JPH01199390A - Storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a strength to an external noise and to execute a stable use by causing a unidirectional current to flow to a coil for generating a magnetic field at the time of storing the information of one side of binary information pieces to a magnetic resistance effect pattern and causing an alternating attenuating current to flow to the coil for generating the magnetic field at the time of storing the information of the other side. CONSTITUTION:A set of a coil 3 for generating a magnetic field and a magnetic resistance effect pattern 4 are arranged in a layered condition on a substrate 1. At the time of storing the information of one side of the binary information pieces to the magnetic resistance effect pattern 4, the unidirectional current is made to flow to the coil 3 for generating the magnetic field, and at the time of storing the information of the other side, the alternating attenuating current is made to flow to the coil 3 for generating the magnetic field. On the substrate, the magnetic resistance effect pattern is arranged, simultaneously, the coils for generating the magnetic fields are provided in the both side edge vicinities of the magnetic resistance effect pattern, respectively, and arbitrary current may be made to flow to each independently. Thus, the strength to the external noise can be obtained, and the using point of an element cannot be restricted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a storage device, and more specifically to a storage device constituting a digital storage device.

(Prior Art) Examples of commonly used memory elements include:
Core memory stores binary information in correspondence with the direction of residual magnetic flux in an annular magnetic core made of ferrite, and detects it using electromagnetic induction. Information is stored by the amount of charge accumulated in the IC pattern. There are IC memories that store information using flip-flop circuits, and magnetic bubble memories that use bubbles generated in a thin magnetic storage medium wafer as storage media.

With the development of computers, these various storage elements have been developed and researched for numerical calculation processing used therein. As a result, the purpose of its development was to increase speed and to correspond to the use of numerical calculation processing.
The aim was to achieve high integration.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As mentioned above, the purpose of various conventional memory elements is to increase speed, etc., and although this purpose is being achieved, the various elements have low noise intensity. They have the common disadvantage of being small and particularly susceptible to external electromagnetic noise. This drawback is because conventional memory elements are used in relatively light noise environments such as computers, so malfunctions have not been much of a problem. It had problems such as requiring a special computer room.

In recent years, with the digitization of various devices, the locations where storage devices (elements) are used have expanded, and storage devices are now being used in factories that generate various noises, especially near devices that generate (use) large amounts of power and high voltage. In such cases, the disadvantage of being susceptible to external noise becomes obvious and cannot be put to practical use. Furthermore, although it is possible to shield the area around the memory element to prevent this, it is still not possible to use the memory element with sufficient stability.

In particular, among the above-mentioned memory elements, IC memory,
Magnetic bubble memory is susceptible to noise, making this even more difficult. On the other hand, core memory, which is relatively resistant to noise among various conventional memory elements, can be used under noise conditions by performing the above-mentioned shielding, but in the case of this core memory, every time information is read, In order to destroy stored data, operations such as reading are performed under complicated storage timing, and there is a risk that the storage timing may be incorrect due to the influence of external noise, and in such cases, accurate data may not be read out. A problem arises in that stable driving cannot be achieved.

This invention was made in view of the various problems mentioned above, and its purpose is to be resistant to external noise, to allow the device to be used in any location, even in devices that generate large amounts of power and voltage. It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage device which can be used even in the vicinity of a storage device, which does not cause malfunctions, and which can be driven stably.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in a storage device according to the present invention, a set of magnetic field generating coils and a magnetoresistive effect pattern are arranged in layers on a substrate, and binary information is stored in a storage device. When one of the information is stored in the magnetoresistive pattern, a unidirectional current is passed through the magnetic field generating coil, and when the other information is stored, an alternating damping current is passed through the magnetic field generating coil.

In addition, a magnetoresistive pattern is arranged on the substrate, and magnetic field generating coils are provided near both ends of the magnetoresistive pattern, and any current is applied independently to both magnetic field generating coils. It may be arranged so that it can be energized.

Furthermore, a first magnetic field generating coil and a magnetoresistive pattern are arranged in a layered manner on the substrate, and a first magnetic field generating coil and a magnetoresistive pattern are arranged around the longitudinal direction of the magnetoresistive pattern, and a first magnetic field generating coil and a magnetoresistive pattern are wound around the magnetoresistive pattern as a center. 2 magnetic field generating coils are arranged, and the first
．． Any current may be applied independently to the second magnetic field generating coils.

(Function) When a magnetic field is applied in a predetermined direction to a magnetoresistive pattern, its resistance value increases or decreases.

Therefore, when a set of magnetic field generating coils and a magnetoresistive pattern are arranged in layers on a substrate, the magnetic field generating coil provided around the magnetoresistive pattern is energized to generate a magnetic field in a predetermined direction. to change (eg, increase) the resistance value of the MR pattern.

This allows information to be written.

