Magnetic memory device
First Claim
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1. A data storage system for the storage and retrieval of data information, comprising:
- a magnetic storage medium for storage of data;
a magnetosensitive sensor, proximate to said magnetic storage medium;
means for generating a spatially distributed control field within said magnetosensitive sensor to create a selected region having varied magnetic sensitivity; and
, means for detecting a change in the properties of said magnetosensitive sensor to read the data stored by said magnetic storage medium.
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Abstract
The invention described herein defines a system and a method for selectively controlling the sensitivity of a region of a magnetoresistive element to an incident magnetic field, by applying an external magnetic field to the magnetoresistive element. A number of applications to non-volatile data storage are described, as is a magnetic sweep element based on a FET structure. Finally, the storage media and recording modes (in-plane vs. perpendicular) best suited to the proposed applications are analyzed, and the desired or optimal characteristics of the proposed devices are discussed.
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Citations
45 Claims
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1. A data storage system for the storage and retrieval of data information, comprising:
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a magnetic storage medium for storage of data;
a magnetosensitive sensor, proximate to said magnetic storage medium;
means for generating a spatially distributed control field within said magnetosensitive sensor to create a selected region having varied magnetic sensitivity; and
,means for detecting a change in the properties of said magnetosensitive sensor to read the data stored by said magnetic storage medium. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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12. A method of reading data stored on a data storage medium, comprising the steps of:
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(A) locating a magnetosensitive sensor proximate to a magnetic storage medium having stored data in the form of a spatially distributed magnetic field;
(B) generating a spatially distributed control field within the magnetosensitive sensor to change the sensitivity of a region of the magnetosensitive sensor to the magnetic field on said magnetic storage medium; and
,(C) detecting a change in the properties of said magnetosensitive sensor to read the data stored on a corresponding region of the magnetic storage medium, in response to changing the sensitivity of the region to the magnetic field on the magnetic storage medium. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A data storage system for the storage and retrieval of data information, comprising:
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a magnetic storage medium for storing data in a plurality of data storage regions;
a magnetoresistive sensor, proximate to, and fixed in position with respect to, said magnetic storage medium, said magnetoresistive sensor including a magnetoresistive film having an electrical resistance which varies upon application of an external magnetic field, and, a plurality of electrically conductive control wires, spatially distributed within a plane parallel to or coincident with the plane of said magnetoresistive film;
a control circuit for passing electric current through a selected set of said control wires, to vary the sensitivity of a selected region of said magnetoresistive film corresponding to a data storage region of said magnetic storage medium; and
,a readout circuit for determining the resistance of said magnetoresistive film corresponding to data stored on said data storage medium in a region corresponding to said selected region. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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30. A method of reading data stored on a data storage medium, comprising the steps of:
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(A) locating a magnetoresistive sensor proximate to, and fixed in space with respect to, a magnetic storage medium having stored data in the form of a spatially distributed magnetic field, the magnetoresistive sensor including a magnetoresistive film, and a plurality of electrically conductive control wires, spatially distributed within a plane parallel to or coincident with the plane of said magnetoresistive film;
(B) passing electric current through a selected set of control wires to generate a spatially distributed control field within said magnetoresistive sensor to change the sensitivity of a region of said magnetoresistive sensor to the magnetic field on said magnetic storage medium; and
,(C) detecting a change in the properties of said magnetoresistive sensor and hence the data stored on a corresponding region of the magnetic storage medium, in response to changing the sensitivity of said region to the magnetic field on said magnetic storage medium. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification