IP Library Granted Patent US 9,190,145
Granted Patent B2
US 9,190,145 · App. 13/819,247 · Granted Nov 17, 2015

Drive method for memory element and storage device using memory element

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,190,145
App. No.
13/819,247
Granted
Nov 17, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

In a drive method for a memory element that includes an insulating substrate, a first electrode and a second electrode provided on the insulating substrate, and an inter-electrode gap portion provided between the first electrode and the second electrode and having a gap of the order of nanometers where a phenomenon of a change in resistance value between the first and second electrodes occurs, and that can perform a transition from a predetermined low-resistance state to a predetermined high-resistance state and a transition from the high-resistance state to the low-resistance state, a current pulse is applied to the memory element by a constant current circuit upon the transition from the high-resistance state to the low-resistance state.

Claims (5)

1. A storage device, comprising:

a memory element comprising an insulating substrate; a first electrode and a second electrode provided on the insulating substrate; and an inter-electrode gap portion provided between the first electrode and the second electrode and having a gap of an order of nanometers where a phenomenon of a change in resistance value between the first and second electrodes occurs; and

a current pulse generating unit that generates a current pulse for performing a shift from a high-resistance state to a low-resistance state, wherein

the current pulse generating unit applies the current pulse to the memory element by a constant current circuit.

2. The storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the current pulse generating unit applies the current pulse by the constant current circuit such that a current value changes in a stepwise manner.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 31, 2015
From: FUNAI ELECTRIC ADVANCED APPLIED TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC.
To: FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 035295/0038 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 4, 2013
From: FUKUOKA, TOSHIMI
To: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; FUNAI ELECTRIC ADVANCED APPLIED TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC.; FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 030543/0208 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 1, 2013
From: TAKAHASHI, TSUYOSHI; MASUDA, YUICHIRO; FURUTA, SHIGEO; SUMIYA, TOURU; ONO, MASATOSHI; HAYASHI, YUTAKA; SHIMIZU, TETSUO; SOMU, KUMARAGURUBARAN; SUGA, HIROSHI; NAITOU, YASUHISA
To: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; FUNAI ELECTRIC ADVANCED APPLIED TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC.; FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 030328/0697 →