Patent ID: 8373149

Claim:
A resistance change element comprising: a lower electrode formed on at least one of a semiconductor and insulating substrate; a resistance change material layer formed on the lower electrode and comprising transition metal oxide as a major component; and an upper electrode formed on the resistance change material layer, wherein the resistance change material layer is formed of a nickel oxide containing nickel vacancy and having a higher oxygen concentration than a stoichiometric composition, and has a stacked structure with different composition ratios, wherein the resistance change material layer comprises: a first layer in contact with the lower electrode; and a second layer formed on the first layer and in contact with the upper electrode, wherein the second layer has a higher oxygen concentration than the first layer, wherein when a composition ratio of the resistance change material layer is represented as Ni x O 1-x (0<x<1), the first layer has a composition ratio of 0.45<x<0.49, and the second layer has a composition ratio of 0.40<x<0.47.