MAGNETORESISTIVE EFFECT ELEMENT AND MAGNETIC MEMORY

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a magnetoresistive effect element having good magnetic characteristics and a magnetic memory comprising the magnetoresistive effect element and exhibiting excellent read/write characteristics. SOLUTION: A pair of ferromagnetic layers (a pinned magnetization layer 5 and a free magnetization layer 7) face each other through an intermediate layer 6 and the magnetoresistive variation is attained by supplying a current perpendicularly to the film surface. The magnetoresistive effect element 1 comprises the pinned magnetization layer 5 of crystalline ferromagnetic layer underlying the intermediate layer 6 and the free magnetization layer 7 of amorphous ferromagnetic layer overlying the intermediate layer 6. The magnetic memory comprises the magnetoresistive effect element 1 and a bit line and a word line sandwiching the magnetoresistive effect element 1 in the thickness direction. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO