Patent ID: 7596014

Claim:
A semiconductor device comprising: a plurality of word lines; a plurality of bit lines arranged in a direction crossing the word lines; and a plurality of memory cells disposed at predetermined crossing points of the word lines and the bit lines, wherein each of the plurality of memory cells has a tunneling magnetoresistance obtained by stacking a fixed layer, a tunneling film, and a free layer, and a MOSFET whose gate is connected to the word line and whose drain is connected to one end of the tunneling magnetoresistance, the fixed layer is disposed neighboring the tunneling film, where a direction of electron spin is fixed in a predetermined direction, the free layer is disposed neighboring a surface opposite to a surface of the tunneling film neighboring the fixed layer, where a direction of electron spin takes either one of a parallel state and an anti-parallel state to the fixed layer, the spin in the free layer writes information utilizing spin transfer torque, and at a write operation time to write one piece of information into the tunneling magnetoresistance, after a first current is caused to flow in the tunneling magnetoresistance, a second current larger than the first current is caused to flow therein.