Patent ID: 8143978

Claim:
A magnetic device, comprising: a substrate; a movable body attached to said substrate having a rotational axis, said movable body having at least a first end and comprising a first magnet having a first permanent magnet layer with a permanent magnetization moment, said first magnet further comprising at least a first soft magnetic layer wherein said first permanent magnet layer having surface area substantially equal to surface area of said first soft magnet layer and wherein said first permanent magnet layer and said first soft magnet layer being laminated together; wherein said movable body comprising at least a movable electrical contact; a switching magnet having a coil engaging said first magnet, wherein passing a current through said coil generating a switching magnetic field which has a main component primarily perpendicular to said permanent magnetization moment in a region where said switching magnetic field goes through first magnet, whereby a vector-cross product of said switching magnetic field and said permanent magnetization moment producing a torque on said first magnet and causing said movable body to rotate about said rotational axis; wherein said switching magnet is controllable to cause said movable body settling in at least one stable state related to said substrate.