Patent ID: 6738285
Filing Date: 2004-05-18
Classification: G11C

Abstract:
A thin film magnetic memory device comprising:a plurality of memory cells having an electric resistance according to magnetically written storage data; first and second data lines complementary to each other; and a differential amplifier portion for performing data reading according to a difference between passing currents of said first and second data lines, wherein said first and second data lines are electrically coupled, in a data read operation, to a fixed voltage via a selected memory cell among said plurality of memory cells and a reference cell provided as a comparison target of said selected memory cell, respectively; and said differential amplifier portion includes: a current supply circuit arranged between a power supply voltage and first and second nodes for supplying the same operation current to said first and second nodes at least in said data read operation, and a current amplifier circuit for electrically coupling said first and second nodes to said first and second data lines, respectively, and converting a passing current difference occurring between said first and second data lines into a voltage difference between said first and second nodes so that each of said first and second data lines may be clamped at a predetermined voltage not exceeding a reference voltage.