Patent ID: 8295123

Claim:
A current rectifying element including a barrier layer, a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer, the barrier layer being sandwiched between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer; wherein the barrier layer includes an element A (A is nitrogen, carbon, or oxygen) and silicon; wherein the barrier layer is configured such that a content ratio of the element A to silicon is larger in a center region in a thickness direction thereof than in a region in the vicinity of an interface between the first electrode layer and the barrier layer and in a region in the vicinity of an interface between the second electrode layer and the barrier layer; wherein the barrier layer has a barrier height which is larger in the center region in the thickness direction than in the region in the vicinity of the interface between the first electrode layer and the barrier layer and in the region in the vicinity of the interface between the second electrode layer and the barrier layer, and wherein the center region in a thickness direction contains silicon.