On the other hand, erasing written information (inputting other data) can be easily done by applying an alternating attenuation current to the magnetic field generating coil.

That is, when the direction of the magnetic field is alternately changed by 180 degrees, the resistance value of the pattern increases and decreases repeatedly. The strength of the magnetic field generated by flowing the attenuation current also gradually weakens, so that the resistance value in the non-excited state decreases. Therefore, in the end,
This means that the data has been deleted.

In addition, when magnetic field generating coils are provided at both ends of the magnetoresistive pattern, when each coil is energized so that the magnetic fields generated from both coils face in opposite directions, the magnetic field passing through the center of both coils is formed, and a portion of the magnetic field is oriented in the same direction as the magnetoresistive pattern. Therefore, the resistance of the magnetoresistive pattern is reduced.

On the other hand, if the magnetic fields generated from each coil are directed in the same direction, a magnetic field that flows along the magnetoresistive pattern as described above is not generated, and each magnetic field is independently applied to the magnetoresistive pattern. Therefore, a perpendicular magnetic field is applied to the magnetoresistive pattern, increasing the resistance value. This allows it to be used as a storage device.

Furthermore, if a first magnetic field generating coil is provided in a layer on the substrate and a second magnetic field generating coil is provided around the magnetoresistive pattern, when the first magnetic field generating coil is energized, the magnetoresistive effect When the second magnetic field generating coil is energized in a direction perpendicular to the pattern, a magnetic field is generated in the same direction as the magnetoresistive pattern. Therefore, by energizing either coil, the magnetoresistive pattern will be the same,
Alternatively, orthogonal magnetic fields are applied, which increases or decreases the resistance value of the magnetoresistive pattern, forming a memory element.

(Example) .

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the invention.

As shown in the figure, a planar spiral magnetic field generating coil 3 is disposed on the upper surface of a substantially rectangular flat substrate 1 made of a magnetic material such as ferrite. Specifically, the magnetic field generating coil 3 is formed by thick film printing, thin film deposition, sputtering, or the like. Furthermore, a strip-shaped magnetoresistive pattern (hereinafter referred to as MR pattern) 4 is placed on top of the pattern. The MR pattern 4 is arranged so that the center position of the MR pattern 4 substantially coincides with the center point of the spiral of the magnetic field generating coil 3.

Further, in this embodiment, a yoke 5 is provided, one end of which is bonded to the substantially central portion of the upper surface of the MR pattern 4, and the other end of which is bonded to the upper surface of the substrate 1. The yoke 5 is made of a magnetic material, and the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generating coil 3 is concentrated on the substrate 1 and the yoke 5, and is effectively applied to the MR pattern 4. There is.

Now, to explain the MR pattern used in the present invention, as shown in Figure 2, when a magnetic field is applied in the same direction as the MR pattern 4, the resistance becomes smaller (see (A) in the same figure).
. Conversely, when a magnetic field is applied in a direction perpendicular to the MR pattern 4, the resistance increases (see (B) and (C) in the same figure).

Even after applying a magnetic field in a predetermined direction and then turning off the magnetic field, the resistance value remains "large" or "small" due to the residual magnetic flux. Therefore, it can be used as a storage device by changing the direction of the magnetic field in opposition to binary information and detecting the magnitude of the resistance value of the MR pattern 4 at that time.

Furthermore, the MR pattern 4 can be orthogonal to each other in two dimensions, forward and backward. The resistance value increases no matter which direction a magnetic field is applied, so there is no problem in use when applying a magnetic field in either direction when reading or writing information, but the direction of the internal spin is 180° opposite, i.e. The internal structure is different.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained as shown in Fig. 3 (A
), a DC bias is connected to both ends of the magnetic field generating coil 3, and a current is passed in a fixed direction (clockwise in this example). This generates a magnetic field that travels from the top front side to the back side of the drawing. However, a magnetic field is applied in a direction perpendicular to the MR element 4.

This magnetic field increases the resistance value of the pattern 4 (■-■ in FIG. 4). Even when the magnetic field is turned off to create a non-excited state, the resistance value is maintained with only a slight decrease, as shown by ■-■ in FIG. This allows the memory to be retained even after the power is turned off, making it a nonvolatile memory element.

Next, a case will be described in which "0" is stored (rewritten) from this state. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, an alternating damping current is applied to the magnetic field generating coil 31. In other words, considering the effect on MR pattern 4 when a current with a slightly lower peak value is passed in the opposite direction to that when information "1" was written for half a cycle as shown in FIG. 6(A), the direction of the current is Since the magnetic field generating coil 3 is reversed, the magnetic field generated from the magnetic field generating coil 3 is perpendicular to the MR pattern 4, but is in the opposite direction to the magnetic field when "1" is written. Then, although this direction also increases the resistance value, the spins within the MR pattern 4 are reversed as described above.

