Patent ID: 7304879

Claim:
A non-volatile memory element for storing at least one datum comprising: at least one first memory cell to which and from which a first partial datum is written and read out and which has a first characteristic that can be altered electrically irreversibly in a manner dependent on the first partial datum, at least one second memory cell to which and from which a second partial datum different from said first partial datum is written and read out and which has a second characteristic that can be altered electrically irreversibly in a manner dependent on the second partial datum, and a read device coupled to the first memory cell and the second memory cell, wherein the memory element is being set up in such a way that the first partial datum and the second partial datum are represented by a difference in the characteristics of the first and second memory cells which depends on the datum, and the read device being set up in such a way that it determines the stored datum from the difference of the first partial datum and the second partial datum, wherein the first memory cell and/or the second memory cell each comprise a transistor and the first and/or second characteristic is/are the saturation current of a source-drain path of the transistor.