Patent ID: 8576616

Claim:
A magnetic element comprising: a first conductive layer; a second conductive layer; an intermediate interconnection provided between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer; a first stacked unit provided between the first conductive layer and the intermediate interconnection, the first stacked unit including: a first ferromagnetic layer, a magnetization of the first ferromagnetic layer being fixed in a first direction; a second ferromagnetic layer stacked with the first ferromagnetic layer along a stacking direction from the first conductive layer toward the second conductive layer, a direction of a magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer being variable; and a first nonmagnetic layer provided between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer; and a second stacked unit provided between the second conductive layer and the intermediate interconnection, the second stacked unit including: a third ferromagnetic layer, a direction of a magnetization of the third ferromagnetic layer being variable; a fourth ferromagnetic layer stacked with the third ferromagnetic layer along the stacking direction, a magnetization of the fourth ferromagnetic layer being fixed in a second direction; and a second nonmagnetic layer provided between the third ferromagnetic layer and the fourth ferromagnetic layer, a direction of magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer being configured to be determined to a direction in accordance with a direction of a current by causing an electron whose spin is polarized by passing the current through the first stacked unit and the second stacked unit along the stacking direction to act on the second ferromagnetic layer and by causing a magnetic field generated from a precession of the magnetization of the third ferromagnetic layer to act on the second ferromagnetic layer, wherein a current is configured to be passed between the first conductive layer and the intermediate interconnection in a read operation reading out data stored in the magnetic element, the current having a value larger than a current flowing between the second conductive layer and the intermediate interconnection in the read operation.