Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Nec Corporation

Tdk Corporation

Nippon Steel Corporation

Shimadzu Corporation

Ube Industries, Inc.

Tosoh Corporation

Toyo Boseki Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippon Mining Co., Ltd.

Kanegafuchi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.

Seisan Kaihatsu Kagaku Kenkyusho

Hiroshi Sakakima

Mitsuo Satomi

Masayoshi Hiramoto

Yasuhiro Kawawake

Akihiro Odagawa

Nozomu Matsukawa

Koichi Osano

Kenji Iijima

Hideaki Adachi

Yasunari Sugita

Yousuke N Irie

Eiichi Hirota

Harufumi Senno

Nozomu Matukawa

Yukihiro Yanagiuchi

Eisuke Sawai

Keita Ihara

Masahiro Birukawa

Kazuo Yokoyama

Koichi Kugimiya

Yuji Omata

Kumio Nago

Hitoshi Yamanishi

Kenji Kondo

Masaru Higashionji

Akio Kuroe

Isamu Aokura

Youichi Ohnishi

Hiroshi Takeuchi

Masatsugu Yamaguchi

Shunsaku Muraoka

Kiyoyuki Morita

Satoru Mitani

Masahiro Ueda

Kunio Tanaka

Takeshi Uenoyama

Toshio Takada

Yuuji Omata

Hiroyasu Tsuji

Teruya Shinjo

Toshiyuki Suemitsu

Shinji Nagamachi

Tsuneo Inoue

Hirosuke Mikami

Yasuhiro Iwano

A thin film storage device includes a first electrode (), a first variable resistance thin film (), and a second electrode (). The first electrode () is formed over a surface of a substrate (). The first variable resistance thin film () is formed over a surface of the first electrode (). The second electrode () is formed over a surface of the first variable resistance thin film (). The first variable resistance thin film () comprises a material whose resistance in a bulk state changes in accordance with at least one of a lattice strain and a change of charge-order.

Thin film memory device having a variable resistance

An electronic device free from variation of conductivity is provided. The electronic deviceincludes electrodesandand a metal conductor thin filmelectrically connected to the electrodesandThe metal conductor thin filmincludes a metal conductor portionthat bridges a gap between the electrodesandThe bridge length L of the metal conductor portionis not more than a mean free path &#x39b; of electron in the metal conductor portionat the operation temperature of the electronic deviceThe electronic deviceis formed by forming the electrodesandon the substratewith a gap having the bridge length L; forming a supportthat includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a nano-tube and a nano-wire and bridges a gap between the electrodesandand forming the metal conductor portionby depositing the metal conductor thin filmon the supportand the electrodesand

Electronic device, magnetoresistance effect element; magnetic head, recording/reproducing apparatus, memory element and manufacturing method for electronic device

The present invention provides a vertical current-type magneto-resistive element. The element includes an intermediate layer and a pair of magnetic layers sandwiching the intermediate layer, and at least one of a free magnetic layer and a pinned magnetic layer is a multilayer film including at least one non-magnetic layer and magnetic layers sandwiching the non-magnetic layer. The element area defined by the area of the intermediate layer through which current flows perpendicular to the film is not larger than 1000 &#x3bc;m.

Magneto-resistive element

The present invention provides a magnetoresistive element that includes a pair of magnetic layers and an intermediate layer between the magnetic layers. The intermediate layer contains at least three elements selected from Groups 2 to 17, and the elements include at least one selected from the group consisting of F, O, N, C and B. According to the invention, a magnetoresistive element with high magnetoresistance change ratio and low resistance can be provided. The invention also provides a method for producing a magnetoresistive element. The method includes forming a precursor and forming at least one part of the intermediate layer from the precursor. The precursor is reacted with at least one reactive species selected from the group consisting of oxygen atoms, nitrogen atoms and carbon atoms in a reactive atmosphere containing the reactive species.

Magnetoresistive element and method for producing the same

A magneto-resistive effect element includes a first ferromagnetic film; a second ferromagnetic film; and a first nonmagnetic film interposed between the first ferromagnetic film and the second ferromagnetic film. The first ferromagnetic film has a magnetization more easily rotatable than a magnetization of the second ferromagnetic film by an external magnetic field. The first ferromagnetic film has an effective magnetic thickness of about 2 nm or less.

Magneto-resistance effect element magneto-resistance effect memory cell, MRAM, and method for performing information write to or read from the magneto-resistance effect memory cell

The present invention provides a magnetic head having improved characteristics, using a magnetoresistive device in which current flows across the film plane such as a TMR device. In a first magnetic head of the present invention, when the area of a non-magnetic layer is defined as a device cross-section area, and the area of a yoke is defined as a yoke area, viewed along the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate over which the yoke and the magnetoresistive device are formed, then the device cross-section area is not less than 30% of the yoke area, so that a resistance increase of the device cross-section area is suppressed. In a second magnetic head of the present invention, a magnetoresistive device is formed on a substrate, and a yoke is provided above a non-magnetic layer constituting the device. In a third magnetic head of the present invention, the free layer of the magnetoresistive device includes at least two magnetic films and at least one non-magnetic film that are laminated alternately, and the thickness of the non-magnetic layer is not less than 2 nm and not more than 10 nm, and magnetostatic coupling is dominant. In a fourth magnetic head of the present invention, a magnetic gap is provided adjacent to the magnetoresistive device and the magnetic films are coupled antiferromagnetically.

