The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 05, 2000
Filed:
May. 08, 1998
Koichiro Inomata, Yokohama, JP;
Yoshiaki Saito, Kawasaki, JP;
Katsutaro Ichihara, Yokohama, JP;
Keiichiro Yusu, Yokohama, JP;
Hideo Ogiwara, Chigasaki, JP;
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Kawasaki, JP;
Abstract
A magnetic element comprises a granular magnetic film which has ferromagnetic fine particles dispersed in a dielectric matrix and does not display superparamagnetism and further possesses a finite coercive force, and a ferromagnetic film. A granular magnetic film and a ferromagnetic film are stacked or arrayed along one surface of a substrate and constitutes a ferromagnetic tunnel junction film. In the ferromagnetic tunnel junction film, the granular magnetic film functions as a barrier. Of the granular magnetic film and the ferromagnetic film, by varying spin direction of one ferromagnetic film through an external magnetic field, a giant magnetoresistance effect is manifested. Such a magnetic element is characterized in that magnetoresistance change rate is large, saturation magnetic field is small, resistance of the element can be controlled to an appropriate value, performance is small in its variation and stable.