Patent ID: 8355274

Claim:
A current steering element which steers passing current that flows when electric pulses having a positive polarity and a negative polarity are applied, said current steering element comprising: a first electrode; a second electrode; and a current steering layer interposed between said first electrode and said second electrode, wherein, when said current steering layer includes SiN x in which x denotes a nitrogen composition ratio and is within a range of 0<x≦0.85 and has a thickness of d nanometer, and a maximum value of a voltage that can be applied between both ends of said current steering element is V o volt, a relationship between the nitrogen composition ratio x and the thickness d is in a range that satisfies Expression (1) and Expression (2), the Expression (1) being (ln(10000(C exp(αd)exp((βx)) −1 )/γ) 2 ≦V 0 , and the Expression (2) being (ln(1000(C exp(αd)exp((βx)) −1 )/γ) 2 −(ln(10000(C exp(αd)exp((βx)) −1 )/γ) 2 /2≧0, where C=7.46×10 −2 , α=−6.25×10 −1 , β=−11.7, γ=9.76.