US Patent 7675766 - Ion conductor mem-resistor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7675766.html

Mem-resistors are nanoscale circuit elements which use ionic transport in thin films to create a resistance switching effect. This patent from Axon Technologies has priority going back to 2000 and includes some basic claims to ion conductor memrstors. Claim 1 reads:

1. A microelectronic programmable structure comprising:

a first electrode;

an ion conductor proximate the first electrode; and

a second electrode, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are formed of a material comprising material selected from the group consisting of metals, metal silicides, and doped polysilicon materials.

It is notable that earlier ion conductor resistance switching structures were disclosed such as US Patent 4839700 which may effect the novelty of the patent claims.

Free Mem-resistor Patent Database

Memory resistors represent a new type of nanoscale circuit element proposed to replace flash memory in the next decade and provide a platform to new types of neuromorphic computer architectures. I put together a database of patents related to the materials having memristive characteristics including the patents of Hewlett Packard, Micron Technology, Samsung, Axon Technology, Energy Conversion Devices, Advanced Micro Devices, and Unity Semiconductor which each have patents covering different variations or aspects of memristors.

The database is available by sending an E-mail to TinyTechIP@gmail.com with “mem-resistor patent database” in the title.

For more information on the business landscape of memory resistor electronics see this link.