US Patent 7116575 Architectures for CPP ring shaped (RS) devices

A current-perpendicular-to-plane (CPP) ring-shaped (RS) magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) element is provided in several embodiments including operational functionality of static read (SR) and dynamic read (DR). According to an embodiment, a memory element has one or more vias passing through a center hole in the CPP RS MRAM element. Each end of each via is coupled with a separate write line segment that extends radially from the center hole past a perimeter of the ring-shaped element. The write lines and vias are configured to generate magnetic fields for switching a magnetization direction of one or more layers of the ring-shaped bits in the array.