| US 7,483,291 B2 | ||
| Magneto-resistance effect element, magnetic memory and magnetic head | ||
| Yoshiaki Saito, Kanagawa-Ken (Japan); Katsuya Nishiyama, Kanagawa-Ken (Japan); and Shigeki Takahashi, Kanagawa-Ken (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Aug. 12, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/202,318. | ||
| Application 11/202318 is a division of application No. 10/715545, filed on Nov. 19, 2003, granted, now 6,956,765. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2002-339934 (JP), filed on Nov. 22, 2002. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0034118 A1, Feb. 16, 2006 | ||
| This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer. | ||
| Int. Cl. G11C 11/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 365—158 [365/171; 365/173] | 23 Claims |
| 1. A magneto-resistance effect element comprising:
a first ferromagnetic layer serving as a magnetization fixed layer;
a magnetization free layer comprising a second ferromagnetic layer provided on one side of the first ferromagnetic layer,
a third ferromagnetic layer which is formed on an opposite side of the second ferromagnetic layer from the first ferromagnetic
layer and has a film face having an area larger than that of the second ferromagnetic layer and whose magnetization direction
is changeable by an external magnetic field, and an intermediate layer which is provided between the second ferromagnetic
layer and the third ferromagnetic layer; and
a tunnel barrier layer provided between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer,
the second ferromagnetic layer and the third ferromagnetic layer being magnetically coupled via the intermediate layer, and
an aspect ratio of a plane shape of the third ferromagnetic layer being within a range from 1 to 2.
|