Patent ID: 7379366

Claim:
A thin film magnetic memory device, comprising: a plurality of memory cells each having an electric resistance value varying according to a storage data level; a dummy memory cell for producing a read reference voltage, said dummy memory cell including a plurality of cell units each having a same structure as that of said memory cells, and said plurality of cell units retaining storage data of different levels at least on a one-by-one basis; a first data line connected to a selected one of said plurality of memory cells in data read operation; a second data line connected to said dummy memory cell; a data read circuit for sensing a voltage difference between said first and second data lines; and a bit line pair formed from two bit lines extending in a same direction, wherein said dummy memory cell includes two cell units connected in series with said second data line in said data read operation, and said two cell units respectively retain said storage data of different levels; said storage data of a level corresponding to a direction of a data write magnetic field is written to each of said memory cells and said cell units, said two bit lines forming the bit line pair are coupled to each other at their one ends in data write operation so that data write currents of opposite directions flow therethrough, and said storage data of different levels are written to said two cell units by the data write magnetic fields of opposite directions that are respectively produced by said data write currents respectively flowing through said two bit lines.