Therefore, when a current in the opposite direction is passed for half a cycle, the MR
As shown in Fig. 6(B), the resistance value of pattern 4 initially decreases, and after reaching "0" (■-■
), when the instantaneous value of the current rises again and reaches the peak value ((a) in the figure), the resistance value of the MR pattern also reaches its maximum (■-■). Thereafter, the current gradually decreases, and when the current reaches "0", that is, a non-excited state, the resistance value is maintained at a value slightly smaller than the resistance value when information "1" was written in the previous step (■→■).

Thereafter, by applying an alternating attenuating current as shown in FIG. 7(A) to the magnetic field generating coil 3, the magnetic field generated from the magnetic field generating coil 3 alternately changes direction by 180 degrees and its strength gradually changes. It will continue to decrease. Then, the resistance value of the MR pattern 4 in the non-excited state gradually decreases while repeating increases and decreases, as shown in FIG. 4(B). Therefore, the resistance value eventually becomes "small" and binary information "0" can be stored (erased).

In this way, by performing the above-described rewriting work of rlJ and rOJ for any magnetic field generating coil, desired information can be stored in a predetermined MR pattern.

FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, two magnetic field generating coils 3 formed on the upper surface of the substrate 1 are provided, unlike the first embodiment described above. That is, the first . Second magnetic field generating coils 3a and 3b are formed. Both of the magnetic field generating coils 3a and 3b are connected to a toy rubber device (not shown), so that currents of arbitrary directions and magnitudes can be passed independently from each other.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the yoke used in the first embodiment described above is not provided. In this embodiment as well, the centers of both magnetic field generating coils 3a and 3b are arranged to approximately coincide with the longitudinal center line of the MR pattern 4.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. First, in order to store binary information "0" in the MR pattern, as shown in Fig. 9 (
As shown in the schematic diagram in A), the first. Currents in opposite directions are passed through the second magnetic field generating coils 3a and b (clockwise in the first magnetic field generating coil 3a, counterclockwise in the second magnetic field generating coil 3b). Then, the first
A magnetic field is generated in the MR pattern 4 around the second magnetic field generating coil 3a from the front side to the back side, and on the other hand, around the second magnetic field generating coil 3b from the back side to the front side. Therefore, the magnetic field generated by both coils advances from the top and bottom of the drawing upward along the MR pattern 4. This means that a magnetic field is applied in the same direction as the MR pattern 4, and the resistance value of the MR pattern becomes small. And even if the magnetic field is turned off, the resistance value (small) is due to the residual magnetic flux.
is maintained, thereby allowing "0" to be stored and retained (see (B) in the same figure).

Conversely, in order to store binary information "1" in the MR pattern, the first . This can be done by applying current in the same direction (counterclockwise in this embodiment) to the second magnetic field generating coils 3a and 3b. That is, when current flows in the same direction, M
A magnetic field in the same direction (from the back side to the front side) is applied to both ends of the R pattern 4, and there is no magnetic flux for the magnetic field to circulate on the MR pattern 4. Therefore, the magnetic fields generated by each coil are applied to the MR pattern 4 independently. In other words, a magnetic field perpendicular to the MR pattern 4 is applied (see (C) in the same figure). Therefore, the resistance value of the MR pattern 4 increases, and this is maintained even in the non-excited state by cutting off the current flow (see (D) in the same figure), thereby writing and holding "1". Become.

FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment of the invention.

As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, a spiral first magnetic field generating coil 3a is disposed on a substrate 1 in the same manner as in each of the embodiments described above. Then, an MR pattern 4 is placed above the first magnetic field generating coil 3a via a first insulating plate 6, and a second insulating plate 7 is further placed above the MR pattern 4. And these first. A spring-shaped second magnetic field generating coil 3b is disposed around the second insulating plates 6, 7 in the longitudinal direction. The winding center of the second magnetic field generating coil 3b substantially coincides with the MR pattern 4, so that when the second magnetic field generating coil 3b is energized, the MR pattern 4 and the path are connected in one direction. A magnetic field will be generated.

To form the second magnetic field generating coil 3b, for example, first, parallel to and inclined to the upper surface of the substrate 1,
A plurality of conductive patterns 8 are printed (see FIG. 11(A)), and then the first conductive patterns 8 are printed. The MR pattern 4 sandwiched between the second insulating plates 6 and 7 is placed on the conductive pattern 8 (see FIG. 8B). Then, the first... Another conductive pattern 9 is printed on the upper surface of the second insulating plate 6.7, and thereby the second magnetic field generating coil 3
b is formed (see figure (C)).

The method for manufacturing the second magnetic field generating coil 3b described above is merely an example; for example, the second magnetic field generating coil 3b may be formed by wire bonding or a flexible printed board, or may be formed by various other methods. be able to.

