Patent ID: 8653912

Claim:
A switching element comprising: an insulating substrate; an insulator provided on an upper surface of the insulating substrate; a first electrode provided on the insulating substrate; a second electrode provided above the first electrode; a between-electrode gap section provided between the first electrode and the second electrode, and including a nanometer-scale gap for causing a switching phenomenon of a resistor by applying a prescribed voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode; and a sealing member to seal the between-electrode gap section off from an air by containing the between-electrode gap section, wherein the first electrode touches a lateral surface of the insulator, the second electrode touches an upper surface and the lateral surface of the insulator, the between-electrode gap section is provided between the first electrode provided on the lateral surface of the insulator and the second electrode provided on the lateral surface of the insulator, and the nanometer-scale gap of the between-electrode gap section has a predetermined length in a vertical direction perpendicular to the surface of the insulating substrate on which the first electrode is provided, the predetermined length corresponding to a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode in the vertical direction.