Patent ID: 8787077

Claim:
A nonvolatile memory device, comprising: a memory unit including a magnetic memory element including a stacked body, the stacked body including a first ferromagnetic layer having a fixed direction of magnetization; a second ferromagnetic layer having a changeable direction of magnetization; and a first nonmagnetic layer provided between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer, the first ferromagnetic layer, the second ferromagnetic layer, and the first nonmagnetic layer being stacked in a stacking direction, and a magnetic field application unit configured to apply a magnetic field to the second ferromagnetic layer, the magnetic field having a component in a first in-plane direction perpendicular to the stacking direction; and a control unit electrically connected to the magnetic memory element, the control unit being configured to implement a setting operation of changing a voltage between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer of the magnetic memory element from a first set voltage to a second set voltage, the magnetic field applied by the magnetic field application unit satisfying the condition of Δ ⁢ ⁢ H > ( H u + H dx ) ⁢ ( H u + H dx - H ext ) ( H u + H dx + H ext ) [ Formula ⁢ ⁢ 1 ] where a change of a stacking-direction component of an anisotropic magnetic field of the second ferromagnetic layer when changing from the first set voltage to the second set voltage is ΔH (oersteds), the stacking-direction component of the anisotropic magnetic field of the second ferromagnetic layer at the first set voltage is H u (oersteds), the first in-plane-direction component of the magnetic field applied by the magnetic field application unit is H ext (oersteds), and a component in the first in-plane direction of the anisotropic magnetic field of the second ferromagnetic layer at the first set voltage is H dx (oersteds).