Patent ID: 8704319

Claim:
A magnetic junction for use in a magnetic device comprising: a pinned layer; a nonmagnetic spacer layer; a free layer having an intrinsic damping constant, the nonmagnetic spacer layer residing between the pinned layer and the free layer; and at least one damping reduction layer adjacent to at least a portion of the free layer and configured to reduce damping for the free layer such that a damping constant of the free layer in the magnetic junction is less than the intrinsic damping constant of the free layer, the at least one damping reduction layer being between the at least the portion of the free layer and the nonmagnetic spacer layer; wherein the magnetic junction is configured such that the free layer is switchable between a plurality of stable magnetic states when a write current is passed through the magnetic junction, the plurality of stable states of the free layer corresponding to a plurality of orientations between a free layer magnetic moment and a pinned layer magnetic moment, the plurality of orientations corresponding to a plurality of magnetoresistances across the nonmagnetic spacer layer and between the free layer and the pinned layer.