Sony Corporation

Hidenari Hachino

Nobumichi Okazaki

Hironobu Mori

Katsuhisa Aratani

Tomohito Tsushima

Chieko Nakashima

Hajime Nagao

Wataru Otsuka

Tsutomu Sagara

Wataru Ootsuka

Tsunenori Shiimoto

Hiroaki Narisawa

Disclosed herein is a semiconductor memory device including a plurality of magnetic memory elements, a control line group and a read driving circuit.

Semiconductor memory device and its data reading method

A memory includes: memory elements arranged in a matrix, each memory element having such characteristics that when an electric signal at a level equal to or higher than that of a first threshold signal is applied to the memory element, the resistance thereof is changed from a high value to a low value, and when an electric signal at a level equal to or higher than that of a second threshold signal is applied thereto, the resistance is changed from the low value to the high value, the polarities of the first and second threshold signals being different from each other; electric circuits for applying electric signals to the memory elements; and detection units each for measuring a current flowing through the corresponding memory element or a voltage applied thereto from the start of the application of electric signals to detect whether the resistance is high or low.

Memory and semiconductor device with memory state detection

One or serially connected field effect transistors are cross coupled with each other, first terminals of nonvolatile variable resistance elements are connected to their storage nodes, and the other terminals of the variable resistance elements are connected to a power supply line to thereby form a memory cell. By controlling the voltage supplied to this power supply line, data of the memory cell immediately before turning off the power is stored in it when the power is turned off.

Nonvolatile memory cell, storage device and nonvolatile logic circuit

It is intended to provide a storage element having an arrangement which becomes able to be manufactured easily with high density. A storage element includes resistance changing elementshaving recording layersprovided between two electrodesand in which resistance values of the recording layersare reversibly changed with application of electric potential with different polarities to these two electrodes, at least part of the layersconstructing the recording layers of the resistance changing elementsbeing formed commonly by the same layer in a plurality of adjacent memory cells.

Storage device with reversible resistance change elements

A storage device includes a memory cell having a storage element having a characteristic of changing from a state of a high resistance value to a state of a low resistance value by being supplied with a voltage equal to or higher than a first threshold voltage, and changing from a state of a low resistance value to a state of a high resistance value by being supplied with a voltage equal to or higher than a second threshold voltage different in polarity from the first threshold voltage, and a circuit element connected in series with the storage element, wherein letting R be a resistance value of the storage element after writing, V be the second threshold voltage, and I be a current that can be passed through the storage element at a time of erasure, R&#x2267;V/I.

Storage device and semiconductor device

A storage device includes memory cells disposed in a matrix. The memory cells each include a storage element whose resistance changes from a higher state to a lower state when an electric signal of a first threshold level or higher is applied and whose resistance changes from the lower state to the higher state when an electric signal of a second threshold level or higher whose polarity is different from the polarity of the electric signal of the first threshold level or higher is applied, and a circuit element connected in series with the storage element. In a state in which an erasing voltage is applied to at least one memory cell on which erasing is currently being performed, after the lapse of a predetermined time from the application, an erasing voltage is applied to at least one memory cell on which erasing is to be next performed.

Storage device and semiconductor apparatus

A storage device includes a storage element having characteristics such that the resistance value thereof changes from a high state to a low state as a result of an electrical signal higher than or equal to a first threshold signal being applied and changes from a low state to a high state as a result of an electrical signal higher than or equal to a second threshold signal whose polarity differs from that of the first threshold signal being applied; and a circuit element that is connected in series to the storage element and that serves as a load, the storage element and the circuit element forming a memory cell, and the memory cells being arranged in a matrix, wherein the resistance value of the circuit element when the storage element is read differs from the resistance value when the storage element is written or erased.

Storage and semiconductor device

The present invention is to provide a memory device including: a plurality of memory cells that each include a memory element having a memory layer and first and second electrodes that sandwich the memory layer, the plurality of memory cells being divided into memory blocks of m columns by n rows (m and n are each an integer of not less than 1, m+n&#x2267;3), the memory elements in the same memory block having the first electrode that is formed of a single layer in common to the memory elements; and a voltage application unit that applies any voltage to the first electrode of the memory block.

Memory device

A storage device includes a storage element having first and second terminals that cause a first electrical characteristic change when an electric signal of a first threshold level or higher is applied and that cause a second electrical characteristic change, which is asymmetrical to the first electrical characteristic change, when an electric signal of a second threshold level or higher, the polarity of the electric signal of the second threshold level or higher being different from the polarity of the electric signal of the first threshold level or higher, is applied; and a unipolar transistor connected in series with the storage element. One of the first terminal and the second terminal of the storage element is electrically connected to the unipolar transistor. The unipolar transistor has a negative polarity or a positive polarity in accordance with the first terminal or the second terminal electrically connected to the unipolar transistor.

A storage apparatus includes memory devices each having a storage element with a characteristic that the application of an electric signal not lower than a first threshold signal allows the storage element to shift from a high resistance value state to a low resistance value state, and that the application of an electric signal not lower than a second threshold signal, which has a polarity different from that of the first threshold signal, allows the storage element to shift form a low resistance value state to a high resistance value state, and a circuit element connected to the storage element in series to be a load; wherein the memory devices are arranged in a matrix and one terminal of each of the memory devices is connected to a common line; and wherein an intermediate potential between a power supply potential and a ground potential is applied to the common line.

Storage apparatus and semiconductor apparatus

The present invention provides a storage apparatus including a variable resistance element having a recording layer between two electrodes. In the variable resistance element, a resistance value of the recording layer is reversibly changed to one of a value in a high-resistance state and a value in a low-resistance state by applying potentials of different polarities to the two electrodes. An absolute value of a threshold value of an applied signal at a time of change from the high-resistance state to the low-resistance state and an absolute value of a threshold value of an applied signal at a time of change from the low-resistance state to the high-resistance state differ from each other. A reading signal for detecting the resistance value of the recording layer in the variable resistance element is applied with a polarity of one of the threshold values of the applied signals which one has a higher absolute value and with a value lower than the absolute value.

Storage apparatus

A storage device is proposed, which includes: a source line arranged along a row direction; a bit line arranged along a column direction; a storage element arranged at an intersection of the source line and the bit line; a writing circuit connected to one terminal of the bit line and applying a predetermined voltage to the bit line; and a voltage adjusting circuit connected to a storage element that is located closest to another terminal of the bit line; wherein the voltage adjusting circuit compares the voltage applied to the storage element located closest to the another terminal of the bit line with a setting voltage to thereby adjust the voltage that the writing circuit applies to the bit line.

Growing community of inventors

Nagasaki, Japan

Hidenari Hachino