Patent ID: 8208284

Claim:
A non-volatile memory device, comprising: a memory element including a conductive oxide layer including mobile ions, an ion impeding layer in contact with the conductive oxide layer, and an electrolytic tunnel barrier layer in contact with the ion impeding layer, the memory element reversibly switchable from a first conductivity profile to a second conductivity profile upon application of a first write voltage across the memory element and reversibly switchable from the second conductivity profile to the first conductivity profile upon application of a second write voltage across the memory element, wherein an application of the first write voltage across the memory element generates a first electric field operative to move a quantity of the mobile ions in the conductive oxide layer through the ion impeding layer, whereby a conductivity of the memory element switches from the first conductivity profile to the second conductivity profile, wherein an application of the second write voltage across the memory element generates a second electric field operative to move substantially all of the quantity of mobile ions through the ion impeding layer and into the conductive oxide layer, whereby the conductivity of the memory element switches from the second conductivity profile to the first conductivity profile, and wherein the ion impeding layer is operative to substantially stop ion movement between the electrolytic tunnel barrier layer and the conductive oxide layer when a voltage having a magnitude that is less than the first write voltage or the second write voltage is applied across the memory element.