Thermally operated switch control memory cell

摘要

A ferromagnetic thin-film based digital memory having a substrate supporting bit structures that are electrically interconnected with information storage and retrieval circuitry and having magnetic material films in which a characteristic magnetic property is substantially maintained below an associated critical temperature above which such magnetic property is not maintained separated by at least one layer of a nonmagnetic material with each bit structure having an interconnection structure providing electrical contact thereto at a contact surface thereof substantially parallel to the intermediate layer positioned between the first contact surface and the substrate. A plurality of word line structures located across from a corresponding one of the bit structures on an opposite side of the intermediate layer of a corresponding one of said bit structures from its interconnection structure provides electrical contact thereto. Sufficient electrical current selectively drawn through each of these bit structures and its interconnection structure can cause substantial heating of that bit structure to raise temperatures thereof to have at least one of the magnetic material films therein at least approach its corresponding associated critical temperature while being substantially above temperatures of at least an adjacent said bit structure because of sufficient thermal isolation.