Method of transferring Bloch lines in the domain wall of a magnetic domain, and a magnetic memory using the method

• US 4,974,200 A
• Filed: 07/28/1987
• Issued: 11/27/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ogura, Tokihiko, Oda, Hitoshi, Ono, Takeo, Sugata, Masao, Kawade, Hisaaki, Shinmi, Akira, Osabe, Kuniji
• Primary Examiner(s): Moffitt, James W.
• Application Number:
  US07/078,845
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 365/29, 365/87, 365/36, 365/37, 365/38, 365/39, 365/42
• US Class Current: 365/29
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 19/0825 using a variable perpendicular magnetic field

Abstract

A method of transferring Bloch lines present in a domain wall of a magnetic domain formed in a thin magnetic firm, includes cyclically forming asymmetrical potential wells along the domain wall in order to locate the Bloch lines at predetermined positions of the domain wall, and applying a pulsed magnetic film to shift the Bloch lines from a predetermined potential well to another potential well. In a magnetic memory for recording information using Bloch lines as an information carrier, a memory substrate has a stripe magnetic domain defined by a domain wall along which asymmetrical potential wells are cyclically formed to stabilize the Bloch lines along the domain wall. The Bloch lines are written in the domain wall in accordance with input information, the Bloch lines so formed are read out, and the read-out Bloch lines are converted into an electrical signal. A pulsed magnetic field is applied in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the memory substrate for shifting the Bloch lines between potential wells.

Claims

1. A method of transferring Bloch lines present in a domain wall of a magnetic domain formed in a thin magnetic film, comprising the steps of:

cyclically forming asymmetrical potential wells along the domain wall; and

applying, to the thin magnetic film, a pulsed magnetic field, in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the magnetic film, to move the Bloch lines from a potential well to another of the potential wells.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the pulsed magnetic field has a substantially symmetrical wave-shape.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said potential well forming step includes the step of forming an asymmetrical ferromagnetic pattern on the thin magnetic film so as to cyclically cross the domain wall.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the ferromagnetic pattern has a saw-toothed shaped in the surface of the thin magnetic film.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein said potential well forming step includes the step of cyclically changing the domain wall in a zig-zag manner.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said step of changing the domain wall in the zig-zag manner includes the step of cyclically forming cyclic grooves on the surface of the thin magnetic film so as to cross the domain wall such that a cross section of the grooves is asymmetrical.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the cross section of the grooves has a saw-toothed shape.

8. A method according to claim 2, wherein said potential well forming step includes the step of implanting ions in the thin magnetic film.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said ion implanting step includes a step of providing an asymmetrical implantation distribution by changing depths of ion implantation along the domain wall.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein said distribution has a saw-toothed shape in a cross section perpendicular to the surface of the thin magnetic film.

11. A method of transferring Bloch lines present in a domain wall of a magnetic domain formed in a thin magnetic film, comprising the steps of:

cyclically forming asymmetrical potential wells along the domain wall; and

applying a pulsed magnetic field having a substantially symmetrical waveform to the thin magnetic film, in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the magnetic film,

said magnetic field applying step being performed in such manner as to move the Bloch lines between the potential wells.

12. A magnetic memory for recording information using Bloch lines as an information carrier comprising:

a memory substrate having a strip magnetic domain, said stripe magnetic domain being defined by a domain wall along which asymmetrical potential wells are cyclically formed to stabilize the Bloch lines;

means for writing the Bloch lines in said domain wall in accordance with input information;

means for reading out the Bloch lines formed in said domain wall and converting the read-out Bloch lines into information; and

means for applying a pulsed magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to a surface of said memory substrate for transferring the Bloch lines between the potential wells.

13. A transferring apparatus for transferring a Bloch line pair present in a domain wall of a magnetic domain formed in a thin magnetic film, said apparatus comprising:

means for forming an asymmetrical potential well along the domain wall; and

applying means for applying to the magnetic film a pulsed magnetic field, perpendicular to the magnetic film, to transfer the Bloch line pair along the domain wall.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said applying means is structured and arranged such that the pulsed magnetic field has a substantially symmetrical wave shape and is applied to the magnetic film in a predetermined cycle.