IP Library Granted Patent US 9,984,736
Granted Patent B2
US 9,984,736 · App. 15/426,032 · Granted May 29, 2018

Magnetic storage device and memory system

Inventors: Ahmetserdar Demiray (Yokohama Kanagawa, JP); Masahiko Nakayama (Kawasaki Kanagawa, JP); Hiroshi Watanabe (Yokohama Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
G11C11/1675G11C11/161
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,984,736
App. No.
15/426,032
Granted
May 29, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to an embodiment, a magnetic storage device includes a first, second, and third magnetoresistive effect elements, and a controller. The second and third magnetoresistive effect elements are in proximity to the first magnetoresistive effect element. When the controller receives an command which is associated with an operation of writing a first data item to the first magnetoresistive effect element, the controller is configured to perform a first operation of writing the first data item to the first magnetoresistive effect element, and a second operation of writing a second data item different from the first data item to the second magnetoresistive effect element and the third magnetoresistive effect element.

Claims (43)

1. A magnetic storage device comprising:

a first magnetoresistive effect element;

a second magnetoresistive effect element and a third magnetoresistive effect element being in proximity to the first magnetoresistive effect element; and

a controller,

wherein when the controller receives a command which is associated with an operation of writing a first data item to the first magnetoresistive effect element, the controller is configured to perform a first operation of writing the first data item to the first magnetoresistive effect element by applying a first voltage having a first polarity, and a second operation of writing a second data item different from the first data item to the second magnetoresistive effect element and the third magnetoresistive effect element by applying a second voltage having a second polarity different from the first polarity, and

wherein the first magnetoresistive effect element, the second magnetoresistive effect element, and the third magnetoresistive effect element include ferromagnets, respectively, the ferromagnets each storing a data item, and a magnetization orientation of the ferromagnet of the first magnetoresistive effect element is opposite to a magnetization orientation of the ferromagnets of the second magnetoresistive effect element and the third magnetoresistive effect element after the first operation and the second operation.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the second operation is performed without receiving a command to write the second data item to the second magnetoresistive effect element or the third magnetoresistive effect element.

3. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a fourth magnetoresistive effect element positioned farther from the first magnetoresistive effect element than the second magnetoresistive effect element and the third magnetoresistive effect element,

wherein when the controller receives a command which is associated with an operation of writing the first data item to the first magnetoresistive effect element and a third data item to the fourth magnetoresistive effect element, the controller is configured to perform the first operation, the second operation, and a third operation of writing the third data item to the fourth magnetoresistive effect element.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to perform the second operation after the first operation.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to perform the second operation before the first operation.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the controller sets a value of a write voltage of the first operation when receiving the command to be larger than the value of the write voltage of the first operation when not receiving the command.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the controller sets a pulse width of a write voltage of the first operation when receiving the command to be larger than the pulse width of the write voltage of the first operation when not receiving the command.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the controller sets a value of a write voltage of the first operation when receiving the command to be larger than the value of the write voltage of the first operation when not receiving the command, and the controller sets a pulse width of the write voltage of the first operation when receiving the command to be larger than the pulse width of the write voltage of the first operation when not receiving the command.

9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a plurality of magnetoresistive effect elements each being in proximity to the first magnetoresistive effect element, and including the second magnetoresistive effect element and the third magnetoresistive effect element,

wherein when the controller receives the command, the controller is configured to perform the first operation and a fourth operation of writing the second data item to each of the plurality of magnetoresistive effect elements.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of magnetoresistive effect elements include a first magnetoresistive effect element group electrically coupled in common to a first word line and a second magnetoresistive effect element group electrically coupled in common to a second word line different from the first word line, and

wherein when the controller receives the command, the controller is configured to perform an operation of writing the second data item to the second magnetoresistive effect element group after an operation of writing the second data item to the first magnetoresistive effect element group.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to write the second data item simultaneously to the plurality of magnetoresistive effect elements in the first magnetoresistive effect element group or the second magnetoresistive effect element group.

12. The device of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of magnetoresistive effect elements include a majority of all the magnetoresistive effect elements in proximity to the first magnetoresistive effect element.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein after the first operation by the command, the controller inhibits writing to the first magnetoresistive effect element.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein after the second operation by the command, the controller inhibits writing to the second magnetoresistive effect element and the third magnetoresistive effect element.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first magnetoresistive effect element, the second magnetoresistive effect element, and the third magnetoresistive effect element are provided above a substrate and arranged along a direction in which the substrate extends.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein a cross-sectional area in a plane along the substrate of the second magnetoresistive effect element and the third magnetoresistive effect element is larger than the cross-sectional area in the plane along the substrate of the first magnetoresistive effect element.

17. The device of claim 15 , wherein magnetization orientations of the first magnetoresistive effect element, the second magnetoresistive effect element, and the third magnetoresistive effect element are perpendicular to the direction in which the substrate extends.

18. A memory system comprising:

the magnetic storage device according to claim 1 ; and

another controller configured to output the command.

19. A magnetic storage device comprising:

a first magnetoresistive effect element;

a second magnetoresistive effect element and a third magnetoresistive effect element being in proximity to the first magnetoresistive effect element;

a fourth magnetoresistive effect element positioned farther from the first magnetoresistive effect element than the second magnetoresistive effect element and the third magnetoresistive effect element; and

a controller,

wherein when the controller receives a command which is associated with an operation of writing a first data item to the first magnetoresistive effect element, the controller is configured to perform a first operation of writing the first data item to the first magnetoresistive effect element, and a second operation of writing a second data item different from the first data item to the second magnetoresistive effect element and the third magnetoresistive effect element, and

wherein when the controller receives a command which is associated with an operation of writing the first data item to the first magnetoresistive effect element and a third data item to the fourth magnetoresistive effect element, the controller is configured to perform the first operation, the second operation, and a third operation of writing the third data item to the fourth magnetoresistive effect element.

20. A magnetic storage device comprising:

a first magnetoresistive effect element;

a second magnetoresistive effect element and a third magnetoresistive effect element being in proximity to the first magnetoresistive effect element; and

a controller,

wherein when the controller receives a command which is associated with an operation of writing a first data item to the first magnetoresistive effect element, the controller is configured to perform a first operation of writing the first data item to the first magnetoresistive effect element, and a second operation of writing a second data item different from the first data item to the second magnetoresistive effect element and the third magnetoresistive effect element, and

wherein the controller is configured to perform the second operation before the first operation.

Assignments (5)
MERGER Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
To: K.K. PANGEA
Reel/Frame 055659/0471 →
CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
To: KIOXIA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055669/0001 →
CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: K.K. PANGEA
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055669/0401 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 14, 2017
From: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 043194/0382 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 6, 2017
From: DEMIRAY, AHMETSERDAR; NAKAYAMA, MASAHIKO; WATANABE, HIROSHI
To: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
Reel/Frame 041186/0944 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62377496 · Aug 19, 2016
Related Publication 20180053542A1 · Feb 22, 2018