| US 7,525,837 B2 | ||
| Magnetoresistive effect element and magnetic memory | ||
| Tadashi Kai, Tokyo (Japan); Masahiko Nakayama, Fuchu (Japan); Sumio Ikegawa, Musashino (Japan); Yoshiaki Fukuzumi, Yokohama (Japan); and Yoshihisa Iwata, Yokohama (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Jan. 25, 2008, as Appl. No. 12/19,657. | ||
| Application 12/019657 is a continuation of application No. 11/378358, filed on Mar. 20, 2006, granted, now 7,414,880. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2005-207499 (JP), filed on Jul. 15, 2005. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0130176 A1, Jun. 05, 2008 | ||
| This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer. | ||
| Int. Cl. G11C 11/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 365—158 [365/173; 365/295] | 12 Claims |
| 1. A magnetic memory comprising:
a memory cell array having a plurality of magnetoresistive effect elements as memory elements, the plurality of the magnetoresistive
effect elements being arrayed in a matrix;
a first conductive line electrically connected to one end of each of the plurality of the magnetoresistive effect elements
belonging to a common row;
a second conductive line electrically connected to another end of each of the plurality of magnetoresistive effect elements
belonging to a common column; and
a control circuit connected to the first and second conductive lines and carrying a current to the first and second conductive
lines to write and read information into and from a targeted one of the plurality of magnetoresistive effect elements,
each of the plurality of the magnetoresistive effect elements comprising:
a nonmagnetic layer having a first surface and a second surface which face each other;
a reference layer provided on the first surface and having a fixed magnetization direction;
a magnetization variable layer provided on the second surface, having variable magnetization direction, and having a planer
shape including a rectangular part, a first projected part, and a second projected part, the rectangular part having a first
longer side and a second longer side which face each other and a first shorter side and a second shorter side which face each
other, the first projected part projecting from the first longer side at a position shifted from the center toward the first
shorter side, the second projected part projecting from the second longer side at a position shifted from the center toward
the second shorter side;
a first corner made by the first longer side and the first shorter side;
a second corner made by the second longer side and the second shorter side;
a third corner made by the first longer side and the second shorter side, the third corner being smaller than the first and
second corners; and
a fourth corner made by the second longer side and the first shorter side, the fourth corner being smaller than the first
and second corners.
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