Patent ID: 8319204

Claim:
A semiconductor device comprising: a chalcogenide layer which records information by causing a change in an electrical resistance; an upper electrode formed on an upper portion of the chalcogenide layer; and a lower electrode formed on a lower portion of the chalcogenide layer, wherein the chalcogenide layer comprises at least two layers including a first layer positioned on a lower electrode side and a second layer positioned on an upper electrode side, an average content of a group II or group III element of the first layer in a film thickness direction is 7 atomic % or more and 40 atomic % or less, an average content of a group II or group III element of the second layer in a film thickness direction is from 0% to 15 atomic % or less, and the average content of the first layer is 5 atomic % or more larger than the average content of the second layer, wherein the first layer is made of a material containing: at least either indium (In) or gallium (Ga) of 7 atomic % or more and 40 atomic % or less; germanium (Ge) of 5 atomic % or more and 35 atomic % or less; antimony (Sb) of 5 atomic % or more and 25 atomic % or less; and tellurium (Te) of 40 atomic % or more and 65 atomic % or less.