Patent ID: 6977839

Claim:
A thermal-assisted magnetic memory storage device comprising: a plurality of memory cells, each memory cell including; at least one ferromagnetic data layer characterized by an alterable orientation of magnetization, the ferromagnetic data layer comprising a material wherein the coercivity is decreased upon an increase in temperature; a first conductor in electrical contact with the data layer; at least one movable probe with a distal tip positioned within close proximity of a given memory cell, the probe including; a support; a second conductor joined to the support and forming the distal tip; a heat generator joined to the support proximate to the probe second conductor; and a soft ferromagnetic reference layer proximate to the probe second conductor, the layer having a non-pinned orientation of magnetization; and at least one intermediate layer forming a magnetic tunnel-junction between the data layer of a given memory cell and the soft reference layer of the positioned tip.