Patent ID: 8344467

Claim:
A storage element comprising: a storage layer configured to retain information based on a magnetization state of a magnetic material and include a perpendicular magnetization layer whose magnetization direction is in a direction perpendicular to a film plane, a non-magnetic layer, and a ferromagnetic layer that has an axis of magnetization along a direction in the film plane and has a magnetization direction inclined to a direction perpendicular to the film plane by an angle in a range from 15 degrees to 45 degrees, the storage layer configured by (i) stacking the perpendicular magnetization layer and the ferromagnetic layer on opposite sides of the non-magnetic layer and (ii) magnetic coupling between the perpendicular magnetization layer and the ferromagnetic layer; a magnetization pinned layer having a magnetization direction fixed to a direction perpendicular to the film plane; and a non-magnetic intermediate layer disposed between the storage layer and the magnetization pinned layer, wherein, the storage element is configured to record information by application of a current in stacking direction of the layers.