Appeal No. 2004-2166
Application No. 09/492,557
axis of the sense layer and to use a hard ferromagnetic
material as taught by Chen for the beneficial reasons
indicated therein, because stabilized end regions improves
[sic] the magnetic memory over one which does not have
stabilized end regions, as taught in both Hurst and Chen.
As discussed above, the portion of Hurst relied upon by the
examiner as disclosing stabilized edge regions does not provide
such a disclosure. Hurst uses a soft ferromagnetic keeper
structure to concentrate a magnetic field above a word line
(col. 5, lines 31-33; col. 7, lines 6-15). Chen stabilizes
magnetic end vectors using an antiferromagnetic material or a
hard or permanent magnetic material (col. 4, lines 58-63). The
examiner has not established that if Chen’s hard or permanent
magnetic material were positioned at the ends of Hurst’s sense
layer, there would be exchange coupling between the sense layer
and the keeper structure through the dielectric layer. Also, the
examiner has not established that Hurst does not have, between
the keeper structure and the sense layer, a reference layer that
would prevent exchange coupling between the keeper structure and
the sense layer.
The examiner argues (answer, page 8):
Alternatively, the prior art of Chen, as explained
above, discloses each of the claimed features except
for indicating that the keeper structure is in a
U shape which encases the read/write conductors
(i.e. the work line).
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