MAGNETIC RELUCTANCE ELEMENT AND METHOD FOR PREPARATION THEREOF AND NONVOLATILE MEMORY COMPRISING THE ELEMENT

摘要

A magnetic reluctance element, wherein at least one of a pair of ferromagnetic layers sandwiching a non-magnetic layer has a composition represented by (MxLy)100-zRz, at the interface with the non-magnetic layer and the above non-magnetic layer contains at least one element selected from among B, C, N, O and P, where M is represented by FeaCobNic, L is at least one element selected from among Pt, Pd, Ir and Rh, R is an element constituting the above non-magnetic layer and generates a free energy in forming a compound together with at least one element selected from among B, C, N, O and P, which free energy is lower than that in the case of any element contained in the above composition as M or L, and a, b, c, x, y and z satisfy x + y = 100, 0 < y <= 35 and 0.1 <= z <= 20; and a method for preparing the magnetic reluctance element which comprises a first heat treatment step of holding the above layers at 200 to 330ringC for 1 hr or longer and a second heat treating step of heating the layers at340ringC or higher. The magnetic reluctance element exhibits an enhanced MR ratio.