Magnetoresistive readout of thin-film memories

THE MAGNETORESISTANCE of thin films has been studied by a number of authors* who have shown that it is a convenient means of measuring the magnetic properties of these films. This is particularly so since static measurements are possible. This paper will show that it has also been found possible to use the effect for the readout of thin-film memories. It is well known that the resistance of a thin magnetic film varies with the angle between the measuring current through the film and its magnetization. An exaggerated dependence of R on this angle is illustrated in Figure 1. The resistance is maximum at 0 ° and 18- ° and is minimum at 90 °.