Method for detecting the presence of Bloch lines in a magnetic wall

• US 5,105,383 A
• Filed: 10/25/1990
• Issued: 04/14/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kaneko, Tetsuya, Watanabe, Nobuo, Oda, Hitoshi, Ono, Takeo, Saito, Fumihiko, Yoneda, Kou, Shinmi, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Popek, Joseph A.
• Application Number:
  US07/602,372
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 365/29, 365/87, 365/10
• US Class Current: 365/87
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 19/0866 Detecting magnetic domains

Abstract

In a method or device for detecting the presence and/or absence of a Bloch line in a magnetic wall of a magnetic domain formed in a thin magnetic film, a magnetic field parallel to the plane of the thin magnetic film is applied to the magnetic domain to cause a variation in the magnetic domain, the state of variation of the magnetic domain is detected and the presence and/or absence of a Bloch line in a predetermined position of the magnetic wall is detected according to the result of the detection of the state of variation set forth above.

Claims

1. A method for detecting the presence and/or absence of a Bloch line in a magnetic wall of a stripe magnetic domain formed in a thin magnetic film, comprising the steps of:

applying, to the magnetic domain, an in-plane magnetic field in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the magnetic domain, to cause a variation in the shape of the magnetic domain; and

detecting the presence and/or absence of a Bloch line in a predetermined position of the magnetic wall, by detecting the variation of the magnetic domain.

2. A detecting method according to claim 1, wherein said in-plane magnetic field consists of an AC magnetic field.

3. A detecting method according to claim 2, wherein said detecting means comprises the steps of:

irradiating a predetermined area of the magnetic domain with a polarized light beam, said area being a varying portion of a geometric shape thereof by said applying step; and

photoelectrically converting said polarized light beam into an electric signal after passing through said area and through an analyzer, the presence and/or absence of said Bloch line being detected on the basis of the electric signal.

4. A detecting method according to claim 3, wherein said area is in the vicinity of an end portion of the magnetic domain and said predetermined area is at the end portion.

5. A detecting device for detecting the presence and/or absence of a Bloch line in a magnetic wall of a stripe magnetic domain formed in a thin magnetic film, said device comprising:

a magnetic field generator for applying, to the magnetic domain, an in-plane AC magnetic field in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the magnetic domain, to cause a variation in the shape of the magnetic domain; and

a sensor for sensing the variation of the magnetic domain to detect the presence and/or absence of a Bloch line in a predetermined position in the magnetic wall of the magnetic domain.

6. A detecting device according to claim 5, further comprising transfer means for transferring the Bloch line along the magnetic wall.

7. A detecting device according to claim 6, further comprising control means for supplying instruction signals to said magnetic field generator, means, detecting and transfer means for causing synchronized operations of these three means.

8. A detecting device according to claim 5, wherein said predetermined position is at an end portion of the magnetic domain.

9. A detecting device according to claim 8, wherein said sensor comprises:

means for irradiating an area in the vicinity of the end portion of the magnetic domain with a polarized light beam, said area being a varying portion of a geometric shape thereof by said in-plane AC magnetic field; and

a photodetector for photoelectrically converting said polarized light beam into a signal after passing through said area and through an analyzer, the state of variation in the magnetic domain being detected on the basis of the signal from the photodetector.

10. A detecting device according to claim 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9, wherein said magnetic field generator comprises a conductor line formed on the thin magnetic film and supplied with a current.

11. A Bloch line memory utilizing, as information carriers, Bloch lines formed in a magnetic wall of a magnetic domain formed in a thin magnetic film, said memory comprising:

a substrate;

a thin magnetic film formed on said substrate and provided with a stripe magnetic domain to store Bloch lines in a magnetic wall of said stripe magnetic domain; and

a conductor line pattern, formed on the thin magnetic film, having the longitudinal direction of the pattern substantially consistent with that of said magnetic domain, by supplying the pattern with a current to apply an in-plane AC magnetic field to said magnetic domain in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, causing a variation in the shape of said magnetic domain,

wherein the presence and/or absence of a Bloch line at a predetermined position in a magnetic wall of said magnetic domain is determined by detecting the variation in said magnetic domain.

12. A bloch line memory according to claim 11, wherein said predetermined position is at an end portion of said magnetic domain.

13. A method for detecting the presence and/or absence of a Bloch line in a magnetic wall of a stripe magnetic domain formed in a magnetic film, comprising the steps of:

applying to the magnetic film, an in-plane magnetic field in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the magnetic domain; and

detecting the presence and/or absence of the Bloch line on the basis of the variation of the shape of the magnetic domain by said applying step.

14. A method for detecting the presence and/or absence of a Bloch line in a magnetic wall of an end portion of a stripe magnetic domain formed in a magnetic film, comprising the steps of:

applying, to an area in the vicinity of the end portion of the magnetic film, an in-plane AC magnetic field in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the magnetic domain; and

detecting the presence and/or absence of the Bloch line on the basis of the variation of the shape of the magnetic domain by said applying step.

15. A detecting method according to claim 14, wherein said detecting step comprises steps of irradiating polarized light having greater size than a width of the magnetic domain when the in-plane AC magnetic field is not applied to an area being in the vicinity of the end portion, and detecting the polarized light from the area in the vicinity of the end portion obtained by said irradiating step through an analyzer so that the Bloch line is detected on the basis of the variation of the intensity of the polarized light detected through the analyzer.

16. A method for detecting the presence and/or absence of a Bloch line in a magnetic wall of an end portion of a stripe magnetic domain formed in a magnetic film, comprising the steps of:

applying, to an area being in the vicinity of the end portion of the magnetic film, and in-plane AC magnetic field in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the magnetic domain; and

discriminating the presence and/or absence of the Bloch line on the basis of the variation of the shape of the magnetic domain, said step discriminating the presence of the Bloch line by detecting the variation of the width of the magnetic domain and the absence of the Bloch line by detecting an oscillating motion of the magnetic domain in the width direction of the magnetic domain.

17. A detecting method according to claim 16, wherein said discriminating step comprises the steps of irradiating polarized light having greater size than a width of the magnetic domain when the in-plane AC magnetic field is not applied to an area in the vicinity of the end portion, and detecting the polarized light from the area in the vicinity of the end portion obtained by said irradiating step through an analyzer so that the Bloch line is discriminated on the basis of the variation of the intensity of the polarized light detected through the analyzer.

18. A memory device utilizing, as information carriers, bloch lines in a magnetic wall of a stripe magnetic domain formed in a magnetic film, comprising:

write-in means for writing the Bloch lines in the magnetic wall;

means for transferring the Bloch lines along the magnetic wall; and

read-out means for reading out the Bloch lines, said read-out means comprising a magnetic field generator for applying, to the magnetic film, an in-plane magnetic field in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the magnetic domain, and a detector for detecting the presence and/or absence of the Bloch lines on the basis of the variation of the shape of the magnetic domain by said magnetic field generator.

19. A memory device utilizing, as information carriers, Bloch lines in a magnetic wall of a stripe magnetic domain formed in a magnetic film, comprising:

write-in means for writing the Bloch lines in the magnetic wall;

means for transferring the Bloch lines along the magnetic wall; and

read-out means for reading out the Bloch lines, said read-out means comprising a magnetic field generator for applying, to an area in the vicinity of the end portion of the magnetic domain of the magnetic film, an inplane AC magnetic field in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the magnetic domain, and a detector for detecting the presence and/or absence of the Bloch lines at the end portion of the magnetic domain on the basis of the variation of the shape of the magnetic domain by said magnetic field generator.