National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Akihito Sawa

Yukio Tamai

Masashi Kawasaki

Yoshinori Tokura

Nobuyoshi Awaya

Takeshi Fujii

A large-capacity and inexpensive nonvolatile semiconductor memory device that prevents a leak current and is operated at high speed is implemented with a nonvolatile variable resistive element. A memory cell array includes the nonvolatile variable resistive elements each including a variable resistor composed of a metal oxide film to cause a resistance change according to an oxygen concentration in the film, an insulation film formed on the variable resistor, first and second electrodes to sandwich the variable resistor, and a third electrode opposite to the variable resistor across the insulation film. A writing operation is performed by applying a voltage to the third electrode to induce an electric field having a threshold value or more, in a direction perpendicular to an interface between the variable resistor and the insulation film, and a resistance state of the variable resistor is read by applying a voltage between the first and second electrodes.

Nonvolatile variable resistive element and nonvolatile semiconductor memory device

A memory cell array having a 1R structure is composed of nonvolatile variable resistive elements each including a variable resistor formed of a metal oxide film whose resistance changes depending on an oxygen concentration in the film, and first and second electrodes sandwiching the variable resistor. The first electrode and the variable resistor form a rectifier junction through a rectifier junction layer composed of an oxide layer and a layer (oxygen depletion layer) of the metal oxide film having an oxygen concentration lower than a stoichiometric composition. The oxygen moves between the first electrode and the metal oxide film when a voltage is applied, and a thickness of the oxygen depletion layer changes, so that the resistance of the metal oxide film changes and the rectifying properties are provided. A thickness of the oxygen depletion layer is set to allow the variable resistive element to show the sufficient rectifying properties.

Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device

Provided is a material composition which allows a nonvolatile memory element made of a perovskite-type transition metal oxide having the CER effect to be formed of three elements, which comprises an electric conductor having a shallow work function or a small electronegativity, such as Ti, as an electrode and a rare earth-copper oxide comprising one type of rare earth element, copper and oxygen, such as LaCuO, as a material constituting a heterojunction with the electric conductor.

Perovskite transition metal oxide nonvolatile memory element

A nonvolatile memory element in which RbMbMnOhaving higher insulation properties than RaMaMnOis inserted between the RaMaMnOand a metal having a shallow work function or a low electronegativity in order to improve resistance change properties and switching properties and to control the resistance change properties. (In the formulas, Ra and Rb represent rare earth elements and are solid solutions of one or more types of rare earth elements. Average ionic radius of the Rb is smaller than that of the Ra. Ma and Mb represent alkaline earth metals and are solid solutions of one or more types of alkaline earth metals. 0&#x3c;x, y&#x3c;1).

Nonvolatile memory element

A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device comprises a memory cell including a variable resistance element changing its electric resistance by voltage application and having current-voltage characteristics in which a positive bias current flowing when a positive voltage is applied from one electrode as a reference electrode to the other electrode through an incorporated rectifier junction is larger than a negative bias current, a memory cell selection circuit for selecting the memory cell from the memory cell array, a voltage supply circuit for supplying a voltage to the memory cell so that a predetermined positive voltage corresponding to the reading operation is applied to the other electrode of the variable resistance element, in the reading operation, and a readout circuit for detecting the amount of the positive bias current and reading the information stored in the selected memory cell, in order to suppress the reading disturbance of the memory cell.

Growing community of inventors

Tsukuba, Japan

Akihito Sawa