Magnetic head with yoke and multiple magnetic layers

In the present invention, a thin film whose main component is a metal having a specific resistance of 4 &#x3bc;&#x3a9;&#xb7;cm to 200 &#x3bc;&#x3a9;&#xb7;cm is used as a nonmagnetic layer of a so-called CPP-GMR element. Therefore, even when an area of the element becomes limited, the element is not increased excessively in resistance. Thus, even when a magnetic gap is narrow, a large output can be obtained.

Magnetoresistance effect device and magnetoresistance effect head comprising the same, and magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus

A magnetic head for reproducing a signal recorded on a recording medium, includes a substrate, a magnetic head core provided on the substrate, having a magnetic gap, and a magnetoresistance device provided on the magnetic head core. The magnetic head core is provided in such a manner that a thickness direction of the magnetic head core around the magnetic gap is substantially the same as a track width direction of the recording medium.

Recording/reproducing head and recording/reproducing apparatus incorporating the same

Magnetic head comprising a multilayer magnetoresistive device and a yoke for introducing magnetic flux from a medium to the magnetoresistive device

A magnetoresistive device including a high-resistivity layer (), a first magnetic layer () and a second magnetic layer (), the first magnetic layer () and the second magnetic layer () being arranged so as to sandwich the high-resistivity layer (), wherein the high-resistivity layer () is a barrier for passing tunneling electrons between the first magnetic layer () and the second magnetic layer (), and contains at least one element Lselected from oxygen, nitrogen and carbon; at least one layer A selected from the first magnetic layer () and the second magnetic layer () contains at least one metal element M selected from Fe, Ni and Co, and an element Rdifferent from the metal element M; and the element Rcombines with the element Lmore easily in terms of energy than the metal element M. Accordingly, a novel magnetoresistive device having a low junction resistance and a high MR can be obtained.

Magnetoresistive device and method for producing the same, and magnetic component

A magnetic head including a magnetic substrate for operating as a first electrode, a multi-layer film formed on a portion of the surface of the magnetic substrate an inter-layer insulating layer provided to cover side surfaces of the multi-layer film, a flux guide formed on surfaces of the multi-layer film and inter-layer insulating layers, a non-magnetic conductive layer formed on a surface of the flux guide, and a second electrode formed on a surface of the non-magnetic conductive layer, in which the multi-layer film includes a first magnetic layer formed on a portion of the surface of the magnetic substrate and includes a fixed layer, and a second magnetic layer including a non-magnetic layer formed on a surface of the first magnetic layer and a free layer formed on a surface of the non-magnetic layer.

Magneto-resistive element, magnetic head, and magnetic recording and reproduction apparatus

A magneto-resistive effect memory element according to the present invention includes a first ferromagnetic film; a second ferromagnetic film; a first nonmagnetic film provided between the first ferromagnetic film and the second ferromagnetic film, a first conductive film for generating a magnetic field for causing magnetization inversion in at least one of the first ferromagnetic film and the second ferromagnetic film, the first conductive film not being electrically in contact with the first ferromagnetic film or the second ferromagnetic film; and a second conductive film and a third conductive film for supplying an electric current to the first ferromagnetic film, the first nonmagnetic film, and the second ferromagnetic film. The first ferromagnetic film and the second ferromagnetic film have different magnetization inversion characteristics with respect to the magnetic field, and the first nonmagnetic film contains at least a nitride.

Magnetoresistance effect memory device and method for producing the same

The present invention provides a magnetoresistive element that includes a pair of magnetic layers and an intermediate layer between the magnetic layers. The intermediate layer contains at least three elements selected from Groups to , and the elements include at least one selected from the group consisting of F, O, N, C and B. According to the invention, a magnetoresistive element with high magnetoresistance change ratio and low resistance can be provided. The invention also provides a method for producing a magnetoresistive element. The method includes forming a precursor and forming at least one part of the intermediate layer from the precursor. The precursor is reacted with at least one reactive species selected from the group consisting of oxygen atoms, nitrogen atoms and carbon atoms in a reactive atmosphere containing the reactive species.

The present invention provides a vertical current-type magneto-resistive element. The element includes an intermediate layer and a pair of magnetic layers sandwiching the intermediate layer, and at least one of a free magnetic layer and a pinned magnetic layer is a multilayer film including at least one non-magnetic layer and magnetic layers sandwiching the non-magnetic layer. The element area defined by the area of the intermediate layer through which current flows perpendicular to the film is not larger than 1000 &mgr;m .

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Hiroshi Sakakima