Patent ID: 7502208

Claim:
A magnetic memory comprising: a bit line; a word line; and a magnetic memory element disposed at an intersection point at which said bit line and said word line cross each other, said memory element being comprised of a giant magneto-resistive effect element having a laminated layer structure portion and at least one high resistance layer disposed within said laminated layer structure portion, said laminated layer structure portion comprising: at least a free layer whose magnetization rotates in response to an external magnetic field, a fixed magnetic layer, an antiferromagnetic layer which fixes the magnetization of said fixed layer, and a nonmagnetic layer interposed between said free layer and said fixed layer, wherein, a sense current flows substantially in a direction through said layers of said laminated layer structure portion high-resistance layer, at least one high-resistance layer is disposed in a path of said sense current and at least (a) within one of said free layer, said antiferromagnetic layer, or said fixed layer, (b) on a surface of said free layer furthest from said laminated layer structure portion, or (c) on a surface of said anti-ferromagnetic layer furthest from said laminated layer structure portion, and such a high resistance layer has an electrical resistance that is high relative to those of said other layers of the laminated layer structure portion.