Patent ID: 7733692

Claim:
A thin film magnetic memory device, comprising: a plurality of magnetic memory cells for retaining storage data written by an applied magnetic field; and a dummy memory cell for generating a read reference voltage in data read operation, wherein each of said magnetic memory cells and said dummy memory cell include a magnetic storage portion having either a first electric resistance value or a second electric resistance value that is higher than said first electric resistance value depending on a level of said storage data, and an access gate connected in series with said magnetic storage portion, and selectively turned ON, said thin film magnetic memory device further comprising: a first data line that is electrically coupled to a magnetic memory cell selected from said plurality of magnetic memory cells in data read operation so that a data read current is supplied to said first data line; a second data line that is electrically coupled to said dummy memory cell in data read operation so that a data read current equal to that of said first data line is supplied to said second data line; a data read circuit for producing read data based on respective voltages on said first and second data lines; and a resistance adding circuit for adding a third electric resistance in series with said first data line, said third electric resistance being smaller than a difference between said first and second electric resistance values, wherein said magnetic storage portion in said dummy memory cell stores a data level corresponding to said second electric resistance value.