Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.

Hidekatsu Kuroda

Kazuo Matsuzaki

Akira Amano

Yoshiyuki Sakai

Yuichi Urano

A highly reliable memory device with excellent heat resistance that can be used in any environment utilizes a chemical change to define a state transition. The memory device includes a micro vacuum tube structure having a recess portion formed on an upper face of a quartz substrate, a cold cathode having many comb-tooth like tips extending from the quartz substrate over to one side of the recess portion, a rectangular control electrode disposed on the side of the cold cathode at the bottom of the recess portion, an anode extending from the quartz substrate over to the other side of the recess portion and facing opposed to the cold cathode, and a sealing member for vacuum sealing a space inside the recess portion 11a. N.sub.2 and O.sub.2 gases are enclosed in a space under the pressure of 0.2 mmHg. By changing the control electrode voltage, energy of accelerated electrons is changed: NO is produced at the control voltage of 17 eV, NO2 at 23 eV and the product gases dissociate to N.sub.2 and O.sub.2 by glow discharge at the control voltage higher than 23 eV. The chemical reaction is used to indicate the storage of information.

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Mie, Japan

Hidekatsu Kuroda