Patent ID: 8013408

Claim:
A negative-resistance device including a magneto-resistive element, the magneto-resistive element comprising; a magnetic free layer, a magnetic pinned layer having a magnetic moment larger than that of the magnetic free layer, and an intermediate layer provided between the magnetic free layer and the magnetic pinned layer, a first electrode layer provided in a magnetic free layer side of the magneto-resistive element; a second electrode layer provided in a magnetic pinned layer side of the magneto-resistive element, wherein the magnetic moment of the magnetic free layer is smaller than that of the magnetic pinned layer, and a negative resistance is exhibited when electrons are made to flow into the magnetic free layer from the first electrode layer to cause the continuous change of the magnetization direction of the magnetic free layer, and a means for applying a magnetic field to the negative-resistance element so that a stable condition is established as a single state where the magnetization direction of the magnetic free layer and the magnetization direction of the magnetic pinned layer form an acute angle or are parallel, when a voltage is not applied to the magneto-resistive element.