Patent ID: 8614125

Claim:
A method of forming a nonvolatile memory device, comprising; forming a first and a second electrodes on a semiconductor substrate; forming a data storage layer comprising a transition metal oxide on the first electrode; forming a first and second metal oxide layers in direct contact with the data storage layer and the first and the second electrodes, respectively; wherein a bond energy between a metal element and oxygen in the first and the second metal oxide layers is greater than a bond energy between a transition metal element and oxygen in the data storage layer; reacting the data storage layer with the first and the second metal oxide layers to form a transition metal layer including a transition metal between the data storage layer and the first and the second metal oxide layers such that a portion of the first and the second metal oxide layers is not bonded to the oxygen on a top and a bottom portion of the data storage layer, respectively; forming the second electrode in direct contact with the second metal oxide layer; and applying an external electric field to the data storage layer to generate or erase a conductive filament where the transition metal is not bonded to oxygen in the top and the bottom portions of the data storage layer, respectively.