Next, to explain the operation of this embodiment, when it is desired to write binary information "1", it is sufficient to energize the first magnetic field generating coil 3a as shown in FIG. 12(A). . That is, when the first magnetic field generating coil 3a is energized, a magnetic field is generated in a direction perpendicular to the MR pattern 4. Therefore, the resistance value of the MR pattern increases, "1" is memorized, and even if the current to the coil is cut off, that state is maintained by the residual magnetic flux, and the written information is maintained (see the same figure).
See B).

Next, in order to write the binary information "0", see Figure 12 (
As shown in C), the second magnetic field generating coil 3b may be energized. That is, when the second magnetic field generating coil 3b is energized, a magnetic field is generated in the same direction as the MR pattern 4. Therefore, the resistance value of the MR pattern decreases, "O" is memorized, and even if the current to the coil is cut off, that state is maintained by the residual magnetic flux, and the written information is maintained (see figure (D). )reference).

On the other hand, in order to read the information stored in the MR pattern 4, for example, tester means may be connected to both ends of the MR pattern 4 to directly detect the information (FIG. 13(A)). Also, MR
Apply a constant voltage V to pattern 4 and measure the current flowing through the circuit (CB in the same figure), or connect fixed resistor R and MR pattern 4 in series and measure the voltage between the terminals of MR pattern 4 at that time. This can be done by any number of means, including indirect measurement and detection by (FIG. 3(C)).

As mentioned above, the reason why an alternating attenuation current is applied when the resistance value is set to "small" is to consider operability. For example, when the resistance value is set to "small", If the current is cut off, the resistance becomes "small" and can be eliminated. That is, for example, the resistance value (instantaneous value) may be managed and the energization to the magnetic field generating coil 3 may be cut off in a timely manner.

In addition, although the substrate 1 used in each of the examples described above is made of a magnetic material, this is intended to effectively utilize the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generating coil, and is not necessarily made of magnetic material. It does not have to be a body, and a commonly used printed circuit board or other various materials may be used. Similarly, the yoke used in the first embodiment is not necessarily required.

Furthermore, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, explanations have been given regarding the use of a single MR pattern, but it goes without saying that a plurality of storage devices having such a structure may be arranged and used. By arranging a plurality of them, decimal information can be rewritten into binary information and stored and retained.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the storage device according to the present invention is a storage device with a completely new configuration that has not existed in the past, and data can be written by applying a predetermined current to the magnetic field generation coil. can.

Further, in the present invention, the memory device can be manufactured by thin film sputtering, vapor deposition, etching, thick film printing technology, etc., and memory elements with the same characteristics can be manufactured in large quantities. Furthermore, the integration density is improved and miniaturization becomes possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
Figure 3 is a diagram showing the characteristics of the R pattern, Figure 3 is a diagram showing the writing action to the MR pattern, Figure 4 is a graph showing the relationship between magnetic field and output voltage, Figures 5, 6, and 7 are MR patterns. 8 is a perspective view showing the second embodiment, FIG. 9 is a diagram explaining the effect, FIG. 10 is a plan view of the third embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the operation thereof, and FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for reading stored information. 1...Substrate 3...Magnetic field generation coil 3a...First magnetic field generation coil 3b...Second magnetic field generation coil 4...MR Pattern 6...First insulating plate 7...Second insulating plate Fig. 1 Fig. 2 (C) OJ view Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5-1 Fig. 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 31112 CC) ``I2T'' Saving Dan (D) ° ``〆'
Section 6 Figure 13 (A) (B) (C)

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A pair of magnetic field generating coils and a magnetoresistive pattern are arranged in a layered manner on a substrate, and when one of the binary information is stored in the magnetoresistive pattern, the magnetic field generating coil is unidirectionally arranged. 1. A storage device characterized in that a current is passed through the magnetic field generating coil, and an alternating attenuating current is passed through the magnetic field generating coil when storing information on the other side. (2) A magnetoresistive pattern is provided on the substrate, and magnetic field generating coils are provided near both ends of the magnetoresistive pattern, and an arbitrary current is applied independently to both magnetic field generating coils. What is claimed is: 1. A storage device characterized by being able to be energized. (3) A first magnetic field generating coil and a magnetoresistive pattern are arranged in a layered manner on a substrate, and the magnetoresistive pattern is wound around the outer periphery of the magnetoresistive pattern in the longitudinal direction. A second magnetic field generating coil is arranged, and the first,
A storage device characterized in that any current can be applied independently to each of the second magnetic field generating coils. (4) The storage device according to claim 4, further comprising an insulating means disposed between the magnetoresistive pattern and the second magnetic field generating coil. (5) The storage device according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the substrate is made of a magnetic material such as ferrite.