Patent ID: 6545906
Filing Date: 2003-04-08
Classification: G11C

Abstract:
A method of switching a magnetoresistive memory device comprising the steps of:providing a magnetoresistive memory element adjacent to a first conductor and a second conductor wherein the magnetoresistive memory element includes a pinned magnetic region and a free magnetic region separated by a tunneling barrier, the free magnetic region includes N anti-ferromagnetically coupled layers of a ferromagnetic material, where N is an integer greater than or equal to two, and where the N layers define a volume and each layer of the N layers has a moment adjusted to provide a writing mode, and wherein a sub-layer magnetic moment fractional balance ratio of the one of the first and second magnetic regions is in a range 0&lE;|Mbr|&lE;0.1, and the free magnetic region has a magnetic moment vector adjacent to the tunneling barrier oriented in a preferred direction at a time t0; and applying a word current pulse to one of the first and second conductors at a time t1 and turning off the word current pulse at a time t3 while additionally applying a digit line current pulse to another of the first and second conductors at a time t2 and turning off the digit line current pulse at a time t4, wherein t01234 so that the magnetic moment vector of the free magnetic region adjacent to the tunneling barrier at the time t4 is oriented in a direction different from the initial preferred direction at the time t0.