Semiconductor memory device and its data reading method

1. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a plurality of magnetic memory elements;

a control line group; and

a read driving circuit; wherein

each of said magnetic memory elements, which are arranged to form a matrix including a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, is provided for one of memory cells and includes a storage layer for holding bit data as a direction of the magnetization state of said storage layer,

said control line group includes a plurality of first common lines each used for connecting one terminal of each of said memory cells to each other in the row or column direction and includes a plurality of second common lines each used for connecting the other terminal of each of said memory cells to each other in the row or column direction, and

said read driving circuit controls electric potentials appearing on said control line group in order to apply a read voltage to selected one of said magnetic memory elements as a voltage resulting in a difference in electric potential between a pair of said first and second common lines connected to said memory cell including said selected magnetic memory element from which bit data is to be read out and controls a field current flowing to said control line group in order to apply an external magnetic field to said selected magnetic memory element in a direction parallel to the direction of the magnetization state of said storage layer included in said selected magnetic memory element,

wherein said read driving circuit generates said external magnetic field in a direction opposite to a direction in which said direction of said magnetization state of said storage layer included in said selected magnetic memory element is to be changed inadvertently by a read current flowing to said selected magnetic memory element as a current resulting from application of said read voltage to said selected magnetic memory element.

2. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein said read driving circuit is capable of inverting the polarity of said read voltage applied to said selected magnetic memory element as a voltage resulting in a difference in electric potential between a pair of said first and second common lines connected to said memory cell including said selected magnetic memory element so as to reverse the magnitude relation between said pair of said first and second common lines and, accompanying reversal of said magnitude relation, capable of inverting the direction of said external magnetic field to an opposite direction parallel to said direction of said magnetization state of said storage layer included in said selected magnetic memory element.

3. The semiconductor memory device according claim 1 , said semiconductor memory device further including a third common line for flowing said field current generating said external magnetic field to be applied to a plurality of said magnetic memory elements arranged in a row or column direction at the same time.

4. The semiconductor memory device according claim 3 , wherein

each of said magnetic memory elements has a fixed-magnetization layer,

said first common line on one side of said storage layer and said fixed-magnetization layer is connected to one of said storage layer and said fixed-magnetization layer,

said third common line is provided on the other side of said storage layer and said fixed-magnetization layer in such a way that said third common line is capable of applying said external magnetic field to said storage layer and said fixed-magnetization layer, and

said second common line is connected to the other one of said storage layer and said fixed-magnetization layer through an internal wire layer.

5. The semiconductor memory device according claim 1 , wherein

one of said first and second common lines is also used as a double-function line for flowing said field current for generating said external magnetic field, and

said storage layer is designed to have an external appearance having a long-axis direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of said double-function line so that said direction of said magnetization state of said storage layer can be inverted from a direction parallel to said long-axis direction to an opposite direction parallel to said long-axis direction.

6. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a plurality of magnetic memory elements;

a control line group; and

a read driving circuit; wherein

each of said magnetic memory elements, which are arranged to form a matrix including a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns is provided for one of memory cells and includes a storage layer for holding bit data as a direction of the magnetization state of said storage layer,

said control line group includes a plurality of first common lines each used for connecting one terminal of each of said memory cells to each other in the row or column direction and includes a plurality of second common lines each used for connecting the other terminal of each of said memory cells to each other in the row or column direction, and

said read driving circuit controls electric potentials appearing on said control line group in order to apply a read voltage to selected one of said magnetic memory elements as a voltage resulting in a difference in electric potential between a pair of said first and second common lines connected to said memory cell including said selected magnetic memory element from which bit data is to be read out and controls a field current flowing to said control line group in order to apply an external magnetic field to said selected magnetic memory element in a direction parallel to the direction of the magnetization state of said storage layer included in said selected magnetic memory element, wherein

said external magnetic field is generated by flowing said field current having a magnitude determined on the basis of a tradeoff between,

a probability at which said direction of said magnetization state of said storage layer included in said selected magnetic memory element is inadvertently inverted by a read current generated by said read voltage applied to said selected magnetic memory element as a voltage resulting in a difference in electric potential between said pair of said first and second common lines connected to said memory cell including said selected magnetic memory element, and

a probability at which the direction of a particular magnetization state of said storage layer in a particular magnetic memory element is inadvertently inverted by said external magnetic field where said particular magnetic memory element is defined as a magnetic memory element included in said magnetic memory elements as a magnetic memory element to which said read current is not flowed but said external magnetic field is applied to result in said particular magnetization state having a direction opposite to said direction of said magnetization state of said storage layer included in said selected magnetic memory element.