Patent ID: 8072800

Claim:
A device, comprising: a magnetic element including: a fixed layer having a fixed layer magnetization fixed in a direction perpendicular to the fixed layer; a nonmagnetic spacer layer over the fixed layer; an interfacial layer in contact with the spacer layer, the interfacial layer having a native magnetization which is, in absence of coupling with other layers, parallel to the interfacial layer and perpendicular to the fixed layer magnetization; a free layer over the interfacial layer, the free layer having a free layer magnetization that is perpendicular to the free layer and is changeable relative to the fixed layer magnetization; and a connecting layer between the interfacial layer and the free layer, the connecting layer being structured (i) to induce perpendicular anisotropy in the interfacial layer and (ii) to provide magnetic coupling between the free layer and the interfacial layer, such that (i) the induced perpendicular anisotropy together with (ii) the magnetic coupling change the magnetization of the interfacial layer from being parallel to the interfacial layer to being perpendicular to the interfacial layer.