Spin-valve recording element and storage device

1. An improved spin-valve element, which has an intermediate layer containing an insulating layer or a nonmagnetic layer, and a pair of ferromagnetic layers sandwiching the intermediate layer, and in which coercive forces of the pair of ferromagnetic layers are mutually different, wherein the improvement comprises:

the ferromagnetic layer with the smaller coercive force is a unitary member which has a top side, a bottom side, and an in-plane shape that is substantially circular but is provided, in a peripheral portion thereof, with a plurality of cutouts that extend from the top side to the bottom side,

wherein the shape of at least one of the plurality of cutouts is not congruent with other cutouts, the not-congruent shape being such that said at least one of the cutouts is longer than at least one other cutout so as to obtain a stable vortex magnetization distribution.

2. The spin-valve element according to claim 1 , wherein the in-plane shape of the spin-valve element is substantially circular, with a major axis:minor axis aspect ratio thereof being 1:1 or greater and 102:98 or smaller.

3. The spin-valve element according to claim 1 , wherein a minimum value X of the cutout length satisfies the following equation:

X≧ 0.4 R

where R is an effective radius of the spin-valve element, and the effective radius is defined as (S/π) 0.5 , where S is the area of the spin-valve element.

4. The spin-valve element according to claim 1 , wherein widths Y of all cutouts satisfy the following equation:

L≦Y≦ 5.5 L

where L is defined by L=(μ 0 A/Ms 2 ) 0.5 and is an exchange interaction distance of the ferromagnetic material having lower coercive force among the pair of ferromagnetic layers, A is an exchange stiffness constant (J/m), Ms is a saturation magnetization (T) of the material of the ferromagnetic layer having the lower coercive force, and μ o is a permeability of vacuum, equal to 1.257×10 −6 (H/m).

5. A storage device, which uses as a storage element the spin-valve element according to claim 1 .

6. An improved spin-valve element, which has an intermediate portion sandwiched between first and second ferromagnetic layers, wherein the improvement comprises:

the first ferromagnetic layer is a unitary member that has a central region and that additionally has an outer periphery with a plurality of cutout portions that extend toward the central region,

wherein outer periphery of the first ferromagnetic layer is generally circular in shape, except for the cutout portions, and

wherein at least one of the cutout portions has a length that is longer than the length of at least one other cutout portion so as to obtain a stable vortex magnetization distribution.

7. The spin-valve element according to claim 6 , wherein the in-plane shape of the spin-valve element has a major axis:minor axis aspect ratio of 1:1 or greater and 102:98 or smaller.

8. The spin-valve element according to claim 6 , wherein a minimum value X of the cutout portion length satisfies the following equation:

X≧ 0.4 R

where R is an effective radius of the spin-valve element, and the effective radius is defined as (S/π) 0.5 , where S is the area of the spin-valve element.

9. The spin-valve element according to claim 6 , wherein widths Y of all cutout portions satisfy the following equation:

L≦Y≦ 5.5 L

where L is defined by L=(μ 0 A/Ms 2 ) 0.5 and is an exchange interaction distance of the ferromagnetic layer having the lower coercive force, A is an exchange stiffness constant (J/m), Ms is a saturation magnetization (T) of the material of the ferromagnetic layer having the lower coercive force, and μ 0 is a permeability of vacuum, equal to 1.257×10 −6 (H/m).

10. The spin-valve element according to claim 6 , wherein the outer periphery of the first ferromagnetic layer additionally has arcuate portions between the cutout portions.

11. The spin-valve element according to claim 6 , wherein there are four cutout portions, two of which are disposed along a first line and the other two of which are disposed along a second line that is substantially perpendicular to the first line.

12. A spin-valve element, comprising:

a pair of ferromagnetic layers having different coercive forces; and

a unitary intermediate layer sandwiched between the ferromagnetic layers, the intermediate layer containing at least one of an insulating layer and a nonmagnetic layer,

wherein the ferromagnetic layer with the smaller coercive force is substantially circular but is provided, at its periphery, with a plurality of cutouts, at least one of the cutouts having a length that is different from other cutouts or a width that is different from other cutouts,

wherein the spin-valve element has an in-plane shape that is substantially circular, with a major axis to minor axis aspect ratio thereof being one to one or greater and 102 to 98 or smaller,

wherein a minimum value X of the cutout lengths satisfies the relationship X≧0.4R, where R is an effective radius of the spin-valve element, and the effective radius is defined as (S/π) 0.5 , where S is the area of the spin-valve element, and

wherein the cutouts have widths that satisfy the relationship L≦Y≦5.5L, where L is defined by L=(μ 0 A/Ms 2 ) 0.5 and is an exchange interaction distance of the ferromagnetic material having lower coercive force among the pair of ferromagnetic layers, A is an exchange stiffness constant (J/m), Ms is a saturation magnetization (T) of the material of the ferromagnetic layer having the lower coercive force, and μ 0 is a permeability of vacuum, equal to 1.257×10 −6 (H/m).

13. The spin-valve element according to claim 12 , wherein said plurality of cutouts is four cutouts.

14. The spin-valve element according to claim 13 , and further comprising first and second writing electrodes disposed adjacent the free layer.

15. The spin-valve element according to claim 12 , wherein the pair of ferromagnetic layers are a fixed layer and a free layer.

16. The spin-valve element according to claim 12 , wherein the spin-valve element is a storage element.