Abstract: A method and system include providing a single pinned layer, a free layer, and a spacer layer between the pinned and free layers. The spacer layer is nonmagnetic. The magnetic element is configured to allow the free layer to be switched due to spin transfer when a write current is passed through the magnetic element. The free layer is a simple free layer. In one aspect, the method and system include providing a spin engineered layer adjacent to the free layer. The spin engineered layer is configured to more strongly scatter majority electrons than minority electrons. In another aspect, at least one of the pinned, free, and spacer layers is a spin engineered layer having an internal spin engineered layer configured to more strongly scatter majority electrons than minority electrons. In this aspect, the magnetic element may include another pinned layer and a barrier layer between the free and pinned layers.

Abstract: A method and system include providing a pinned layer, a free layer, and a spacer layer between the pinned and free layers. The spacer layer is nonmagnetic. The magnetic element is configured to allow the free layer to be switched due to spin transfer when a write current is passed through the magnetic element. In one aspect, the method and system include providing a spin engineered layer adjacent to the free layer. The spin engineered layer is configured to more strongly scatter majority electrons than minority electrons. In another aspect, at least one of the pinned, free, and spacer layers is a spin engineered layer having an internal spin engineered layer configured to more strongly scatter majority electrons than minority electrons. In this aspect, the magnetic element may include another pinned layer and a barrier layer between the free and pinned layers.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a magnetic element are described. The method and system include providing a single pinned layer, a free layer, and a spacer layer between the pinned and free layers. The spacer layer is nonmagnetic. The magnetic element is configured to allow the free layer to be switched due to spin transfer when a write current is passed through the magnetic element. The free layer is a simple free layer. In one aspect, the method and system include providing a spin engineered layer adjacent to the free layer. The spin engineered layer is configured to more strongly scatter majority electrons than minority electrons. In another aspect, at least one of the pinned, free, and spacer layers is a spin engineered layer having an internal spin engineered layer configured to more strongly scatter majority electrons than minority electrons. In this aspect, the magnetic element may include another pinned layer and a barrier layer between the free and pinned layers.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a magnetic element that can be used in a magnetic memory is disclosed. The magnetic element includes pinned, spacer, free, and spin barrier layers. The spacer layer is nonmagnetic and resides between the pinned and free layers. The free layer can be switched using spin transfer when a write current is passed through the magnetic element. The free layer resides between the spacer layer and the spin barrier layer. The spin barrier layer is configured to reduce an outer surface contribution to a damping constant of the free layer. In one aspect, the spin barrier layer has a high areal resistance and may substantially eliminate spin pumping induced damping. In another aspect, the magnetic element also includes a spin accumulation layer between the spin barrier and free layers. The spin accumulation layer has a high conductivity, preferably being metallic, and may have a long spin diffusion length.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a magnetic element are disclosed. The method and system include providing a pinned layer, a free layer, and a spacer layer between the pinned layer and the free layer. The spacer layer is insulating and has an ordered crystal structure. The spacer layer is also configured to allow tunneling through the spacer layer. In one aspect, the free layer is comprised of a single magnetic layer having a particular crystal structure and texture with respect to the spacer layer. In another aspect, the free layer is comprised of two sublayers, the first sublayer having a particular crystal structure and texture with respect to the spacer layer and the second sublayer having a lower moment. In still another aspect, the method and system also include providing a second pinned layer and a second spacer layer that is nonmagnetic and resides between the free layer and the second pinned layer.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a magnetic element that can be used in a magnetic memory is disclosed. The magnetic element includes first pinned, spacer, free, spin barrier, and second pinned layers. The spacer layer is nonmagnetic and resides between the pinned and free layers. The free layer can be switched using spin transfer when a write current is passed through the magnetic element. The free layer resides between the spacer and spin barrier layers. The spin barrier layer is between the free and second pinned layers. The spin barrier layer is configured to reduce an outer surface contribution to the free layer damping constant. In one aspect, the spin barrier layer has a high areal resistance and may substantially eliminate spin pumping induced damping. In another aspect, the magnetic element also includes a spin accumulation layer between the spin barrier and free layers. The spin accumulation layer has a high conductivity and may have a long spin diffusion length.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a magnetic element is disclosed. The method and system include providing a pinned layer, a free layer, and a spacer layer between the pinned and free layers. The spacer layer is nonmagnetic. The magnetic element is configured to allow the free layer to be switched due to spin transfer when a write current is passed through the magnetic element. In one aspect, the method and system include providing a spin engineered layer adjacent to the free layer. The spin engineered layer is configured to more strongly scatter majority electrons than minority electrons. In another aspect, at least one of the pinned, free, and spacer layers is a spin engineered layer having an internal spin engineered layer configured to more strongly scatter majority electrons than minority electrons. In this aspect, the magnetic element may include another pinned layer and a barrier layer between the free and pinned layers.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a magnetic element that can be used in a magnetic memory is disclosed. The magnetic element includes first pinned, spacer, free, spin barrier, and second pinned layers. The spacer layer is nonmagnetic and resides between the pinned and free layers. The free layer can be switched using spin transfer when a write current is passed through the magnetic element. The free layer resides between the spacer and spin barrier layers. The spin barrier layer is between the free and second pinned layers. The spin barrier layer is configured to reduce an outer surface contribution to the free layer damping constant. In one aspect, the spin barrier layer has a high areal resistance and may substantially eliminate spin pumping induced damping. In another aspect, the magnetic element also includes a spin accumulation layer between the spin barrier and free layers. The spin accumulation layer has a high conductivity and may have a long spin diffusion length.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a magnetic element that can be used in a magnetic memory is disclosed. The magnetic element includes pinned, spacer, free, and spin barrier layers. The spacer layer is nonmagnetic and resides between the pinned and free layers. The free layer can be switched using spin transfer when a write current is passed through the magnetic element. The free layer resides between the spacer layer and the spin barrier layer. The spin barrier layer is configured to reduce an outer surface contribution to a damping constant of the free layer. In one aspect, the spin barrier layer has a high areal resistance and may substantially eliminate spin pumping induced damping. In another aspect, the magnetic element also includes a spin accumulation layer between the spin barrier and free layers. The spin accumulation layer has a high conductivity, preferably being metallic, and may have a long spin diffusion length.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for detecting acceleration in several planes of motion while using only one accelerometer chip. The accelerometer chip is mounted to the circuit board at some angle so as to allow for multiple directional sensing. In another embodiment the circuit board itself may be slanted thereby allowing the chip to sense motion in multiple planes of motion. The disclosed method may be used in a device such as a personal digital assistant (PDA).

