturing a memory device, the method comprising:
- constructing an information plane comprised of an array of bit cells at predefined bit locations, wherein each bit cell is programmable or programmed via a magnetic field induced via a separate magnetic writing device;
- providing a predetermined amount of magnetic material at each bit cell;
- constructing an array of electro-magnetic sensor elements that are aligned with the bit locations of the array of bit cells,
- programming the information plane via said separate writing device via magnetization of the electromagnetic material at the bit locations of the information plane;
- and
- providing the memory device in a housing, said housing providing a protective cover for preventing selectively changing said magnetic state at the bit locations via said magnetic field.
A method of programming a memory device using an external writing device, the method comprising:
- aligning a programming surface of said external writing device over an information plane of said memory device to be programmed to achieve a one to one alignment of bit locations of the information plane and field generator elements of said external writing device;
- and
- generating, via the field generator elements, a magnetic field at the bit locations to magnetize the electromagnetic material at the bit locations of the memory device according to predefined data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.