Thermally-assisted switching of magnetic memory elements

1. A method of writing to a magnetic memory element, the method comprising:

heating the memory element to a temperature to no more than about 50° C. within the Blocking temperature of the memory element; and

applying at least one magnetic field to the memory element.

2. A method of writing to a magnetic memory element including a spin dependent tunneling junction, the method comprising:

heating the memory element via a heating element; and

applying first and second orthogonal fields to the memory element via word and bit lines;

wherein the heating element and the word and bit lines are separate.

3. An information storage device comprising:

an array of magnetic memory elements having free and pinned layers therein separated by a tunnel barrier; and

a plurality of heating lines extending across the array, the heating lines including relatively low resistance traces in series with relatively high resistance heating elements that are electrically insulated from corresponding ones of the magnetic memory elements.

4. An information storage device comprising:

an array of magnetic memory elements; and

a plurality of heating elements for the memory elements, the heating elements raising the temperature of selected memory elements by no more than about 50° C. within the Blocking temperature during write operations.

5. The information storage device of claim 3 , further comprising a plurality of word and bit lines for the array of magnetic memory elements, which are electrically isolated from the plurality of heating lines.

6. An information storage device, comprising:

a memory array having a magnetic memory element therein, said magnetic memory element comprising a free layer, a pinned layer and a tunnel barrier extending between the free and pinned layers;

a first conductor electrically coupled to the free layer;

a second conductor electrically coupled to the pinned layer; and

a heating line having a resistive heating element therein disposed adjacent the free layer of the magnetic memory element, said heating line being separately controllable relative to said first and second conductors.

7. The information storage device of claim 6 , wherein the resistive heating element extends on a first portion of said first conductor that contacts the free layer of the magnetic memory element; and wherein the resistive heating element is configured to elevate a temperature of the first portion of said first conductor relative to said second conductor during an operation to write date to the magnetic memory element by passing current through said first and second conductors.