Abstract: The present invention is a cursor that reflects what portion of a virtual space a display is showing by the cursor being in a corresponding space on the display. Embodiments of this invention include the cursor being limited to movement within a cursor zone, and reflecting what portion of a virtual space is on display by having a corresponding position with the cursor zone. The cursor zone may have a variety of sizes, shapes and locations, and may also act as a scrolling barrier for contents of the virtual space.

Abstract: An optical read/write device for an information medium which includes a transparent substrate having an approximately plane face carrying at least one pair of electrodes defining an airgap area whose size corresponds approximately to the size of the information item to be written or to be read. The pair of electrodes constitute a resonator for an incident electromagnetic wave having one component of its electric field parallel to the direction of alignment of the electrodes of the pair of electrodes. An optical source illuminates the electrodes with an optical beam, one component of the electric field of which is parallel to the direction of alignment of the pair of electrodes. Under these conditions, when excited by the beam F1, the electrodes will re-emit a beam which has a field concentration within the airgap. The re-emitted beam makes it possible to read/write information on an information medium placed near the electrodes.

Abstract: A process for producing magnetoresistive transducers, using microlithographic techniques, where the transducers have magnetic metallic multilayers deposited by sputtering or by molecular beam epitaxy, and forming columns whose side walls will be covered with an insulation and whose tops will be free of this insulation, such that a current is able to flow in the magnetoresistive transducers perpendicular to the plane of the layers so as to exploit a phenomenon of perpendicular giant magnetoresistance. This process includes a step of producing, on one surface of a substrate, a stack including a first conductive layer in contact with a substrate and successive magnetic layers and non-magnetic metallic layers constituting a magnetic metallic multilayer in contact with the conductive layer.

Abstract: The invention concerns a magneto-resistive magnetic sensor comprising a magneto-resistive element, the resistance of which varies as a function of the applied magnetic field and two pole pieces that collect the magnetic field to be detected so as to concentrate it in the magneto-resistive element, each pole piece being positioned to partially overlap the magneto-resistive element, a current I passing through this magneto-resistive element, wherein the zones of the magneto-resistive element that are overlapped by pole pieces are cut out such that the current that passes through the magneto-resistive element is located in a zone in the air gap between the two pole pieces.

Abstract: A transducer contains at least one layer of a composite material containing particles of a conducting magnetic material in a non-magnetic and insulating or semiconductor matrix material and two electrodes deposited on at least one face of the layer for measuring resistance of the layer.

Abstract: In a device for the reading of a set of resistive elements (1.0, . . . , 1.n) in which an interrogation potential (V.sub.0) is applied at each instant to an element while a reference potential (v) is applied to the other elements, a stabilization circuit (CS) operates to keep the reading ports (L.0, . . . , L.n) at the reference potential. The present invention may find particular application to the reading of the elementary magnetoresistive heads of a magnetic reading head.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for producing a plurality of magnetoresistive sensors on the same substrate. The invention particularly has as its object to facilitate a polishing phase of this process. The process of the invention comprises depositing a layer of a magnetoresistive material on a substrate, and then forming in this layer a plurality of magnetoresistive elements. The process further comprises making, at the site of each sensor and before the depositing the magnetoresistive layer, an inclined surface, in such a way that each magnetoresistive element is formed on this inclined surface and exhibits an edge directed outward from the substrate.

Abstract: A magnetic reading device, of the type comprising multiple magnetic read heads, incorporates read heads each formed by a magneto-resistance element having a resistance which varies as a function of an outside magnetic field. The magnetic reading device comprises a network of line conductors intersected with a network of column conductors to form intersections at which a read head is provided. The first and second ends of each magneto-resistance element forming the read heads are respectively connected to a line conductor and to a column conductor of the corresponding intersection, and a control voltage is applied to the line and column conductors by a switching element for each line conductor, column conductors being connected to a current sensor. A simplification of the control of read heads results from this arrangement, while avoiding the effect of the heads not selected on the variations of current coming from the selected heads.

Abstract: Magnetic read heads with magneto-resistance effect of the multilayer type, are provided in a new arrangement making it possible in particular to facilitate a collective arrangement of these heads. Each read head comprises a magneto-resistance element formed by a sensitive magnetic layer superposed on a stable magnetic layer. Each read head comprises a magnetic circuit in a ring opened by an air gap, the sensitive magnetic layer being inserted in the magnetic circuit in a ring, the stable magnetic layer being outside the ring of the magnetic circuit. The arrangement of the magnetic read heads is particularly adapted for reading high density magnetic storage media.