A semiconductor magnetic memory device has a magnetic tunneling junction
formed over a memory cell. The memory cell has a control gate surrounded
by a floating gate. The floating gate is coupled to the magnetic
tunneling junction through a pinning layer that maintains the magnetic
orientation of the lower magnetic layer of the junction. A current
through a selected word line, coupled to the control gate, generates a
first magnetic field. A current through a cell select line generates a
second magnetic field that is orthogonal to the first magnetic field.
This changes the magnetic orientation of the upper magnetic layer of the
junction to lower its resistance, thus allowing a write/erase voltage on
a program/erase line to program/erase the floating gate.