US 7,518,907 B2
Magnetoresistive element
Masahiko Nakayama, Fuchu (Japan); Tadashi Kai, Tokyo (Japan); Tatsuya Kishi, Yokohama (Japan); Yoshiaki Fukuzumi, Yokohama (Japan); Toshihiko Nagase, Sagamihara (Japan); Sumio Ikegawa, Musashino (Japan); and Hiroaki Yoda, Sagamihara (Japan)
Assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on Jan. 25, 2008, as Appl. No. 12/19,743.
Application 12/019743 is a division of application No. 11/245353, filed on Oct. 07, 2005, granted, now 7,355,884.
Claims priority of application No. 2004-296455 (JP), filed on Oct. 08, 2004; application No. 2004-296456 (JP), filed on Oct. 08, 2004; application No. 2005-207531 (JP), filed on Jul. 15, 2005; and application No. 2005-207628 (JP), filed on Jul. 15, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2008/0131732 A1, Jun. 05, 2008
Int. Cl. G11C 11/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 365—158  [365/171; 365/145; 365/148; 365/66; 365/97; 365/50] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A magnetoresistive element comprising:
a first fixed layer having a direction of magnetization fixed;
a recording layer having a direction of magnetization set variable; and
a first non-magnetic layer interposed between the first fixed layer and the recording layer,
wherein:
the recording layer includes a long portion extending in a first direction, a first projecting portion projecting from a central portion of a side of the long portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a second projecting portion projecting from a central portion of another side of the long portion in the second direction;
a planar shape of the recording layer is a cross shape;
a planar shape of the long portion is a parallelogram;
the ratio of a first length to a second length falls within a range of 1.5 to 2.2 where the first length is a maximum length of the recording layer in the first direction, and the second length is a maximum length of the recording layer in the second direction;
the recording layer has a film thickness of 5 nm to 20 nm; and
Hsw/Hc≤0.41, where Hsw is a write magnetic field necessary for reverse of magnetization at an intersection of a line which is tilted by 45 from coordinate axes and passes an origin, and an asteroid curve, and Hc is a write magnetic field necessary for reverse of magnetization by a magnetic field only along an axis of easy magnetization.