Patent ID: 9135990
Filing Date: 2015-09-15
Classification: G11C

Abstract:
1. A drive method for a memory element, the 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 by application of a predetermined voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein a state of the memory element can be shifted from a predetermined low-resistance state to a predetermined high-resistance state and from the high-resistance state to the low-resistance state by application of a voltage pulse, the method comprising: reducing a current value after a change of a resistance value, by performing, at least upon shifting from the high-resistance state to the low-resistance state, application of a voltage pulse to a memory element from a pulse generating source through a series-connected resistor; and performing application of the voltage pulse, in a case of shifting from the high-resistance state to the low-resistance state, such that an electrical resistance between the pulse generating source and the memory element becomes higher than the electrical resistance in a case of shifting from the low-resistance state to the high-resistance state.