Patent ID: 8320161

Claim:
A memory device, comprising: a first terminal structure; a second terminal structure; and a re-writeable non-volatile two-terminal memory element electrically in series with the first and second terminal structures and operative to store at least one-bit of data as a plurality of conductivity profiles that are retained in the absence of electrical power, the memory element including an electrically insulating high-k dielectric material in contact with the first terminal structure and including a first thickness configured for electron tunneling when a voltage for data operations is applied across the first and second terminal structures, and a conductive binary oxide material including mobile oxygen ions and having a form A X O Y , where O represents oxygen and A represents a metal, the conductive binary oxide material is in contact with the electrically insulating high-k dielectric material and with the second terminal structure, wherein the electrically insulating high-k dielectric material includes vacancies operative to reversibly receive a portion of the mobile oxygen ions in response to a write voltage applied across the first and second terminal structures.