US Patent 7738280 - Nanoparticle thin film mem-resistor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7738280.html

This patent from Panasonic teaches a new variation of memory resistor based on nanoparticles on an oxide thin film layer. Claim 1 reads:

1. A resistive nonvolatile memory element comprising:

a first electrode;

an oxide semiconductor layer which is formed on the first electrode and the resistance of which is altered depending on the applied voltage;

metal nanoparticles having a diameter of between 2 nm and 10 nm and being arranged on the oxide semiconductor layer;

a tunnel barrier layer formed on the oxide semiconductor layer and the metal nanoparticles; and

a second electrode formed on the tunnel barrier layer, said metal nanoparticles being in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer.