MAGNETIZING DIRECTION CONTROL METHOD OF MAGNETIC BODY AND MAGNETIC DEVICE EQUIPPED THEREWITH

PURPOSE: To provide a magnetic body magnetization control method and a magnetic device obtained taking advantage of the above control method, wherein a magnetic body is capable of being controlled in magnetization without using an external magnetic field. CONSTITUTION: A magnetic device is composed of a magnetic thin film 1, a direct transition-type semiconductor 2 which comes into direct contact with the thin film 1 or contact with the film 1 through the intermediary of an intermediate layer 4, and a circular polarized light generating source 3 which irradiates the semiconductor 2 direct with polarized light rays. The direct transition-type semiconductor 2 is irradiated with a circularly polarized light from a circularly polarized light generating source 3, whereby spin polarized electrons with polarity determined based on the direction of polarization of the circularly polarized light are excited in the direct transition-type semiconductor 2, and the magnetic thin film 1 is controlled in the direction of magnetization by the polarity of the spin polarized electrons.